R&A chief executive to step down at end of the year – Golf News

Martin Slumbers, CEO of The R&A and Secretary of The Royal and Historic Golf Membership of St Andrews, is to step down on the finish of 2024 after what will likely be 9 years within the position.

Slumbers, 63, will oversee The 152nd Open at Royal Troon, the return of the AIG Ladies’s Open to St Andrews and the forty third Curtis Cup match at Sunningdale earlier than relinquishing his position by the top of the 12 months.

Slumbers mentioned: “It has been a privilege to serve golf on the highest stage. It’s a position that I’ve been proud to hold out on behalf of The R&A’s workers, the members of The Royal and Historic Golf Membership and all our world companions. In any profession, there’s a time to permit the subsequent era to have its flip. I’m grateful to have had the honour, for practically a decade, to have been the custodian of all that The R&A and the sport of golf extra broadly represents.“Throughout his tenure, Slumbers has led a modernisation of The R&A’s actions, which included the merger with the Women’ Golf Union and its subsequent integration to allow The R&A to characterize golf for males, ladies, girls and boys on the elite stage.

BUSINESS-DRIVEN APPROACHIn 2018, as a part of his strategic method to The R&A’s actions, its first Playbook was developed, explaining the aim of the trendy R&A: ‘To make golf open, accessible and inclusive and guarantee it’s thriving 50 years from now’. This stage of readability has led The R&A to double its monetary dedication to golf, with larger emphasis on ladies and women; set up a strategic business-driven method to golf improvement; and proactively search to enhance the notion of golf nearly as good for you, good for society and good for the atmosphere.

He had oversight of the 2019 modernisation of the Guidelines of Golf, the roll-out of the World Handicap System in 2020 and the Distance Insights course of, the result of which was introduced in December 2023. He has served on the boards of the Official World Golf Rating, the Worldwide Golf Federation and the LET.

A paradigm shift within the method to the industrial affairs of The R&A, primarily at The Open, and the extent of experience within the government group has enabled The R&A to considerably improve its funding into beginner golf world wide and, with companions, has enabled the AIG Ladies’s Open to develop right into a world class championship.

An government search agency has been appointed to help within the seek for his successor.