Mad Hatter

[RJ_Daley]

Well, it is time for me to do my best Andy Rooney imitation and ask: Do you ever wonder what it is about hats, when to leave em on, when to take em off, when to tip them or doff them?  

Yesterday, I played 27 on a nice brisk day with a bit of wind.  I had my golf hat on tightening it a notch to stay on in the wind.  Well, after 27 we were in need of refreshment, and always with our old friend Sir Boab's lesson in etiquette in mind, as I entered the restaurant-bar room, I took off my hat.  I haven't had a haircut in about 6 weeks so the old grey mare is getting a little fluffy.  A group of some of my friends wives were out earlier and were all sitting near the door I entered, and as I removed my lid as properly schooled by my elders , the ladies all went, "oooh hat head".  Of course they were right, my firmly attached lid, over the course of 27 holes, had permed my grey fluffy hair into a tightly wadded clown-like do, with the bottom fluffing out from the matted crown.  As we all laughed I saw that one of the ladies who I play quite a bit of golf with she and her hubby was seated with her gal-pals, all drinking some sort of white wine, and she had her golf hat on.  Well, I never...!

Was this a double standard?  I decided to look it up.  Here is what I found... which got me to thinking some more on this chapeau conundrum.

http://www.villagehatshop.com/product829.html
http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/Clothes%20Articles/etiquette_for_hats_and_caps.htm

Well the obvious contradiction to me is the notion in many religions that a man must wear a head cover while at temple or iin houses of worship, as do women in some religions.  Ladies are thought of as proper to keep their hats on at formal functions if the hat goes with the outfit.  But, they should remove baseball type informal hat during the national anthem, but leave formal hats on.  The best one is the last paragraph where it is suggested that it is and insult to another's manliness if a guy doffs or tips a hat to another man.  (so what does that say about such a practice of a tip of the hat or taking it off to offer a fellow golfer congratulations or thanks for a nice match?)

Men are traditionally expected to take off their hat in formal inside places, but corridors, lobbies and such, not so much...

Where does the formal inside and the entry, foyer, lobby, begin and end at a typical golf facility?  Is the grill room an acceptable area for leaving the lid on?  Is there a hat rack just inside the Butler cabin, and how many pegs does it have?  Is there a formal cap in golf, like a herringbone or tweed Ivy?  What about the wide brim Aussie style, or Uncle Boab's "Pith helmet"?  Are there any exceptions based on style and formality of the chapeau?

Since our Wisconsin golf season is winding down, I reckon I'll have time to ponder these matters over the long winter.  But, perhaps Doug Wright or Sir Boab might get me pointed in the right direction...

[PThomas]

one writer -- I can't remember who at the moment- wrote that it appeared to him that one time he saw Greg Norman it looked as though Greg's hair was cut to make it look like he ALWAYS had hat hair, so I guess that's one option, Dick...

[Brent Hutto]

one writer -- I can't remember who at the moment- wrote that it appeared to him that one time he saw Greg Norman it looked as though Greg's hair was cut to make it look like he ALWAYS had hat hair, so I guess that's one option, Dick...

David Owen in "My Usual Game". It's my favorite golf book.

[Bill Gayne]

RJ,

You need the hat rack with the little points sticking out.

[PThomas]

that is a great book, Brent...I LOVE the Myrtle Beach chapter...ex:  "That watching the weather channel there is the closest thing to organized religion"

[Brent Hutto]

Paul, do you remember him mentioning the the blue-roofed monstrosity of a seafood buffet named "Homer Simpson's Deep-Fried Aortic Aneurysm"?

What's funny is that I'll be driving by that place a half-dozen times or more this weekend. My wife has a conference in Myrtle Beach every year and we stay right near the seafood place in question. The first time we rode by there I laughed my ass off and my wife thought I'd lost my mind.

I ought to loan you my copy of The Walls Around Us, his book about houses. The chapter on paint alone is amazing, particularly why you can't just paint your house once with epoxy paint made to seal the floor of nuclear power plants (or something like that).

[Lou_Duran]

Dick,

As a one-time recipient of Bob's admonishments, I now have a phobia about wearing a hat anywhere the sun doesn't shine.  In fact, until recently, I found myself leaving it in the car even when it's sunny and the temperature is under 80.

Taking my doctor's equally strong admonitions (about always wearing a hat even when it is partially cloudy) into account, I've had my thinning hair cropped quite closely to overcome the other problem.  It helps some, but most of my fitted hats don't fit anymore.

Times like these make it very convenient to be a Libertarian.  Just remind me when we are in the presence of Sir Bob to remove my hat when stepping indoors.    

[PThomas]

Brent  - I do remember that as well

my wife is an RN who works with heart patients, so if you stop there for a meal I can have her standing by on a cell-phone if you'd like....

and I'll have to check out his other book!

[James Bennett]

I wish I had 'hat hair' but its just about all gone.

If you are in the southern hemisphere, always wear a hat, even on cloudy days.  You need it to either keep the UV or the rain off your head!

We (blokes) can wear a hat inside the clubhouse general and the sprig bar, but leave it on in the lounge and its drinks all round (well, the threat is there anyway).  The women have a different set of rules, that most men don't even try to understand.  They seem to be able to wear their golf hats anywhere in the clubhouse.

Which reminds me of a great joke, about a Kiwi living in Bondi who found a genie in a bottle on the beach.  The Kiwi got one wish, and said to the genie that he had always wanted to be able to drive back home to New Zealand from Sydney/Bondi across the Tasman Sea.  The genie replied that the Tasman currents were very strong and deep so the wish would be extremely difficult for him to complete, and asked the Kiwi to reconsider his wish.  The Kiwi responded that his other wish was to undertsand how women think!  The Genie responded by asking the Kiwi how many lanes he wanted on the road across the sea!

 

James B

[mike_beene]

Bear Bryant didn't wear his hat in the Superdome.

[A_Clay_Man]

Dick, I suppose the proper response should be; If they only like you, if you have perfect hair, who needs'em?

I once tried to covince my friend to remove his cap when we entered a semi-private cluhouse. He was adamant that I was NUTZ. My friend then went and asked one of the octegenarian looking retirees, working as a cart kid, about this tradtion I encouraged him to honor. He told me the old man never heard of such a thing. I just chaulked it up to being in Florida.  

[Bob_Huntley]

Removing one's hat when indoors, standing when a lady enters the room, giving up ones seat in a crowded bus or train to a lady, requires no effort and is an indication that one has assimilated some of the old world values that make life less nasty, brutish and short.

Not to do those things when I was growing up would have resulted in a vigorous thump against the ear.

I realize that I am a bit of a dinosaur, but when I see world class golfers being interviewed on the Golf Channel with their hats on, I want to wretch. The one chap that I saw who removed his hat indoors was Tom Watson.... only because Sandy Tatum was watching.

Bob

[Lou_Duran]

Bob,

You are definitely not out of date.  Courtesy and civility are sorely lacking among many in the baby boomer and newer generations, much to the detriment of modern society.  For all the advancements we've made technologically, how we continue to treat our fellow man leaves a lot to be desired of.

BTW, in our dressed-down, look-at-me-I-am-special times, a male wearing a hat in church is permissible in many places.  I doubt that we're all going to hell for this, but I got to believe in a purely secular sense that respect not given is respect unlikely to be received.

[Mike Hendren]

Thanks to Mr. Huntley, I am cured.

Too bad the same can't be said for a handfull of Due Process members, who were seen sporting chapeaus in the Sand Hills dining room a few years ago, if memory serves me correctly.

Mike

[John Keenan]

Mr. Huntley,

 On a pro golfer wearing a hat while being interviewed I have always assumed that the sponsor requires it.  How nice to have your logo on screen for 5-10 minutes on national television. It does not make the behavior correct but may explain it somewhat.

[ForkaB]

Bob H

What exactly is the historical/sociological/moral/ethical reason why one is required to doff one's hat when shaking hands after a match is over?  I had to do it last weekend in a November wind and rain, and while I was cold and wet already, somehow taking off the hat seemed anachronistic as well as stupid to me.

BTW, as to women and doors, I always deal with this situation gingerly, ever since a feminist squeeze of mine clocked me on the chops when I tried to open one for her in 1969 in Washington, DC..........

[RJ_Daley]

a feminist squeeze of mine...

You can't load up a phrase much better than that one.

[Bob_Huntley]

Bob H

What exactly is the historical/sociological/moral/ethical reason why one is required to doff one's hat when shaking hands after a match is over?  I had to do it last weekend in a November wind and rain, and while I was cold and wet already, somehow taking off the hat seemed anachronistic as well as stupid to me.

BTW, as to women and doors, I always deal with this situation gingerly, ever since a feminist squeeze of mine clocked me on the chops when I tried to open one for her in 1969 in Washington, DC..........

Rich,

You went to Stanford and Harvard... did they not teach you anything?

As for for your squeeze I  am sure she was as pissed off at your attitude as your wife is half the time you pontificate on the stupidity of a common gesture of courtesy in removing your f*****g hat.

You good friend

Bob

[ForkaB]

Bob H

What exactly is the historical/sociological/moral/ethical reason why one is required to doff one's hat when shaking hands after a match is over?  I had to do it last weekend in a November wind and rain, and while I was cold and wet already, somehow taking off the hat seemed anachronistic as well as stupid to me.

BTW, as to women and doors, I always deal with this situation gingerly, ever since a feminist squeeze of mine clocked me on the chops when I tried to open one for her in 1969 in Washington, DC..........

Rich,

You went to Stanford and Harvard... did they not teach you anything?

As for for your squeeze I  am sure she was as pissed off at your attitude as your wife is half the time you pontificate on the stupidity of a common gesture of courtesy in removing your f*****g hat.

You good friend

Bob

Bob

One of the main things I learned in my University days was to constantly challenge conventional wisdom.  That's the only way you can find out the difference what is really wise and what is just time-worn convention.  And remember, that was the 60's!

Etiquette was drilled into me long before I went to Stanford and Harvard, and in the scrutiny of what I learned at those places, in and out of the classroom, most of the principles of etiquette survived, but some didn't.  Opening doors, for one.  I still do it religiously for ladies of a certain age, and for other people I will make a minor effort to get to the door first if we arrive fairly simultaneously, on most days, but if a lady (of any age) gets there first and wants to open the door for me, I am happy to oblige.  To me manners are common sense, and man maketh them rather than the other way around.  (Hope you understand the good humo(u)r behind the last sentence....).

As for the hat thing, I honestly don't know where the doff your cap at the end of a round thing came from.  It certainly was never part of golfing etiquette in the USA.  In fact, the general principle I was brought up on said that a man only doffed his hat outdoors to another man if they were strangers.  How could you be a stranger to someone you just played 18 holes of golf with?

Your pal and partner in rigourous enquiry

Rich

[Tony_Muldoon]

Surely it goes back to the etiquette practiced by Knights since the middle ages.  Taking off the helmet indoors is similar to the requirement for Motorcycle couriers to remove their helmet when entering buildings, it allows for you to be properly identified. I have always understood that we shake hands with our right hand – which prevents us drawing our sword as we get close to the other party.  Similarly doffing our hat occupies our right hand at a time of first meeting.

But to take off a hat and simultaneously shake hands needs the use of both hands…. It must be to stop the looser striking the winner with a sharp left hander.

[ForkaB]

Tony

You are beginning to get to the heart of my concern.....

After a match is over one is smiling , holding a putter and maybe even a flagstick and a ball and maybe even a ball marker and/or a cigar or bottle of beer in their hands, and then one has to figure out a way to get all of those objects into one's left hand/elbow/arm, and then take off the cap with the right hand, transfer it to the left hand with the other objects, give yet another seemingly sincere smile and then shake hands.........

I don't know about you, but by the time I've done this I've forgotten who won and who my partner was!

[Bob_Huntley]

To me manners are common sense, and man maketh them rather than the other way around.  (Hope you understand the good humo(u)r behind the last sentence....).


Your pal and partner in rigourous enquiry

Rich

Rich,

A very good slant on the Winchester school's motto.

Bob