“A golf club walks into a bar…” (bar joke)

“A guy walks into a bar…” is a typical form of what has been called the “bar joke.” A popular golf joke is:
 
“A golf club walks into a local bar and asks the bartender for a beer. ‘No way,’ says the bartender. ‘Why not?’ wonders the golf club. ‘You’ll be driving later,’ replies the bartender.”
   
The joke has been cited in print since at least 2001.
 
 
Google Groups: alt.humor
A golf club walks into a local bar
Craig Bennett
7/23/01
A golf club walks into a local bar and asks the barman for a pint of beer.
The barman refuses to serve him. “Why not,” asks the golf club.
“You’ll be driving later,” replies the bartender.
 
Google Groups: misc.education.home-school.christian
Joke 3
Wilson Varidel (BD)
7/24/01
A golf club walks into a local bar and asks the barman for a pint of beer.
The barman refuses to serve him.
“Why not,” asks the golf club.
“You’ll be driving later,” replies the bartender.
     
16 April 2004, Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI), pg. D1, col. 1:
From e-mailer Bert:
A golf club walks into a local bar and asks the bartender for a beer. “No way,” says the bartender. “Why not?” wonders the golf club. “You’ll be driving later,” replies the bartender.
 
Google Books
Guy Walks Into A Bar…:
501 Bar Jokes, Stories, Anecdotes, Quips, Quotes, Riddles and Wisecracks
By Michael Lewis
New York, NY: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc.
2005
Pg. 21:
A golf club walks into a bar and orders a beer, but the bartender refuses to serve him. Why not? asks the golf club. You’ll be driving later.
 
Twitter
ClassFive Snowboards
‏@ClassFive
A golf club walks into a bar and orders a beer.
The barman refuses to serve him and reminds him, “You’ll be driving later.”
12:07 PM - 18 Jun 2009
 
Google Books
The Best ‘A Man Walks Into A Bar’ Jokes
By Billy Brownless
Crows Nest NSW: Allen & Unwin
2009
Pg. 15:
A golf club walks into a bar and orders a beer, but the bartender refuses to serve him. ‘Why not?’ asks the golf club. ‘You’ll be driving later.’
 
Google Books
Ultimate Book of Jokes:
The Essential Collection of More Than 1,500 Jokes
By Scott McNeely
San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books
2011
Pg. ?:
A golf club walks into a bar and orders a beer. The bartender looks at him and says, “Sorry, I can’t serve you. You’ll be driving later.”