Is It time to abandon dress codes at golf clubs

Earlier this year I was reprimanded for breaking a club’s dress code. The problem? I was wearing golf shorts which were fine but my socks were a light grey instead of the approved white. After some discussion, and considerable embarrassment, I was permitted to play, albeit with my socks tucked down into my golf shoes.

This exchange left me thinking about dress codes at golf clubs in general. Specifically, when clubs create them, I wonder how much time is devoted to the negative impact of the rules themselves? My gut feeling is that club committees spend more time focussing on legislating against the unlikely spectre of football shirts and work overalls and not enough time thinking about what happens when the rules are enforced. What do you think…? Let me know in the comments box below.

One of the most positive changes we’ve seen in recent times is how golf has opened itself up to a new audience. Post-COVID, the number of people enjoying the game has grown rapidly. I’d like to think, and maybe this is wishful, that those who’ve started playing have found golf to be more inclusive and less stuffy than they may have previously thought. That would certainly be my experience, but I acknowledge that as the editor of Golf Monthly, I’m hardly an outsider.

Should We Abandon Dress Codes At Golf Clubs?

My fear is that something as simple as a dress code, and a willingness to impose it, threatens to take us back to a time when golf was more elitist and unwelcoming. Let’s take the example of a non-playing parent waiting to pick up their child from a golf lesson. They are sitting in the clubhouse, drinking a coffee and wearing a pair of jeans - just as they might do in any local coffee shop. However, they are breaking the dress code.

The question is, should the club turn a blind eye or tell the parent and perhaps ask them to wait in the car? If it is the former, the dress code is surely redundant. If it’s the latter, you’re giving the parent a reason to stop engaging with the club and potentially the sport more generally.

Perhaps it is telling that despite having played the game for 35 years, the vast majority as a club member, and priding myself on looking smart whenever I play, I’m still capable of falling foul of the rules. My hunch is that if we removed dress codes entirely tomorrow, the majority of golfers would neither notice nor change the way they dress.

What do you think about the idea of abolishing dress codes altogether? Would this be a backward step or help the game feel more accessible? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

In July 2023, Neil became just the 9th editor in Golf Monthly's 112-year history. Originally working with the best coaches in the UK to produce instruction content, he went on to become a feature writer interviewing many of the biggest names in the game including Tiger Woods, Seve Ballesteros, Rory McIlroy and Arnold Palmer.

A 5-handicap golfer, Neil is a club member who takes a keen interest in the health of the game at grassroots level. You’ll often now find him writing about club-related issues such as WHS, membership retention and how best to bridge the gap between the range and the course.

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