Lighten up

I’m a relative newcomer to golf and a couple of months ago I decided to take the plunge and join a club. After a recent round, I walked into the clubhouse bar and was swiftly reprimanded for still having my golf shoes on – I’d completely forgotten to take them off as the habit clearly still wasn’t ingrained.

I understand why dress codes exist, but there are ways of going about things. The response from the member was totally disproportionate to the ‘crime’ I’d committed. I’ve met and played with some lovely people at the club, so I don’t want to dwell on that one bad experience – I just wish the member in question had shown more understanding and treated me with more respect. Seemingly small things like that can make a real difference to newcomers to a club. I think clubs up and down the country could do with lightening up a bit. It is possible to have rules and regulations and create a welcoming atmosphere – the two aren’t mutually exclusive.