Yes.
Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
But seriously—can we lighten up a little bit? I get it. Golf is a game of tradition. In the same sense, though, golf is a game of advancements. If we didn’t change a thing about golf since its inception, the game would be obsolete by now.
Adapt and thrive or fail to survive.
This is exactly how I view golf’s heinous (yes, heinous) dress code. In what world does it make sense that players on the PGA Tour can’t wear shorts? And don’t even get me started on collared shirts. From the professional ranks to the municipal course, the dress code must change if golf has any shot at bringing in a new cohort of golfers.
Let’s talk a little bit about why I think golf’s dress code is outdated and what can be done about it.
Changing of the Guard
Golf is already controversial enough. From silly rules about fairway divots to rolling back golf balls to make the game harder, it’s very clear to me what the golf gatekeepers are doing.
No, they’re not trying to protect the sanctity of the game although this may be the facade they hide behind. Instead, they claim interest in “growing the game” while making everything about golf less appealing—starting with the dress code.
Golf’s dress code is pushing away more golfers than anything else about the game. Not LIV, not music on the golf course, not the ball rollback. The quickest way to invite new golfers into the game is to lighten up on the dress code.
In my honest opinion, there shouldn’t be a dress code at all, outside of the requirement to actually wear clothes on the course.
On paper, it sounds great, but implementation is not that easy. It starts at the top with the Tour. Until the PGA Tour can get off their high horse in regards to dress and grooming standards, clubs around the globe won’t see any reason to change, either.
Let’s take a look at LIV. Did Anthony Kim playing a pro-am in shorts, off-white sneakers and a T-shirt take away from the “sanctity” of the game? Not in the slightest. Instead, it got golf fans talking and having open discourse.
Even in regular LIV tournaments, golfers are allowed to wear shorts. What a novel idea! Who knew that a professional golfer was allowed to show bare calves?
Until the PGA Tour loosens these silly regulations, golf courses around the world will continue to acquiesce to what the gatekeepers decide. Instead of welcoming the budding golfer or the newbie, they turn them away for rocking up to the course in a T-shirt.
No collar? No bueno.
That, too, must end if golf wants any shot at including (not excluding) new members from joining the glorious golf ranks.
The guard at the top of the game must change first.
Until the gatekeepers and rulemakers become younger, more inclusive and less judgmental, golf’s dress code will never be relaxed.
Traditional Logic
Can anyone give me a good reason for collared shirts and long pants? Any takers?
To me, the only reason the dress code still exists is in the name of “tradition.” What tradition? Has golf not outgrown certain traditions already? Last I checked, we don’t play hickory clubs. Let’s leave those in the past along with golf’s outdated dress code.
I’m all for golf being different. And, yes, most every professional sport has a uniform or dress code. But when Michael Jordan first entered the NBA, he wasn’t allowed to wear the predominantly red shoes that NIKE had designed for him.
As any good business does, the NBA adapted. Now players wear what they want and are free to express themselves through their footwear. So, too, should golf adapt and modernize.
There is no sound logic for requiring collared shirts or long pants. Joggers are acceptable but shorts aren’t? Hoodies are OK but only when worn over a collared shirt? Give me a break.
Golf must adapt, lest the game be abandoned in droves for less traditional sports that work to be inclusive and accepting.
My Solution
The solution to all of this is easier than you think. Eradicate the dress code. Require only clothing appropriate for the game (essentially, a top, a bottom and some sort of footwear).
Anything beyond these guidelines is superfluous. The repercussions are only positive, in my opinion.
More golfers would feel comfortable on the course. PGA Tour players wouldn’t sweat through their pleated pants or strip down to their underwear when wading through the water.
And, best of all, the 15-year-old kid who owns only a T-shirt and shorts won’t be turned away from hitting balls at the range.
NoDrawAllSlice
2 months ago
I would be curious to see what an actual PGA Tour player would have to say on this take. My bet is that pretty much NONE of them would agree with “eradicating” the dress code, but perhaps would concur with a less restrictive standard. Personally, the dress code to me is part of the ‘respecting the game’ mindset and that is what I love about the sport. Even a hack like me who is not going to dazzle anybody with his skill set, can still respect the game and appreciate the finer points (if you will) of the game of golf. I’m not so “kids get off my lawn” old that I am opposed to some revision to a dress code, but the tee shirt, gym shorts, flip-flops guy(s) that take 4 – 5 hours a round are unbearable to me. The YouTube golf influencer influenced crowd of golfers and the ‘old guard’ should at least be able to meet somewhere in the middle on some points, but a lot of that younger “YouTube golf influencer” influenced crowd have taken up the game with zero intent of learning the game, the traditions, the etiquette or any of the “do/do not” elements of golf than I think. Just my $.02.
Candidly, the “Bros” cohort that show up at the course … who are actually in full alignment or above with dress codes … with the mindset that they are the only people out on the course and other players be damned … as long as they can “hoot and holler”, play their music at concert levels on speakers designed for a DJ booth and spend a day devoid of ANY consideration of others or their surroundings … THAT crew bothers me more than “flip flop guy” in all honesty. (Ugh…so maybe I AM “kids get off my lawn” old. That sucks. LOL)
Walter
1 month ago
The professional golfers get paid to wear branded clothes and the more we have to pay for those clothes, the more they get paid for hawking them.