2 MARTIN SLUMBERS

Chief Executive of the R&A and Secretary of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, aka golf’s most powerful man in a suit.

Brighton-born, former Deutsche Bank executive Slumbers took over from Peter Dawson as Chairman of the R&A in 2015. Apart from the US and Mexico, the R&A governs golf worldwide, which means they and Slumbers are responsible for more than 41 million golfers in 144 countries with the consent of 159 organisations from amateur and professional golf, plus the running of 28 championships that range from the Boys’ and Girls’ Amateur Championships, right up to The Open Championship.

Almost every aspect of the game, at every level, is presided over by Slumbers. The rules, the changes to your handicap and the pace of play are all within his remit. Likewise, the distribution of world ranking points (as a member of the board for the Official World Golf Ranking), the distance debate and the ongoing technology wars with manufacturers. Little occurs in golf without Slumbers having significant influence. Of course, this entry is more about the position than the specific person, but Slumbers has impressed with the quiet efficiency with which he’s assumed the role.

One of his first big challenges came in 2016, when Muirfield voted against admitting women to the club. Slumbers removed the Honourable Company from The Open rota – then reinstated it when the club had a rethink. Slumbers’ decisive action was illustrative of the direction in which he is steering the R&A and the game as a whole: a refusal to move with the times and focus on the future is at odds with his vision. The 62-year-old has one eye on the past but both fixed firmly on the game’s future.

This was made clear with the publication of a 40-page R&A blueprint for ensuring the game thrives over the next 50 years. “We need to attract more women and children into golf via grassroots, including embracing short and less traditional forms of the game,” he says. “The traditions are important, but we need to look at the wider ecosystem... to broaden the game.” Slumbers by name, then, but tireless by nature, as the role dictates.

‘TRADITIONS ARE IMPORTANT, BUT WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE WIDER ECOSYSTEM IF WE’RE TO GROW THE GAME’