As a member of the artisans’ club at Royal Ashdown Forest, your fixture list tends to take you to the kind of clubs that would long have been bastions of the compulsory long sock with shorts. Royal Ashdown, itself, would certainly have ranked among them historically.
Now, most, but not all, such clubs have relented and relaxed things to varying degrees, with Royal Ashdown’s website saying: “Tailored shorts may be worn on the course and, in keeping with the traditions of Royal Ashdown, long golf socks are preferred.”
‘Preferred’ is, of course, a long way from ‘compulsory’ and most other very traditional golf courses on our fixture list have adopted a similar approach. But I did play an event only recently at a club where long socks were still obligatory if you wanted to wear shorts.
While I suspect such clubs are now very few and far between and accept that each club has the right to do as it sees fit in line with its members’ wishes, it did make me think that ‘preferred’ or ‘encouraged’ are much more where we should be this far into the 21st century than ‘essential’.
I couldn’t tell you the last time I donned long socks for any activity, let alone golf. Neither could I tell you when I last actually owned a pair of knee-length socks, but I suspect it could well be when I last played football some 30-odd years ago.
Despite the move to ‘preferred’ from ‘compulsory’, I know that many long-standing (and even younger) members of such clubs do still prefer to wear long socks with shorts and that is, of course, their prerogative and choice.
Several such establishments have quite natty club colours for their golf socks, and that’s fine if it’s a look that you are happy to embrace.
Personally, it’s not for me and while my wife and many others would be all too willing to attest that I am very far removed from being a fashion icon, I don’t want to wear any outfit that tarnishes my already questionable style reputation yet further.
A sensible approach?
I do remember being bitterly upset 50-odd years ago when, for reasons I can’t now recall, I was never promoted from the cubs to the scouts, so I never had to wear long socks away from the sports field in my teens.
I’m quite glad about that now and have no desire to regress at this stage of life simply because I’m playing golf at a particular course.
I fully accept that if you know you’re going to a certain club, the dress code is usually there for all to see either on the website or in any information sent out, but from experience at helping to organise events, I also know that many visitors digest precious little beyond their tee-time ahead of the day.
That is their fault, of course, but if you've only brought shorts with you, we're then into the realms of resentfully having to buy a pair of long socks that you don’t really want from the pro shop for £30 before being allowed out.
I’m not sure that’s the best way to foster good club/customer relations despite the dress code being readily available for all to see.
Yes, some nomadic golfers will take it on the chin and acknowledge their mistake; but others will make a note not to come back… even though they now possess the long socks required to do so!
So, in summary, each club must make its own rules and regulations and all golfers are perfectly entitled to dress in any way they so please that meets those regulations.
But given that I’m unlikely to either purchase or wear a pair of long socks from now till my dying day, I will just have to accept that I will be donning long trousers even in 30˚C+ heat the next time I play at club that still insists on long socks with shorts.
