I have been playing golf long enough to remember the days when you could not enter a clubhouse unless you were wearing a shirt and tie. Those were the days that when you applied to join a golf club you had to attend an interview to prove that you were fit for purpose.
You had to wear a suit and face a bunch of old fogies who wanted to know what your job was, where you lived, whether you were married, what your handicap was, what sort of car you drove – that you were the right sort to be permitted to join their golf club.
It was all pomp and ceremony and I hated it.
Juniors were treated like dirt. And women? I once belonged to a golf club on the outskirts of Glasgow that only allowed women to enter the clubhouse if they were with their husbands. Otherwise, they had to drink in the “spike bar” with the juniors. And they were hardly ever allowed to actually go out and play.
There were clubs that did not let Catholics join and there were clubs that effectively banned Protestants. Everywhere you looked, there was discrimination of some sort. In fact, the Jewish community in the city grew so tired of it that they built their own golf course.
Golf Has Changed For The Better – But Dress Codes Still Exist
(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)
Much has changed since then but I still struggle with lots of the traditions attached to our sport and right up there is the dress code.
Where to start?
A few years ago I turned up at a Suffolk golf club on a roasting hot summer day. I was wearing tailored shorts and ankle-length white socks. I walked into the pro’s shop to pay my green fee and was greeted with: “You can’t go out there dressed like that.”
“I beg your pardon?”
2If you want to play here you need to be wearing knee-length socks.”
“I don’t have any.”
“That’s all right. I can sell you a pair.”
“Do you have anything to hold them up with?”
“No.”
“In that case, by the time I get to the first tee the socks will be around my ankles.”
“Sorry sir, it’s the rules.”
So I duly bought the socks and, of course, I teed off with them hanging down around my ankles.
When I finished my round I headed to the bar and was told that it was for members only. Suffice to say, I never went back.
Do Dress Codes Still Have a Place at Golf Clubs?
I played another Suffolk course with a friend who was a member. We enjoyed a pleasant 18 holes on a lovely summer’s evening. Afterwards, we put our clubs in our respective cars and started walking towards the main clubhouse bar. “Sorry Derek, but you can’t go in there,” said my friend.
“Why on earth not?”
“Because we are not wearing shirts and ties. We can only go into the snug bar.”
This was another club that I never returned to.
In many ways, I believe that golf’s dress code remains stuck in the dark ages.
Will somebody please explain to me why it is necessary for me to have to wear a polo shirt with a collar to play golf when many of the world’s leading golfers wear collarless shirts and nobody bats an eyelid? I can go out and spend a small fortune on a collarless top and be told that I can’t wear it on the course but I can buy a £10 polo top and that is just fine.
Should Dress Codes Be Relaxed at Golf Clubs?
If you have played golf in France you will know that you can do so while wearing jeans. Just try doing that in the UK. I strongly believe that jeans provide practical attire when it comes to playing on cold winter days. Am I wrong?
I own several pairs of jeans, each of which cost me around £100. My golf trousers were bought from Sports Direct – two pairs cost £30. If I turned up at any golf club in Britain wearing my £100 jeans I would be shown the door. But I can wear trousers with holes in the knees and nobody will bat an eyelid.
Please don’t get me wrong. I know there have to be some standards, but in this day and age, surely there should be more flexibility when it comes to the dress code. I like to look smart when I play golf but I cannot understand why I am not allowed to wear denim shorts during the summer.
Should Jackets & Ties Be Required to Enter Golf Clubhouses?
I recently played in a team match at a Norfolk course. We were told that when we were finished we would be required to change into a clean polo top before entering the clubhouse. What complete nonsense!
In total, I have played eight away team matches in 2025 and for seven of them it was perfectly acceptable for us to sit down for our meal in the golf attire we had worn on the golf course. But one club insisted that we all change into shirt, tie and jacket – on a day when the temperature was around 34C and in a clubhouse without any air conditioning. Of course! I repeat – what complete nonsense!
The following comment could well stir up something of a hornet’s nest. I am a huge fan of women golfers and have tried to be a champion for them at my own club but they are not asked to wear formal attire when competing in team matches. It also seems to be fine for them to play without socks. This smacks of double standards to me.
And if we are serious about wanting to attract younger people to our sport then we should remember that this is the 21st century and it is surely time to relax the dress code.
Related Content
Old Fashioned Golf Club Rules That Need to Go
The Most Overrated Things About Golf
Are These The Worst Things About Golf?
What Golfers Expect From a Modern Day Golf Club
Is Golf Still an Elitist Sport?
