R&A chief reveals what changes are needed for The Open to return to Scottish venue

As he moves into his final few weeks as CEO of The R&A after a near ten-year stint, Martin Slumbers has revealed he would not have taken up the role if he hadn’t felt confident about men-only barriers being brought down at some of the game’s most-historic clubs.

Slumbers, who is officially stepping down on 13 December after a brief crossover with his successor Mark Darbon, also spoke about a “difficult moment” after Muirfield members did not vote ‘yes’ in sufficient numbers to admitting women members in an initial vote before that was passed at the second attempt following The R&A insisting that The Open would not return to the East Lothian venue otherwise.

On the back of that decision, the AIG Women’s Open was staged for the first time at the home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers in 2022 and, having last been held there in 2013, it now just seems a matter of time before The Open returns to what is regarded by many as the best course on the list of venues used by The R&A for the Claret Jug event.

“When I joined (succeeding Peter Dawson), it was very important to me that we were embracing women’s and girls’ golf,” Slumbers, speaking in his office overlooking the first tee and 18th on the Old Course at St Andrews, told The Scotsman in one of his final interviews in the role.

Martin Slumbers is preparing to step down as The R&A CEO after a near ten-year stint. | Luke Walker/Getty Images

“Even to the point that when I was getting my contract, the club (The Royal & Ancient Golf Club) was going through its decision to become a mixed club. I wouldn’t have signed my contract and come here if it had been ‘no’. It’s not as though I’ve got daughters as I’ve got sons, but I just genuinely believed the game needed to be more of a family-orientated nature. It used to be a game for the people and I feel very strongly about that.”

In what was one of many unexpected challenges in his time in the post, Muirfield failed with its first attempt to admit women members in 2016 before a second vote the following year resulted in just over 80 per cent of the membership giving the green light to the proposal.

“You know, Muirfield was a very important piece of that,” added Slumbers of how he feels clubs that were once male bastions have moved forward over the past decade. “It was difficult discussions (after the initial vote), but, to their eternal credit, two or three of the past captains of Muirfield who I was dealing with were fully aware of my views and our views and wanted to go in that direction. It was a difficult moment for all of us, but I think the game is way better because of it.”

As for when The Open will be back at Muirfield, where Phil Mickelson claimed the Claret Jug 11 years ago, it would seem that either 2027 or 2028 is likely, though, unsurprisingly, Slumbers was not willing to give too much away in that respect. “As I said in my press conference in July, we will have an Open at Muirfield - it is too good a golf course,” he said with a smile.

But how many spectators will the St Andrews-based organisation be looking to have there given that the 2013 event attracted a poor attendance of just over 140,000 and the target figure for the game’s oldest major now seems to be around 250,000?

“That’s what we are not quite sure of,” admitted Slumbers. “We would have a significant financial hit if we only got 140,000 people. We would need to be up around the 250,000 mark and we are pretty confident we can get to that level, but we will never know until we do it.

“There are a number of changes that need to happen to the golf facilities at Muirfield to stage a modern Open. The game was very different in 2013. The practice facilities, for instance. We had a huge 80-100 foot net and they were still popping it over the top of it and landing balls on number eight and, of course, we can’t have that.”

What about Royal Lytham, where The Open was last held in 2012? “Yes,” he replied to being asked if an event is also on the cards there. “They are doing some work on the golf course to remodel a couple of holes and we would move the practice ground to the right of what is No 11. The practice ground we had there, they were hitting balls on to the road, which you obviously can’t do.

“Lytham is such an important part of our elite history and it is a great golf course. Venue-wise, it is a good position, but it is a challenge because of what is all around it and we need to be creative. It would look slightly different to Troon, for example, to make it work, but it is definitely part of our plans.”

Slumbers, who was honoured by the LPGA along with former PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh earlier this week for helping to grow the women’s game, worked in investment banking before taking up the The R&A’s reins. His first visit to its iconic clubhouse was for an interview. “The first time I walked into this room was to be interviewed on June 29 - my wedding anniversary,” he recalled. “It was the first time I’d been in this clubhouse and the thing I remember is that the panel were all down towards the window end of the room and it felt like a long walk (laughing).

“Then when I started working here and finally taking over from Peter, I remember coming in on the Monday morning and realising this was going to be my office for the next whatever years. This is a lovely office, but what I have really enjoyed about it is that it is very peaceful. A lot of people say you must get distracted by this view, but I don’t. I occasionally stand out there and watch. In the summer, I’ll stand out there and have a cup of coffee, as I might in the morning and have a giggle at some of the quality of golf, but it is a very peaceful place to work.”

Given it was a much different world than it is now, what had been his goals for the governing body at the outset? “That is a very good question because a lot has changed in ten years,” he admitted. “I was a regular club golfer and The R&A’s relevance to me was The Rules of Golf and The Open Championship. When I started to do my interviews here and started to do some research, it really sort of struck me that The R&A should be a lot more than that and it should be a lot more proactive in how the game is developing, whether that is amateur, recreational or professional. It needed to be much more global, I’d come from working in very global banks that were competing in America and we had to get out there. We were European banks and had to push into America.

“I remember my last interview was all about The Open and what I’d do with it. One of the members on the interview panel keeps giving me back the presentation I did ten years ago, and it is exactly what we have done. I felt we needed to be clear and we needed to have a consistent brand. We needed to make The Open not just a great tournament but one of the best sporting events in the world.

“We also needed to be completely relevant in how the game is growing at the recreational level and sort of modernise The R&A. Make it more relevant to people and that is something I have tried very hard to do. It’s work in progress, but I think we have moved the needle.”

Darbon, who recently finished up as chief executive of English Premiership rugby side Northampton Saints, takes up his new role in early December and will work alongside Slumbers before he walks out of the door of The Royal & Ancient Clubhouse for the final time as one of the game’s most powerful administrators.

“I don’t do emotion very well and I don’t like talking about myself,” he said in reply to being asked how he expects to feel on his final day. “You know, I have been really, really lucky. Eleven years ago, I had nothing to do with this place. Had never been in it and never thought I would. Then, to be able to get this job and do a reasonably good job, I will walk out just happy actually. There’s a great phrase in Ecclesiastes, which is there is a time to come and a time to go. And this is my time to go.”

Is a new chapter beckoning? “Oh yeah, but it won’t be in an executive role,” he said. “And Scotland is going to stay as our home. My wife had never been to St Andrews when we came to interview and it was her who said ‘we are staying’ and it’s a lovely country to live in.”