Is ‘hats off inside’ an antiquated rule?

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This past Friday evening, I fired up Season 3 of Netflix’s “Full Swing.” Not long into the first episode, I had to pause the tape, taken aback at what I was seeing on my television. It was an image of Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young eating a meal before the final round of the Masters at Augusta National, each of them sitting at their own table for four.

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While my wife found that part of the image odd, I was much more focused on something else – McIlroy and Young were both wearing hats… indoors … at Augusta National. What happened to the game I love? We used to be a proper country. Men used to go to war. Insert another overrused social media phrase about the collapse of society here. 

In reality, I could give a s–t about “taking your hat off indoors.” In fact, I have a hat on in my own house right now. But there are certain places on this earth where it’s just a natural reflex to enter and immediately remove your hat, provided you are wearing one. For me, many of those places are old-school, exclusive golf clubs I have the pleasure of being invited to. I’ve been indoors in a number of buildings at Augusta National, too (no big deal), and I always remove my cap despite never being told I have to. For me, the image was just a jarring one. It seems like the No. 1 place in the world where “sir, please remove your hat” would still be a thing. 

Is “hats off inside” an anitquated rule? Something only crochety old bastards still care about? Or is it just a simple sign of respect in a time where simple signs of respect are almost non-existent? We discussed this topic on this week’s episode of The Loop podcast. Plus, Dan Rapaport of Skratch joins us live from the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. Please, have a listen below, and like and subscribe to The Loop wherever you get your podcasts:

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com