Martin Slumbers will step down as the R&A’s CEO later this year after his final Open Championship at Royal Troon and an AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews’ Old Course.
Mark Darbon, who previously led Northampton Saints and worked on the 2012 London Olympics, will take over in November.
Before leaving, Slumbers shared some thoughts with journalists in Scotland about the future of golf and its challenges.
Slumbers talked about participation, prize money, and how to keep golf sustainable. He also hinted that a familiar course might host an Open again soon.
Fans might think these changes are exciting for the sport’s future.
Golf’s Growing Popularity
Slumbers mentioned that golf is booming post-Covid, with over 100 million people worldwide engaging in the sport. He emphasized that maintaining this growth requires a sustainable business model. The Open is now the only men’s Major not increasing its prize purse this year to ensure financial stability.
He said: “As you know, I’ve expressed concern in recent years about financial sustainability in the men’s professional game… The latest participation figures for 2023 showed that in the countries we’re responsible for, there were 62.3 million people playing golf.”
A Unique Opportunity
Slumbers believes there’s a once-in-a-generation chance to grow golf even more if they can create a sustainable model and engage new parts of the world: “There is a golden opportunity to elevate our sport… I’m convinced that that is achievable.”
Open Field Size Concerns
The Open usually has 156 players but had 158 this year due to changes in Final Qualifying. Slumbers admitted they’ll review this: “The target is 156… we tried really hard to improve opportunities in final qualifying.”
Driver Rollback Discussions
The R&A decided on a golf ball rollback starting towards the end of this decade but didn’t include drivers yet. Slumbers explained: “We believe there is work needed to make drivers less forgiving for top players… We’ll work with bright minds on how to do it.”
LIV Golfers’ Pathway
Bryson DeChambeau suggested creating direct pathways for LIV golfers into Majors. While USGA considers it for the US Open, Slumbers pointed out existing methods like The Open qualifying series: “We have created those opportunities… I think we’ve got all the best players in the world.”
“Big-Time Sport Needs Big Crowds”
Crowd numbers at The Open have been rising steadily. Slumbers said: “Big-time sport needs big-time crowds… Every year since then we’ve hit a record during my time.”
Future Venues
Muirfield hasn’t hosted The Open since 2013 but remains part of future plans despite potential impacts on other events like Scottish Open at Renaissance Club. Portmarnock could also be considered if feasible support from Irish government materializes.
What do you think about these changes?
