Rules of golf succumb to scorching heatwave

Nowhere is safe from climate change … even the royal and ancient game of golf has had to relax its rules to cope with the scorching heatwave enveloping the Leopard Creek course, venue for the opening round of the European Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Championship.

Players are now allowed to wear shorts to better deal with temperatures which will hit 40 degrees Celsius over the next few days.

Golf legend Ernie Els has welcomed the move to more comfortable attire – which has been debated for some time around the world in hot climates – saying it could be a “game changer” for the sport, which could end up “enhancing the product”.

One of the hallmarks of golf – some might say its allure – is that its traditions are strong … and defended energetically by the custodians of the rules.

But the world is changing and all sorts of people – different colours, different cultures, different genders, even – are now strolling the course and entering hallowed clubhouses.

Perhaps the shorts temporary amendment could be the harbinger of other changes to come … who knows?

Non-golf fans, though, might be tempted to suggest to the sport’s governing body that they employ “fashion police” to cut down on the sartorial atrocities committed daily on golf courses.

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