Having watched quite a lot of Tour events on TV, with most competitions being held during the summer is hot conditions, whey do they all wear trousers? surely shorts would be the more comfortable choise???

PGA Tour rules.

I dont remember the name of the golfer in question, but many years ago someone chose to wear VERY SHORT SHORTS. Apparently everytime he bent over to pick his ball out of the hole, his ....um.....ball almost fell out of the hole....if you know what i mean.

Since then.....pants only.

definitely a rule.

however, they give those guys a pretty good break...they play the southern courses in the spring and fall and they play the northern courses in the summer. (that makes a HUGE difference)

i'd love to see those guys have to play the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in August!! (110+ degrees!!)

Caddies used to have to wear long pants, too, but that rule was changed: http://www.pcaworldwide.com/press1.htm .

Except for the US Open in Tulsa! 100 degrees every day with high humidity and they HAD to wear pants. Every one of the players looked like they had walked through a car wash by the 3rd hole

I remember while watching the 2007 US Open at Oakmont they had a story of a no-name pro that was playing in the 1973 Open there. He was in one of the first groups (forgot which round it was) out and had no chance of winning. As he finished the 17th hole he darted into a nearby porta-potty and emerged with shorts on. He played the 18th hole, signed his scorecard, and was asked by tournament officials to change back into pants. I forgot the pro's name and whatever become of him. I do remember Johnny Miller saying that was the last time anyone on tour played in shorts.

I say let them wear shorts and carry stand bags like the rest of us!!! At least once a year. That would be so much fun to see.

-mini

There might even be a rule against stand bags on the PGA tour....

I saw that, too, but I swear I remember Peter Jacobsen changing into shorts near the end of a round in the '80s.

there is i think.

I don't think so, the kid from Virginia Tech (Drew Weaver) used his stand bag at the Masters..................

no there isnt, companies pay big money for players to show off their stuff...including huge logos on the side of huge staff bags. just the other week fred funk's caddie (his wife/sister, whoever) was carrying a stand bag. all the amateurs in the us open used them too.

rules apply to pga members only i think sure someone knows the full ins and outs of this.

I believe there is a rule on the PGA Tour that requires them to have a staff bag unless an exemption is granted, i.e. wife or girlfriend caddying that week. Stand/carry bags were also permitted by the Tour at the old International tournament because of the very hilly terrain on the course.

I think it's crazy not to let these guys wear shorts on Tour. Who would really care?? Is there a club in this country that doesn't let guys wear golf shorta?? Isn't like they'd wear cut-offs of something.....well maybe Bubba would but!!

How come female pros are allowed to wear shorts, but not male pros?

1st, the Masters is not a PGA Tour event.

2nd, all members of the PGA of America are supposed to wear pants for ALL rounds that are sanctioned by the PGA. It's a rule borne out of respect for, and customs of, the Game.

3rd, there are some PGA tour events that allow stand bag use. The International used to allow them, and the Reno-Tahoe Open allows them now.

i think they should wear pants. grown men look ridiculous in shorts. not sure about american clubs but many british clubs require pants. if they allow shorts, they often require knee high socks.

i think the pros have shown that they can't really be trusted to make sound decisions on what to wear. so a rule seems necessary.

I believe I saw Billy Mayfair using a Titleist stand bag lasr year at the Deutsche Bank

To my knowledge, there is no rule that dictates the size of the bag in a PGA tour event. It has no effect on the player, so what would the point be. In fact, I'll bet a caddy could probably use a pull/push cart if he wanted to. Never recall seeing any rule about that either.

BDLz

Respect for the game? Why would a professonal wearing a nice pair of shorts equate to that professional disrespecting the game?

Do you feel that collegiate players at the highest level are disrespecting the game?

As far as a nod to tradition, I understand that and I am something of a traditionalist myself, but I am not sanctimonious about it as I fully understand that one rarely sees temperatures into the 90s and humidity over 80% on the fair Island where this game was invented.

As an aside, the Nike Dri-Fit pants are fantastic, but it does not stop me from believing that the prohibition on shorts is silly.

Because the LPGA allows it.

Forrest Fezler

I think a few years ago in Colorado at the International the tour ALLOWEd the players to use stand bags because of the heat and the hills......

Valero Texas Open allows stand bags. That course is insane to walk.

I'm pretty sure the rule for stand bags are that the bag's opening must be at least 9.5 inches. Most stand bags do not have this large of an opening.

Craig Barlow had a stand bag at the Buick Open, it wasn't very hot and that course is an easy walk.

You'll see PGA Tour players wearing shorts when they are trying to qualify for the U.S. OPEN or the British OPEN, or just trying to qualify for a spot period.

That's the closest you'll see them wearing shorts.

Questions like that make people disappear

I say let em wear shorts, but they also must wear long socks, as they do at Walton Heath. If you've ever played there, you know what I'm talking about

Go to the Royal Birkdale (2008 British Open) website, they only allow shorts with socks pulled up to your knees! HA! How silly is that?????

Yeah, but in the UK, it never gets above 60* so who would want to wear shorts!

I think that not letting the pros wear shorts is just one of the silly rules of the game that are nescessary to preserve the game's image.

I know someone who caddied for Cliff Kresge in a couple of tournaments last year. They're really good friends and Cliff's caddie had gotten suspended for getting in a fight in a parking lot. Anyway, after the first round, in which he carried a staff bag, he was so beat he didn't think he could do it again the next day. So he carried a stand bag. I don't know why there would be a rule, but I dunno. At least at that tournament ( the Honda Classic, I believe) there were no rules against it.


Ben

This is an interesting topic.....the shorts and the staff bag...


We have a guy at our club that caddy's full time for a PGA top 50 player....when he's back in for a break after the Open i'll see what he has to say.


I know there's a rule about the pants....but the bag? I have NEVER heard that they're required to use staff bags...anywhere. We need a copy of the PGA Tour handbook.

ratings

My take on the staff bags vs carry bags would be just for sponsors advertising space. Same reason the guys where baseball hats vs visors(well other than being bald) there is just more room to put logos on a staff bag.
As far as the pants go I think that rule is a little dated, you have to believe those guys were dying last year at the Us Open.

They would have been dying even with shorts on.

but it would have been cooler death

i disagree. i think that according to the rules of dress for our society, shorts for men are just not 'nice' or 'formal'. i realize that these rules are changing drastically and shorts are becoming much more accepted, but i'd say without question shorts for men are a very casual look. the pga tour doesn't go for it.

these same rules of dress allow women to wear shorts and skirts and short socks. so, the lpga dress code reflects that.

i do find it interesting that the ladies often wear their shirts untucked while the men certainly don't.

and as far as knee high socks with shorts, i don't think it's silly at all. it's certainly very british, but let's remember many, many people laugh at american men wearing shorts and ankle socks all the time.

Get yourself some Nike Dri-fit or Adidas Climacool pants, and it's like you're wearing nothing at all.

I don't think you have thought this question through.

Very nice topic though. I've wondered about it before, especially since i've seen a lot of pro's wear shorts when playing in their own time.



I could see myself (not being a morning person) waking up early for an early tee time, standing on the first tee with no pants on. Only because i've become accustomed to the feeling of having no pants on with those light pants.

It is true though, they are very very comfortable and light to wear. If you've ever worn a climacool (or similar) polo and know what it does for you on a hot day, well the effect is the same for pants.


Some players do. I believe Johan Edfors sometimes does and some other "more fashionable" players.

And what about the comfy jeans pants and sports shoes?
I have a lot of friends in Bruges (Belgium). Lots of American tourists in the summer. It's a dead giveaway to spot them. Always, absolutely always, wearing jeans and sports shoes.

If the pants rule is for tradition, why not mandate kilts?

I'm not sure if I could even swing a club with long pants on.

Pros should wear whatever they want, inline with the rules of the club they're at of course. Id love to see someone win a major in bermudas, aloha shirt and sandles...

"Some" of the gals seem to push the envelope way beyond traditional and i wouldn't call some of their outfits "formal" by any means.

I think 'pros in pants' takes away some of the legitimacy of Golf as a sport, and helps to portray it as more of a game.
In what other professional sport do top players compete wearing slacks? Bowling comes to mind, but im having trouble coming up with anymore.

Maybe if the guys could dress for the weather there would be more 60's shot on the tour! hehe


edit: And whats the deal with pros and wearing black when its 95? I couldn't golf in black, Id pass out by the 4th tee.

Matter of opinion, but even though i'm seriously addicted to golf and love the game, it is what is is ... a game. I'm not saying it isn't physical, but by no means is it as physical as football, running, tennis, cycling, etc.
You cannot call something a sport when several professional players would have problems passing a normal fitness test.

Thanks captain obvious, but that doesn't answer the question.

Not sure what other answer you want then. It all comes down to traditon, and traditionally men wore pants, and women didn't. Therefore, the LPGA allows women to wear shorts.

When I was there in May it was in the mid 80's.

Interesting topic...

I've got no issues with the Tour mandating pants during Tour Events. What's the big deal to enforce a dress code? What if I showed up at your local course wanting to play in a tank top...? Think I'd be allowed? Why or why not?

I'm a member of the cPGA, and I've always worn pants when playing in tournaments or when visiting other courses as a guest... just the way it is.

i've not seen it on the u.s. tour anyway (which leads me to believe it's not allowed). seems they get a bit more freedom in europe. maybe that's because they dress so much better on that tour.


american tourists are the absolute worst. just unbelievable. they never cease to amaze (embarass) me. it's not just a sport shoe, they wear running shoes. what are they gonna do run up big ben?

but believe me, there are plenty of other americans there too that don't look so droll. they're just no identifiable from 100 yards.