UK golf courses are banning smoking due to dry weather

Published:

Dozens of golf courses in the UK have notified members of smoking bans on while the country continues to go through a heatwave. 

In order to prevent accidental fires and damage, golf courses around the country have been sending out messages to members after deciding to ban smoking anywhere on the course.  

It’s a measure which has been introduced to protect golf courses from any unecessary fires and damage as they cope with the continued dry conditions, and we’ve seen an overwhelming amount of support from TG readers for the bans during the prolonged heat-wave across the UK. 

Among the courses to ban smoking in the UK was my home club of Burghley Park Golf Club in Stamford, which the following message to members: 

“As we continue to experience this prolonged period of dry and hot weather, in line with action taken at other clubs following advice from Health and Safety consultants, the Board has taken the decision to ban smoking anywhere on the course, effective immediately.

This position will be reviewed on a daily basis with a relaxation being communicated when the conditions are deemed appropriate to do so.

The Greens staff have the right to reinforce the ban if necessary. Thank you for your aniticpated support in this matter.”

Among the other courses we’ve been told to enforce this ban include Cookridge Hall, Peel Golf Course on the Isle of Man, Holme Hall Golf Club, Kidderminster, Effingham GC, Enville GC, Tiverton, Puttenham, Sherwood Forrest and Littlestone. 

A ban on smoking altogether? 

There might be a temporary ban on smoking on golf courses up and down the country, but plenty of TG’s readers have been vocal on their want to ban smoking altogether. 

Messages from golf clubs were met with a lot of support around the ban, and when we asked what people made of it, there was a big feeling that many wanted to ban it entirely as they complained that cigarettes and cigars weren’t disposed of properly, and they were sick of ‘seeing cigarette butts everywhere.’

Of course, some had no problem with it at all, while we also received a lot of other suggestions about how to combat that particular problem. Two readers told us they use water bottles as an ashtray during their round, and another an empty jam jar. 

So it got us thinking, how many people mind when others smoke on the golf course? 

We asked our followers on social media to answer the following; Do you think there should be no ban on smoking, a ban only when it’s hot, a permanent ban, or no ban but you want other golfers to do more about cleaning up their cigarette butts. Join the conversation and vote on our poll below! 


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