The R&A Review 2014|15 Contents Foreword 1 Review 2 – 3 Rules 4 – 5 Research and Testing 6 – 7 The Open 8 – 9 Championships 10 – 11 World Amateur Golf Ranking 12 – 13 Working for Golf 14 – 15 Working for Golf Ambassadors 16 – 17 Course Management 18 – 19 Heritage 20 – 21 Olympic Golf 22 – 23 Timeline 24 – 25 Affiliated Organisations 26 – 27 Executive Management 28 Foreword Important new pages were turned in 2014. The membership of our founding club, The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews voted, overwhelmingly, to welcome women as members. This was an important step and we were delighted to welcome the first women as members of the Club. Our Champion Golfer of the Year was Rory McIIroy and his magnificent achievement followed the news that The Open is to return to his native Northern Ireland. Royal Portrush staged The Open in 1951 and, for many, golf’s greatest players have been denied the challenge of its uncompromising links for too long. Northern Ireland’s First Minister Peter Robinson welcomed the announcement as showing a “new and confident Northern Ireland, in a new era, that provides people with the hope of what normality looks like”. We are delighted to be playing our part in this process. The Open is one of the world’s leading sporting events and we are looking forward to its return to Northern Ireland. As a recent and significant benchmark, Royal Portrush successfully staged the Amateur Championship in 2014, which was won by Scotland’s Bradley Neil. Our role in supporting elite amateur golf extends well beyond Great Britain and Ireland. The success of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in developing golf in that region has inspired a new three- way collaboration involving both the Masters Tournament and the United States Golf Association with The R&A for a new event on the other side of the world. I was privileged to attend the inaugural Latin America Amateur Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in January 2015. It attracted a field of 109 competitors from 28 of the 29 countries eligible to take part. This was a wonderful boost for the sport in the countries and territories of South and Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico, particularly ahead of golf’s return to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. The R&A is fortunate to have had some outstanding leaders in its 260-year history and Peter Dawson fits comfortably in that category. He has led the organisation for the past 16 years in an exemplary manner and his service to our sport is recognised and respected throughout the golfing world. It is fitting that Peter will be in charge of his last Open at the Home of Golf in St Andrews and we wish him and his wife Juliet a long and happy retirement. I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome Peter Dawson’s successor as Chief Executive, Martin Slumbers. Martin has had a successful career in business, has a passion for golf and a deep commitment to the work of The R&A. Professor Wilson Sibbett CBE FRS FRSE Chairman, The R&A The R&A Review 2014 | 15 1 2 The R&A Review 2014 | 15 Review Our role in providing good governance for our sport is of Education Committee and the State Sports Bureau have joined critical importance. Working closely with the United States Golf forces and 38 middle schools have established golf programmes. Association, we govern by consent and our authority in golf enables A further 30 schools are expected to take part in 2015; just one us to regulate the sport and pursue sustainable development goals example of Olympic golf helping to grow our sport for the years on every continent. Eleven years ago we moved this governance to come. responsibility from our founding club to a new set of companies and a charitable foundation, known collectively as The R&A. In that We are pleased to report that in the year to 31 December 2014, time we have generated £100m of funding for governance and operating profit was up to £9.7m (2013: £6.2m). This outcome was development activity from almost two million spectator admissions achieved after our governance and development commitments to to The Open, through commercial partnerships and the sale of the sport were met in full, resulting in a £10.9m (2013: £10.5m) television and other rights. charge. Total grant funding for the sport increased to £6.2m (2013: £6.1m) and an additional £3.5m was gifted in the year to the British The members of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews Golf Museum, a charity associated with The R&A. decided to review the club’s single sex membership policy in 2014. Three-quarters of the 2,400 members participated in a postal ballot Here at the home of golf work is underway on £10m worth of and a decisive 85% voted for a mixed membership with immediate key investment projects. The addition of new gallery space and effect. A number of women have already become ordinary enhanced visitor facilities at the British Golf Museum and the members and seven have accepted a special invitation to take creation of a new state-of-the-art research and equipment testing up honorary membership. These new honorary members share centre at Kingsbarns, south east of St Andrews. impeccable sporting provenance, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Dame Laura Davies, Renée Powell, Belle Robertson, Lally During 2014 my retirement was announced as Chief Executive Segard, Annika Sörenstam and Louise Suggs. and I look forward immensely to my final Open Championship in St Andrews. My successor, Martin Slumbers, is already working Many people follow The Open on television around the world. alongside me and my sense is that this wonderful job will pass In 2014, 45 broadcasters delivered a record 5,400 hours of into excellent hands. The R&A is driven forward by the goodwill, coverage across 106 channels, with a reach on television of 505 generosity and endeavour of many people who do important work million households. Television is an important source of revenue without payment or special recognition and by a highly professional for The Open and plays a key role in enabling us to support golf staff it has been my privilege to lead. development and participation initiatives in many different countries. Prior to the 2014 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Nanjing, China we worked with the International Golf Federation to run ‘Teach the Teachers’ Workshops for 50 teachers from 10 local schools Peter Dawson and provided short golf equipment. Since the YOG, the Nanjing Chief Executive, The R&A Opposite: The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews announced that it had voted to admit women as members Spectators look on as Rory McIlroy putts at the 143rd Open at Royal Liverpool 3 4 The R&A Review 2014 | 15 Rules There is a four-year review cycle for the Rules of Golf which The Rules of Amateur Status follow an equivalent four-year review culminates this year. The next edition of the Rule Book will be issued process and the next edition will also be released in late 2015, by The R&A and its rule-making partner, the USGA, in late 2015 and coming into effect on 1 January 2016. will come into effect from 1 January 2016. One key change that will be implemented at that time is the new Rule 14-1b which prohibits the Rules education is a key focus for The R&A and an extensive use of an anchored stroke. The new Rule was approved by The R&A programme of schools and workshops take place around the and the USGA in May 2013 following a period of consultation with world throughout the year. As well as the Level 3 Tournament golfers and officials involved at all levels of the sport. After examining Administrators and Referees School in St Andrews, which the issue at length, the governing bodies felt that the free-swinging involved 96 delegates from 40 countries, schools were held in nature of the golf stroke is an integral part of the challenge of golf and Colombia, New Zealand, China, the United Arab Emirates and decided to implement the new Rule. Golfers will still be able to use Chinese Taipei. While much of the focus is on developing the long and belly putters and adopt a wide variety of methods of stroke knowledge and skills of referees and administrators directly, but they will not be permitted to anchor the club. The R&A also aims to support its affiliated national associations in their own training programmes. A ‘Teach the Teachers’ Beyond the regular review cycle, The R&A has been working with workshop held in Colombia was attended by 25 delegates the USGA on conducting a fundamental review of the Rules to look from 12 countries and followed a similar event held in Thailand at ways of simplifying them and making them easier to understand in 2012. for existing golfers and those taking up the sport for the first time. The process began in April 2012 and mirrors similar initiatives that A range of digital resources are available through The R&A’s Rules culminated with the major changes made to the Rules in 1952 education programme. The Online Rules Academy is a free tool and 1984. The review will also look to the long term future of the where users can be guided through a Level One Rules course by sport and the role of the Rules in addressing broader objectives R&A Working for Golf Ambassadors Padraig Harrington and Suzann such as improving pace of play and enhancing the environmental Pettersen.