The Advisor

Golf Digest, Jan, 2001

Dear Golf Digest: I recently drove my teenager to the course for a day of golf, but when the starter saw he wasn't wearing a collared shirt, he wouldn't let him play. My son didn't have enough money to buy a collared shirt in the golf shop, so I had to go pick him up. Now he's too embarrassed to go back to the course. What's the deal with golf's outdated dress code? A.M., Baltimore

Can you imagine telling David Duval that his collarless shirts restrict him from playing in the U. S. Open? Your problem has as much to do with golf's sartorial specifications as with that inflexible grump governing the first tee. The starter easily could have given your son a special exemption-- "The T-shirt is OK this once, but next time . . . " Unfortunately, many starters, even if they want to, are not given the authority to "bend the rules" in the name of common sense or the good of the game.

Although we do not condone serious deterioration of golf's dress code, our loudest gripes are aimed at those who discourage--wittingly or unwittingly--a youngster from getting hooked on the game. That said, your son could have appealed the starter's ruling to the head pro. Or perhaps they could have worked out a deal that would have allowed you to pay for a collared shirt at the end of the day. Even better, when your son called you to get him, why didn't you become more involved yourself?

As for the embarrassment factor, if your son's love of golf is more than a passing fancy, he'll recover. Kids have a way of shrugging off those red-faced moments easier than adults do.

Mail questions to: Golf Digest Advisor, 5520 Park Ave., Box 395, Trumbull, CT 06611. Fax 203-371-2162; e-mail to editor@golfdigest.com.