Let’s Stay Smart With Tradition

I have to say, it’s great to get back to Dubai after four weeks away from the humidity, but it never ceases to amaze me just how hot it actually is!

I hope you enjoyed the recent course maintenance articles from Craig during my absence, and that you now appreciate just what these guys have to put up with – especially at this time of year.

While I was away, one thing that attracted my attention both in Spain and in the UK, was the somewhat lack of dress code on a number of courses I visited.

Before I go any further, I have to say that I am not an out-and-out traditionalist when it comes to golf attire and I am delighted that the days of "gentlemen only" rooms, knee length socks and jackets and ties in the clubhouse after play, are well and truly finished.

However, I do believe that golf being a game of tradition, integrity and high morals, a certain standard of dress code should be maintained at all clubs, as I feel it helps promote the appropriate respect from all players that playing the game demands.

I started playing golf exactly 20 years ago. I was 11 at the time, and specifically remember feeling that although the dress code was a far cry from my favourite jeans and trainers that I usually kicked around in at that age, getting smartly dressed for golf automatically put me in a different mind set.

Looking back, the dress code I learned to respect, was a defining part of my growth as an individual and I still strongly believe that in the age of increased youth violence around the world, golf can be a great influence on the betterment of society in general and that maintaining dress standards is a key part to this.

I frequented a number of clubs, and was surprised to see the amount of denim jeans, trainers, round neck t-shirts and shirts hanging out on the course and in the clubhouse.

Dress codes in general have become more flexible as golf clubs have had to open up their businesses in order to survive and we have also seen this in Dubai over the last two years. I only hope that in the pursuit of the bottom line, golf clubs will continue to uphold the tradition of ‘smart casual’, in order to maintain the game’s social standing in the community.