“Could you please bring a pillow, a bed sheet, and a tape measure?” An unusual request for a golf photoshoot, but then again, golf isn’t your run-of-the-mill sport. Let me explain.
I joined two Golf Monthly colleagues, Nick and Sam, along with photographer Kevin, at West Hill Golf Club in Surrey to capture various scenarios, both on the course and in the clubhouse. We were building a bank of images to accompany features on the endless topics that pop up in golf.
The shot list was long, focusing heavily on rules and etiquette situations, including, of course, the ever-popular subject of dress code. The pillow and sheet were a tongue-in-cheek nod to slow play, with Sam playfully napping on the tee. The tape measure? It had a dual purpose: one, to gauge the length of my skort (you’ve probably all seen a notice showing what golfers can and can’t wear), and two, to measure out gimmes, which is another subject that divides opinion as to whether or not putts should be given at all.
(Image credit: Kevin Murray)
Other images showed us signalling ‘fore’, looking for balls in the rough, replacing divots, irritation at players taking too long to putt, demonstrating anger after a bad shot, and even a punch up on the tee! If you happen to be a non-golfer reading this column, you will be wondering why on earth we play this game.
One of my favourite images was of Nick and Sam dressed in jeans, a football shirt, and trainers, waiting uncomfortably on the tee behind a men’s fourball. They looked like naughty schoolboys, and did their best to make sure the club members knew this was just for the camera.
While this image exaggerated a relaxed dress code at a traditional club, it does reflect modern culture – what people actually wear outside the gates of a golf club. At ranges, simulator venues, and some pay-and-play courses, jeans and football shirts are the norm, and this is a shift that highlights the gap between club golfers and the rest.
(Image credit: Kevin Murray)
According to the Professional Golfers’ Association, of the 16.3 million golfers across the UK and Ireland, 11.4 million are exclusively off-course. Why is that? There will be various contributing factors, such as time restraints, expense, but I’d bet the dress code also plays a role.
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