When you see a TATTOOED golfer, what is everyone thinking... I have full sleeves and my chest done, and i dress really nice on and off the course. People have to ask why i would do something like this, cuz I'm good looking, also I'm a 3 handi. please, if you have a visable tattoo please post.

I feel your pain brotha!!!! I too am "sleeved" and to see some the faces of the old men out on the course...MAN, you would think i did it(tattoos)to specifically piss them off. Once they see what the tats are actually of, they tend to ease up a little. But to be honest, i just think of myself as a "ringer" or poster guy for golf course political correctness.

Doesn't bother me. I only have two tattoos but both are covered when wearing a shirt. The most important thing is the person's etiquette and attire, IMO.

I'm not "tatted" but I have played with guys that are. They've asked me what I thought. I always tell them, that it doesn't matter as long as you are wearing proper attire for where you are playing, replace your divots and fix your ball marks. Period.

I've played golf with some dudes that refuse to tee off with me, cuz they thought I was going to a bad golfer, turns out they were the bad, I mean horrible golfer. Even though I'm young "29", I'm a old man when it comes to golf and they way to be on a course. Golf is my life, I do 5 to 6 time a week. I just love this lil white ball.

"cuz I'm good looking." That is classic. Your good looking a 3 handicap and you rival Dennis Rodman's ink. What isn't there to dig? I am 29 too. I have plenty of friends who have tattoos and doesnt bother me a bit. Would I think twice about a person in the business world I live in with that kind of ink? Yup. I would. But if that is not your angle and it doesnt seem like it is then who cares? If your comfortable in your own skin or should I say ink I do not think you need to validate it by asking others. If you have to ask then you must think something negative about your decision to get done what you have done. You should change your screen name to "I'm good looking." That would be hillarious.

i've got two pretty large tats on both upper arms that come down to just above my elbows; definitely viewable in short sleeves. one of them is beautiful; one of them is dreadful. i've never heard any comments or had any problems whatsoever with anyone, and i play as a single with new people 85% of my rounds. if there is any problem it's with me because i'm so self-conscious of the terrible one.

if you're curious, the good one is an Aubrey Beardsley drawing from Oscar Wilde's "Salome". the terrible one is a hideous Frank Sinatra portrait that is covering up a straight-edge tattoo i got when i was 17. baaaaaaad life decisions. dont get me wrong, i love Frank Sinatra, but the guy who did the tat was a hack.

Hey, don't hate SDGolfing, I happen to own a machine shop, and most of the business people I deal don't really care.

oh BLUE EYE.lol

I have 2 that are covered when I wear a shirt - One on each upper arm - deltoid area.

The coolest thing in the world would be to see a dude roll up to our Country Club in full sleeves.

I have no problem with tattoos.

I will tell you young guys a good tatoo story. I am 57, President of a substantial company, well to do, and while I am a fasionable dresser I do dress age appropriately. I am also fit. I live in CT and I belong to a golf club which is over 100 hundred years old and fairly prestigious. I just tell you all this to set the scene.
Last summer, on our family vacation in August, my 18 year old daughter asked my wife what the chances would be of her getting a tatoo. My wife told her 2 in 10 but ask your father. So, my daughter asks me what I think of her getting a tatoo(this is at dinner with the entire family) and I say "great idea, I'll do it with you". Everyone looked at me like I was nuts and my daughter asked me if I was serious. I thought about it again and said, sure, it'll be fun and a memory you will have forever.
So, we did some research in order to find a reputable person in New York City and lo and behold we had it done together. It was a fabulous bonding experience and a memory my daughter will have forever.
I got two very cool letters(one for each kid) on my deltoid so not visisble unless I want them to be.
My friends think I am crazy but everyone loves the story and .....
I love my tatoos.
I told my wife I was going to have the dog tatooed on my other arm but she did not think that was a very good idea.

Not 'hating' just stating a simple fact. If you took a poll of most Americans that had a heart attack and looked up and saw their surgeon covered in tattoos or not covered in tattoos what do you think they would pick? Does that mean it is right or wrong? Of course not. It is just the stigma associated with ink. While there are plenty of highly compensated people with tattoos in all walks of life there are still WAY more people you would not want to see in an ally that have them too. I personally in 8 years of sales have yet to see a single doctor or surgeon that I call on with visible tattoos. Not saying it is not out there just think that most of them if it is something they are into keep in under their clothes.

now THIS is the best post in this history of the site. for all the clothing/style/etiquette debates we have on here, for all the gool ol' boy vs. fashionista arguments, all the jeans vs pink polls, i think this sums it up best for everyone without taking a side.

it's all about not jumping to conclusions and instead, getting to know a person.

thank you for sharing.

IHO, at this day and age, if someone is has problem with tattoos, they are no more ignorant than a racist.

that story is great, that tattoo will mean the world to her when she gets older, and your gone. it is very true that there is away people look at a tattooed person. keep all the post coming.

i can't wait till the day we see a Tour player with Ink

Yeah that is true because people cannot choose their race or choose whether or not they get tattoos right?

I dont think that there is anything wrong with them on or off the course. I have one of my sons name and will be getting my back done this year when my artiest gets back into town. My lil brother has full selves and yes he does get looked at but once they get to know him its like there never there.

im not referring to anything specific, but before anything really starts, lets try to keep this about tattoos and the golf course and not about whether they are right or wrong or acceptable in society in general or whatever.

i think most adults know, love and respect someone who has a tattoo. this isn't 1955. lets not accidentally get into another pissing match in this thread. maybe it's the winter, but the site has been getting a bit too angry lately, especially in the style-preference arena. it's a shame.

the stigma associate with tatts is dispearing rather quick.

all sorts of "straight laced " folks are getting them.

My dad has two howver that he really hates. but its not becuase of the stigma or peoples reactiuon to them..just that he wishes he never got them ebcuase they dont mean what they used to mean.

i would love to see some one in full sleeves at my course. prob a good guy to grab adrink with after the round!!

I am 20 and have played sports my whole life and I am "tatted up" as you would say. Mine is on my back across my shoulder blades of a design I drew and my intials(in case i get lost). You can't see it in certain clothing but every now and then I wear vented shirts and you can see it. Its always interesting to here someone say "Man there is something on your back" then I explain. It never seems to bother anyone because I respect the game and fellow players. I feel it means nothing its not a big deal, I am more concerned that you respect the game dress appropriatly and respect everyone else. My 2 cents....Can I borrow 2 cents from some body?

don't understand tattoos. i guess you are showing individuality. dun bother me, and totally none of my business. i don't see why anyone should be bothered by your tattoos unless it is some figure/graphic which is offensive to them (like a naked body part, the devil or something objectionable ... who knows).

i think an interesting discussion, for those who have tats and hang with others who have tats, is how frustrating it is to be friends with people who have disdain for sports. most of my friends are tatted and/or musicians or skaters and most of them look down on sports as being silly. they all arent like that, but most of them are and that's the background i come from. personally, i've always been a jock and have found more satisfaction in sports than in any other area of my life, so it's rrrrrrrrrreally friggin annoying to have to listen to their snarky/ironic comments about sports and athletes and such.

sorry, had to vent.

I have tats all over my body, on my hands,neck, stomach arms,back,legs.I can really care less what other people think it's my skin and I love all my art on my body.I started getting tats when I was 15 by the time I was 16 I had my right arm sleeved. I have played with a lot of doctors, lawyers, and police officers who I would expect to be a little stuck up but most of the time they ask to look at them and give me compliments.Even older people enjoy asking me about my tats. All my tats tell a story that has happened in my life or describe who I am. Tattoos are not for everybody but are definitely for me.

Well after reading the posts below mine this thread is obviouslly going no where, so I am pulling out my contribution. Cheers

That is just about the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Not to mention also one of the most badly written sentences.

If you are getting any tatts, pal, get someone with an education to check the spelling and grammar first.

chill out people please, we are all stuck indoor right now, fighting, telling people there grammer sucks, is not what this is about. lets all breathe together.

You came on here and asked people what there impression was when they see a tatted up golfer AKA yourself. That is opening it up for opinion. If you did not want peoples opinions on the other side of what you want to hear then I suggest offering the question in a much different manner. Comparing the criticism people receive with tattoos to racism is like ice cream and Tuesday. In fact those might be more related. If your happy with how you look and the decision you made then I do not think you necessarily need acceptance from the WRX community. Sounds to me like what you want your post to say is "Who has tattoos and plays golf?" That would get you more of a amicable response. Or you could have been like, I AM GOOD LOOKIN!!!!!

and... here we go.

(lucky enough to call Bethpage Black my home course)
Marrrk how are you from Bethpage, and were in new york is it, because i have US OPEN tickets

Actually it was the dumb remark suggesting that disliking people with tattoos was akin to racism that I responded to. The grammar was just an afterthought.

But since you mention it, I think you will find that in English, it should be 'their grammar sucks'.

I have just a single tatoo, lower left leg, so it's always visible when I golf, cuz I always wear shorts.

Since I have one, and would like more, I certianly don't care and am not bothered by other golfers with tatoos, no matter how many. I also don't care if other golfers wear orange shirts and yellow pants. As mentioned above, if they play the game right, respect the course and others, that's all I really care about. I've seen plenty of non-tatooed, well dressed folks at the golf course that were complete you-know-whats to play with.

Bethpage is about a half hour from NYC by car. or a smooth and easy hour by railroad. if you need any help or anything getting there or whatever, PM me, i'll be happy to help. i assume you're in England?

I always thought it was classic to see the looks from members at the clubs I worked at when people who had tattoos were guests and playing or were members at "their" course. They would just stare in this state of dazed confusion or were visibly turned off by it.

I personally don't have any tats. My Dad has many from his service days in the Air Force and has gotten many more since then. So I think they are pretty amazing pieces of art, just not for me.

I also could care less if someone that I played with had them. As long as they are good people, ink is not going to influence the way that I treat them. I have met many of people that are complete d-bags who did not have tats. So I don't think it is really about the ink, it is more about the person and as long as they are cool, all is good.

Bad attitudes are bad attitudes regardless of what the person looks like, dresses like, or what accessories they may have. I like to give people a chance, they may be nothing like what you first thought they were all about, based on those first impressions.

Lets see the tats and quit fighting.....

I'll bite. I was very prejudiced towards guys with tattoos. I've been around golf courses all my life, and it just wasn't done. Last year, we had a member covered in Tats. I immediately didn't like him, before I even talked to him. Then I got to know him. One of the nicest guys ever, and a great father. Now one of my favorite members. Prejudice is just plain silly, for any reason. I think its mostly just fear of what we are ignorant about.

Kevin

I think that is the best thing that has been said all day...

haha, i dont have any pics of my tats. never even thought to take one. i guess they're just personal to me in a way where i dont really need anyone else to see them, ever. and yes, half of that is because my Sinatra tattoo is a trainwreck.

First of all, I will address many things at once. I do know a anesthetist who has a significant amount of tattoos and is widely respected in his field. In addition, I would like to point out the fact that I personally would prefer a tattooed surgeon who is clean as a whistle, than many of the coked up, or prescription ridden, sleep deprived surgeons out there.

The main reason I began the post was by no means for self validation. I am very aware of who I am, and we are on a golf forum to talk to people with similar interests. In the same regards, I was questioning the idea of other golfers with tattoos in hopes of finding others like me. I don't often see many people on the courses with any visible tattoos. Also, I was raising the topic, because if there are people that truly don't like tattoos on the course, I can understand their reasoning better, and not simply assume they are ignorant, and thus attempt to bridge the differences with them so I can play better golf with them.

I would like to thank those people who offered constructive comments, and for anyone that found it necessary to take the post where it wasn't originally intended, myself included, I apologize. I will however, show the tats later for those reminding me of how worthless this post is without pictures!

Also, the post works the best when we ask each other questions, not just judge each other...I have to remind myself of this sometimes too....off to England...where I am supposedly from!

haha, i have no idea why i thought you were from England. sorry about that.

so, redford? where is that?

This has been fun to listen to. One of the reasons my daughter wanted a tatoo was because she felt the need to rebel on some level. We are a close family but everyone needs to assert their independence once in a while and the easiest and most obvious ways to do that is with some form of free expression(usually related to appearance) which says "I am doing it my way and differently from you". The reason I wanted to share the experience with my daughter was because I wanted to legitimize her desire for free expression, rebel a little on my own against my generation, and have her not feel that free expression is forbidden fruit. I have a tatoo but I don't like "sleeves" because they are too much in your face but I would not judge anyone one way or the other because they have them. Rather, I prefer to take a close look and admire the art and talk to the person about it(how long did it take etc) and I would rather have a surgeon(and I have had eleven operations on knees, backs etc) with a sleeve who gives me time than one who runs out of the office to take a call from his Bentley dealer.

The comment about tatoos and racism was a bit too volatile but I think the point was to equate them on the basis of negative snap judgements. Nothing good can possibly come from that. As a parent I have always encouraged free expression, learning for learning's sake and not just for a grade(of course grades are important), and the only forbidden fruit is rudeness and driving under the influence or driving with someone under the influence.

I would be happy to show mine but I haven't a friggin clue how to upload photos onto a computer.

I agree that prejudice is just plain silly. I certainly am not against anyone having tattoos.

I am 56 years old and play music with a 34 year old tenor sax player with full sleeves. He's a great guy.

Now, having said all that, the impression I get from people who have large, visible tattoos is that they are drawing attention to themselves. That makes an negative impression on me in general. I'm not being judgmental so much as that's just the way it makes me feel. I have pretty much the same attitude toward the Ryan Moore mode of dress.

To me, there's a difference between being stylish and going way out there to attract attention. Having a tatoo and having huge tattoos is the same kind of distinction to me. Again, please note, I don't think you are a bad or lesser person for it, but it honestly makes a bad impression on me.

By the way, I definitely agree with the fellow who is tired of his friends being prejudiced against athletes in general and golfers in particular. I have a lot of musician/artist/bohemian friends who are interesting and wonderful people, but sometimes a bit narrow-minded. When I mention golf, they immediately envision exclusive segregated clubs, extravagant lifestyles and out of shape fatcats riding carts while wearing loud outfits.

This is what I have and I love to see the first reaction to it. Then I love to see the look on their face after I smash a power fade 3 bills and stick a 52* pin tight. LOL

Ive got a full sleeve and my chest done as well, and I tend to keep them covered up. I just became a memebr at a country club and honestly, Im kinda nervous about exposing them mostly due to the fact that the majority of the members are old timers, but as I type this, I realize that making that assumption is the same as them making assumptions about me and my tattoos. Hmm. I used to have half inch gauges in as well but took them out a year ago, and no one ever said anything about them. I think I'll play in a short sleeve shirt tomorrow.

Tattoo's My baby picture.

Click to view attachment

Anybody notice when she was putting? Annika Sörenstam has a tattoo on her ankle.

http://www.bigsmiledesign.com/workpharma/a...size/embeda.png

wow, what a crappy advertisement.

Hahahha yeah, it is a bit much but it does grab your attention.

Only bad tattoos bother me because I don't like looking at poorly executed art, especially on skin. My best friend has a really nice half sleeve. I drew a part of it and collaborated with the artist to create the rest of it. I was glad I could go through that and see the end result but not have it on my own skin.
I dont want a tattoo of my own though, because my skin is perfect and look good in it.

Was going to start a thread about what it'd be like if tour players had tattoo's but then searched and found this.

I myself get some funny looks on the course cause of tattoo's. I have a forearm tattoo of a cross that is obviously visible, a pretty decent sized one on my right calf, and one on my right bicep.

Now when I'm just playing, I have no problem wearing shorts with my leg tat visible. However, when I play in tournaments, I'll always wear pants for some reason, even in warm weather. I don't know why considering I have 2 others visible so what would the deal be on the 3rd, just habit I guess.