{"id":15548350,"date":"2024-09-02T15:24:57","date_gmt":"2024-09-02T19:24:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/golf.com\/?post_type=article&p=15548350"},"modified":"2024-10-09T16:16:28","modified_gmt":"2024-10-09T20:16:28","slug":"shoe-cleaning-private-club-etiquette","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/golf.com\/lifestyle\/shoe-cleaning-private-club-etiquette\/","title":{"rendered":"At a private club, should I feel obligated to have my shoes cleaned? | The Etiquetteist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dan from Maine asks:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a guest at a high-end private course<\/a>, should I feel obligated to let the clubhouse attendant clean my shoes? On the one hand, I don\u2019t want to add to their workload. But I also don\u2019t want to offend them by not allowing them to do their job. Personally, I\u2019d be fine not having my shoes cleaned. But I want to make sure I\u2019m not, um, stepping on any toes.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dear Dan:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just as great power comes with great responsibility, playing as a guest at a fancy private club comes with all kinds of pesky questions<\/a>, such as how you should dress (psst, skip the cargo shorts!); what kind of thank-you gift you should get your host (how about a nice bottle of wine?); and whether you shoulder order the club sandwich or the crab bisque (hint: the club sandwich is the safer bet).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, your shoe-cleaning <\/a>question shouldn\u2019t add to your stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before we get to the answer, a bit of context. Most private clubs offer an array of an extras, from club storage and comfort stations to valet parking, and, yes, shoe shines. Very often, the costs of these services are folded into monthly membership dues. At many of these same clubs, tipping for these services is forbidden. The perks are part of the swanky package, there to be enjoyed by members and their guests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Should you feel obligated to use them?<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n

Obligated<\/em> is a funny word. The Etiquetteist wouldn\u2019t go so far as to say that you\u2019re required to get your shoes cleaned. But he’d recommend it. You might as well. After all, what\u2019s the harm? The worst that could happen is that you\u2019ll leave the club looking spiffier than you did when you arrived. In the best case scenario, you\u2019ll be allowed to tip the attendant for their effort. Handing out a nice gratuity creates good feelings all around.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for feeling bad about adding to their workload, that\u2019s ridiculous. It is, as you note, their job, and there\u2019s nothing undignified about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you still find yourself waffling over the decision, a good rule of thumb is to follow your host\u2019s lead. To clean or not to clean? Whatever they opt for, you can comfortably do the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond that, there\u2019s no need to give your shoes a second thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be safe, though, you probably shouldn\u2019t change them in the parking lot.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The privilege of playing as a guest at a fancy club comes with pesky questions, including whether you should have your shoes shined.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":15548353,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-09-02T19:25:00Z","apple_news_api_id":"50f888d4-cfad-4e30-b98b-5ecdf5c10621","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-09-02T19:27:19Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AUPiI1M-tTjC5i17N9cEGIQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[40],"tags":[44412,3519],"class_list":["post-15548350","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-etiquette","tag-etiquetteist"],"acf":{"tee_time_button_status":false,"wsum-gated-content":false,"wsotp_enable_one_time_payment":false,"ad_meta":false,"article_template":"standard","featured_image_caption":"At many high-end private clubs, tipping for services such as shoe cleaning is not allowed.","featured_image_credits":"Getty Images","art_author":[{"ID":14045818,"post_author":"235","post_date":"2016-10-09 13:44:40","post_date_gmt":"2016-10-09 17:44:40","post_content":"","post_title":"Josh Sens","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"josh-sens","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-01 10:29:29","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-01 15:29:29","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.golf.com\/?post_type=golf_person&p=14045818","menu_order":0,"post_type":"contributor","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"art_source":"None"},"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nAt a private club, am I obligated to get my shoes cleaned?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The privilege of playing as a guest at a fancy club comes with pesky questions, including whether you should have your shoes shined.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/golf.com\/lifestyle\/shoe-cleaning-private-club-etiquette\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"At a private club, should I feel obligated to have my shoes cleaned? 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