From greens to jeans for Werneth GC

WERNETH has broken with a hundred years of tradition and become the first golf club in the Oldham area to relax its clubhouse dress code to allow jeans.

The Garden Suburb club, which celebrated its centenary in 2009, has like many other golf clubs, always had a strict ‘no jeans’ dress code in its Green Lane clubhouse.

Now the club’s council has decided it is time to modernise its image and allow jeans to be worn in the club and bar areas.

Captain Derek Ashford said: “We have been aware for some time that it is common practise for people to go to top Manchester restaurants in jeans and that many of our own members wear jeans when out socialising in the evenings.

“We felt that the restriction was proving a real disincentive to members coming to the club in an evening to use our own bar if they were then going on to other places where jeans were the normal order of the day.”

The club did try a short “Jeans Friday” experiment early last year but that proved to be a confusing message as members and guests did not know when they were and were not allowed.

“The message this time is clear, said Mr Ashford. “Members, other family members and their guests will now be able to come to the club in jeans and enjoy what is already a family-orientated club.”

The dress code, which still prohibits work-soiled jeans and does not allow trainers, comes into force immediately and will apply to all but a few specified functions during the year.

“We are aware that golf clubs still have a somewhat ‘stuffy’ reputation with some members of the public and we want to send the message out that Werneth is a forward-thinking, friendly and welcoming club,” he added.

The club stressed that the jeans ruling does not apply on the course where jeans will still be strictly prohibited.