The "Daly Rules" Don't Apply to Every Golfer

If pro golf's bad boy, John Daly, can thumb his nose at the game's standards of decorum, why, you may ask, can't I?
Because you're not The Big Dog/The Lion or whatever nickname the loveable loser Daly (left, at the St. Jude Classic) answers to these days.
The one-time major tourney champ holds a wide segment of the golf-viewing public's interest in a way few players can, or ever would. All the boozing, Marlboro butts, botched marriages and brushes with the law somehow allow _ if not encourage _ Daly to stay in character.
How else to explain his decision to return from a six-month suspension imposed by the PGA dressed like a super-sized billboard for the most egregious brand of clothes ever seen on tour? Seeing Daly dressed by Loudmouth Golf for the St. Jude Classic in Memphis last week conjured Jack Nicholson spitting, "You want me on that wall! You NEED me on that wall!" at Tom Cruise during the pivotal scene in "A Few Good Men".
Daly dares pro golf to sanction him for his blatantly commercial antics. No dress code for him, no matter how his look may demean the game.
But for us, brethren, dress codes can make or break an outing. So get to know them, where ever you plan to play.
That's a lesson I learned the hard way as my 10 a.m. tee time at Charlie Yates (the revamped step-sister to Atlanta's revered East Lake Country Club) came and went kaplooey today.
My playing partner for this "Customer Appreciation Day" round came dressed appropriately for just about any other recreational event: a silky, "Sunday Red" golf shirt and steam-ironed, knee-length denim shorts.
There laid the rub: there's no denim allowed at Charlie Yates.
No argument my acquaintance hurled at the club's firm-but-fair pro worked to gain an exception. He even insinuated that some sort of racial stereotyping might be in play. I'm told the exchange grew more heated long after I'd stowed my sticks back in the SUV and driven back here to FBG's HQ.
Even if my lower back (achy and breaky lately from too much Wii boxing) hadn't held up for more than nine holes, a free round at Charlie Yates on a gorgeous day like this would have been a treat. But I really can't complain. It's reassuring to know that some places still uphold certain standards, no matter how sorely they need the money.

Photo: Getty/Loudmouth Golf