6 Golfing Customs I'd Like To See Scrapped In 2026

Golf has been moving with the times over the past decade, with the introduction of hoodies, speakers and trainer-style shoes just a few examples of the sport's modernisation.

We've also seen gender-neutral tees, high-tech driving ranges, affordable launch monitors and other cool golfing gadgets and technology changing the sport for the better amid rising numbers of new players since the Covid-19 pandemic.

But what else needs to change? Whether it's outdated customs and etiquette practices or general golf club rules, here are some changes I'd like to see in the coming years...

Change isn't always easy and some of these would take years, so I admit they could be unlikely. Let me know your view in the comments section below and whether you have any other examples.

Hole-in-one drinks policy

I'll admit this is not one I see ever changing, but the fact you're expected to buy the entire clubhouse a drink if you make a hole-in-one is quite frankly ridiculous.

It forces the younger generation who have struck their tee shot directly towards the pin to look away in dread, begging their ball not to drop into the hole. I was playing with a fellow member recently who almost spun a wedge back into the hole for an ace and he was very fearful as his ball rolled back towards the cup.

I've seen hole-in-one insurance before, which I'm sure comes in handy, and I think clubs should have a hole-in-one fund where everyone puts £10 in at the start of the year to cover aces. It simply isn't right to not want to make a hole-in-one, which is how I, and surely many others, feel.

Hitting the shot of your life, especially in a big monthly medal or a captain's day, should not result in a fine that runs up into the hundreds. Do you agree?

Flexible membership schemes

I was recently almost laughed at by an influential member at my club for suggesting I'd like to see a credit scheme introduced. He pointed to our long waiting list and instantly shot me down.

I play at a private club in the south of England and yes, we might have a healthy waiting list now, but what about in five or ten years?

I am struggling to justify my £150-per-month membership, which will continue to go up every year until I reach the age of 35. I worked out I played just four times in November, December and January due to course closures, bad weather and various other commitments. So that was £450 for four rounds of winter golf – ouch.

I can find twilight rates at local pay-and-play courses from as little as £17.50. Yes, the quality of course or exclusivity isn't as good, but it's still golf, and for a fraction of the price. For the first time in my life, I'm now really weighing up whether membership is for me.

The winter has been dreadful and couple that with an increasingly busy life and a 9-5 job, I can only play once per week at most these days. A credit scheme, or at least some kind of flexible membership, would allow me to reduce my fees and happily stay on as a member.

I fear the continued rising costs will make more 30-year-olds start to consider whether they can justify expensive memberships while facing mortgage payments and rising bills.

Spike bars

I imagine the premise of not allowing golf shoes in the bar is either to ensure standards remain high or to simply keep the carpet clean. I would never condone walking mud into the floor in order to get a drink and doing so would be extremely inconsiderate.

But if you've got clean shoes, why should you be forced to change them? My friend recently had to take his acceptably clean adidas Tour360s off and sit in our bar with no shoes on.

He looked very silly, but this was deemed more appropriate than strolling in wearing his golf shoes that had just been extensively cleaned by the air blower.

If your shoes, whether they're golf shoes or not, are relatively clean then I don't see why clubhouse bars need to be segregated depending on what type of footwear you're sporting.

Changing shoes in the car park

Sticking with the footwear theme, I have changed my shoes in the car park a number of times over the past year.

Luckily I have not been caught on any occasion, but I have done so while feeling like a naughty child trying to hide behind my car door to avoid a senior member spotting me and telling me off.

This is another rule I don't quite understand.

I assume it is to keep the car park looking like an upstanding place at all times, but why has that got to be the case? It is a tarmac or gravel area full of cars.

Does anyone really care if someone is standing by their vehicle for 60 seconds changing their shoes? I certainly don't.

'Tees of the day'

Luckily this is not an issue at my club but a local pay-and-play facility (which costs just £17.50 on a twilight) does not allow play from the white tees unless in a competition.

There is a membership that plays there and exclusively uses the tips for its competitions, but it is slightly annoying that I can't use them.

I'm a six-handicapper and only ever play the whites at my club yet am forced to tee off the yellows at this certain course, which measure around 5,900 yards. It is far shorter than what I regularly play so does make things a little easier, but it also makes me less proud when I shoot a good score there.

If I shoot a good score I have to add 'but' at the end of the sentence to tell my friends that I was playing a course 400 yards shorter than we usually do.

I've supported the facility by paying my green fee, please just let me play from wherever I choose. It's a golf course with multiple teeing areas that is rated accordingly for each set, so it doesn't seem right to restrict play.

Gimmes

The entire point of golf is to get the ball in the hole, so why do we sometimes stop when we simply get 'near' it?

I'm a big advocate of removing gimmes in stroke play and casual rounds as I've struggled with the yips at times over recent years and have seen three-footers missed time and time again.

Rory McIlroy missed from inside 3ft on the 16th hole of the 2024 US Open, so if he doesn't make every single putt inside 3ft then why should we be allowing 16-handicappers the luxury of a gimme?

Holing out from short range is a vital skill in golf and one that is sometimes harder than it looks, so picking up short putts ultimately massages a player's score and robs them of the chance to gain the confidence of knocking it in.

I'll stress this should only apply to stroke play as gimmes are an integral part of match play.

What do you make of these six golfing customs? And have I missed any? Let me know in the comments section below.