Can PGA Players Smoke on the Course?

By Indra Gunawan July 02, 2024 00:36

Photo by Lindsey Wasson/AP

Smoking has been an issue in some sense in the type of professional golf played on the PGA Tour. This article aims to assess the policies and procedures currently in place extensively, consider what may have changed or not since such policies were first implemented some years ago, and much more.

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Current Rules and Regulations

As far as cannabis use is concerned, the PGA Tour has been precise in its position according to a policy of the Anti-Doping Program. Under the policy, marijuana remains illegal under federal law and in most other countries, meaning anything that would involve saying you use or possess weed seems to run afoul of "the spirit" of an unrelated sport. Since 2008, the Professional Golfers Association has been drug testing touring professionals with an updated version of the PGA Tour Anti-Doping Manual released in 2017. Professional golfers undergo periodic urine or blood tests at random times during the season. Detection of performance-enhancing substances, and the PGA's Official Anti-Doping Program Manual, explains that "the struggle in both detecting human growth hormone (HGH) and erythropoietin ingestion is one reason these forms remain popular among those trying to enhance athletic achievement.

History and Rationale

The long and short history of stringent smoking regulations at golf tournaments falls into line with the PGA Tour's desire to preserve a clean, professional image and how that societal attitude extends further toward substances like cannabis. The PGA Tour Anti-Doping Program is designed to assist the Tour and its players retain a culture of fair, clean competition; it also ensures conformity with relevant federal laws and International Standards. Fairplay Policy is aimed at enforcing fair and ethical competition as well as maintaining a clean, competitive environment in the sport.

Potential Impacts

Performance and Health

Although the effects of smoking on a professional golfer's performance and health are up for debate, using cannabis or other substances may affect them in ways that impact future games. Changes to cognitive function, motor behavior, and being without arousal could lead players not to play their best golf. Meanwhile, cigarette smoking for players threatens to complicate lasting health legacies.

Public Image

By acting as role models, there are reputational and endorsement considerations. Professional golfers have a lot to lose from additional behavior both on and off the field. Even the suggestion of smoking, as in the case of illegal substances during a legal wrangle when none were found present traces post-ruling, can blacken an image and damage standing within golfing and society ranks.

Wider Contexts and Comparisons

This process of the PGA reevaluating their official smoking policy concerning professional golf is consistent with a more significant trend in recent years across major sports leagues as they reconsider how they rule on marijuana use. Sports leagues such as the NBA, NHL, MLB, and NFL are all revisiting their cannabis policies to reflect societal changes on the drug. The PGA's present rules and rigid anti-doping in the game rule it among other professional sports leagues regarding ingredient use policies.

The PGA's present position is representative of its dedication to maintaining integrity, fairness, and professionalism within our sport simply as it explores how marijuana usage changes in society. The fate of professional golfer smoking policies stays a hot topic within the golf industry, and as discussions and debates push forward.