Golf is a game that is played largely in the mind. So, when I arrived for a round at Stoke Park in finest Buckinghamshire recently, I soon felt under pressure to stay as close as possible to
level par.

First there is the magnificent course celebrating a century of the game this year, 2008, to honour. Then there is the clubhouse steeped in even more history going back another hundred years and more to the time when James Wyatt, architect to George III, dreamed up the grand structure and Capability Brown designed, along with Humphrey Repton, the surrounding park lands.

What's more, there is an additional weight of expectation at Stoke Park. The location has been regularly used as a film setting, which gives the site an added sense of prestige. The James Bond movie, Goldfinger, featuring Sean Connery and one of the most epic rounds of golf in cinema history, is just one of a number of films with scenes set at Stoke Park (others include Bridget Jones's Diary and Tomorrow Never Dies, this time with Pierce Brosnan as Bond). So, with 007 particularly in mind, there were the high sartorial standards of not one but two Bonds to meet.

In general, golf dress has had its bogey moments over the years. Those who specialise in this field refer to the 1990s as the era of Geometric George.

This is a reference to the triangle patterned jumpers that professionals like Nick Faldo wore throughout the period. In the preceding 1980s, golfers failed to sustain the style of the previous decade before that during which players had showcased well cut trousers and polo shirts in bright colours that gave the game a lift on the growing number of colour television sets in circulation. In the 1960s, Goldfinger sets the right tone for golf dress. In the film, the mix is both traditional and fashionable. Even the villains are well dressed for golf.

If Bond sets the standard at Stoke Park, I did my best to maintain the tradition for elegance there, goodies and baddies alike. Practical considerations meant I opted for a sleeveless woollen jumper * and light cotton shirt with double pleated trousers. Altogether, this meant that I was free to swing and follow through cleanly. That always helps when, as you do at Stoke Park on the "Colt" and "Alison" front and back nines, you face water hazards on half the 18 holes.

Yet, it was actually off-course that I was most glad to have been mindful of the need to dress in keeping with the location. Fewer and fewer golf clubs these days have a dress code for those wanting to stay on for more than a quick drink at what is universally known as the "19th hole" of any round. Stoke Park is one such club where jacket and tie can be specified for those having dinner.

Some golfers have the idea that, to comply with such rules, all that is needed is to slip on a tie and jacket over the same polo shirt that was in use for up to five hours before on course, completing a round. My good fortune was to have readied a freshly laundered Hilditch & Key shirt and tie in my bag for after holing my last putt.

My firm belief is that the legacy of this will extend well beyond my comfort on this specific evening in question. By wearing a shirt of the highest quality I think I began there and then the process of ensuring that when I am next on the tee I will have a positive, upbeat frame of mind so important in the game. The mantra "dress for success" is never more critical than in relation to the game of golf. As one wise pundit once suggested, golf is a game played on the fairway between the ears.

* A lamb's wool sweater. To help me play with the poise of James Bond.

Colin Cameron writes about lifestyle for a range of newspapers, including the Financial Times, and magazines. His next book, "You Bet", on the cultural, social and political impact of the explosion in Internet betting since 2000, will be published by Harper Collins in 2009.