For context, "the dole" is what they call government assistance / unemployment payments in England.
Back when I was in college at UF, I would come home to Jacksonville some weekends to play golf with my father at his club. Up until that point he'd been covering my golf expenses completely, buying me golf balls, paying my green fees, etc.
In short, life was good.
During an especially poor round, I had taken to tossing perfectly good golf balls into penalty areas (neé water hazards) after poor putts and that drew the ire of my father. He told me that if I was going to just throw away the fine golf balls he'd bought for me, I could start buying them myself.
And for some stupid reason or another, most likely out of pure petulance, I told him I didn't need him paying my way anymore.
He asked me if I was sure and I said I was sure.
"Well, it looks like you're off the dole then!," my father said.
In retrospect, I really regret not sponging off my father's largesse for a few years more, though being totally honest he kind of still let me. I just had to buy my own golf balls.
