Born in Brighton, England, a city south of London on the English Channel, Martin Slumbers grew up in a family that in his words “had absolutely no background in golf.” But he nonetheless found his way into the game as a boy by caddying at the West Hove Golf Club near his childhood home. “It was a way to earn pocket money,” said Slumbers, the oldest of three children. “In time I also began playing. As kids, we were not allowed in the clubhouse. But the golf professional took us under his wing. His name was Mr. Shepherd. I have no idea what his Christian name was. He never told me, and I never heard him addressed by anything other than ‘Mr. Shepherd.’ Or, ‘Sir.’”
An ardent athlete, Slumbers played rugby and cricket as a youngster and also ran cross country. He kept up with his golf, too, and over time became a very competent player, with a handicap that dipped into the low single digits. That was no mean feat considering he held a series of very demanding jobs after graduating from the University of Birmingham with a degree in production engineering and economics. One was as chief financial officer in Asia and then Europe for Salomon Brothers International. Slumbers also served as the head of global business services for Deutsche Bank.
Given the intensity of those gigs, it is perhaps not surprising that Slumbers, who is married and the father of two adult sons, retired from banking in March 2013, at age 53.
“I dreamed of playing lots of competitive golf as a senior amateur,” he said. “But after six months, I was bored out of my brain.”
“Then one day, a headhunter called,” Slumbers recalled. “He asked me if I wanted to go back to work. I said yes, but not in the City (which is what the financial district of London is called) and not full-time. He then asked if I liked the idea of working in sports. Again, I said yes. Then he wanted to know if I would be interested in a job at the R&A.”
Thus began the process that led to Slumbers becoming the CEO of the R&A, which governs golf with the USGA, as well as the secretary of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. Those appointments also made him among the most powerful – and visible – people in the sport.
Slumbers officially assumed those positions in October 2015 after shadowing his predecessor, Peter Dawson, for six months before Dawson’s retirement. And by all accounts, Slumbers slipped into his new roles quite easily, bringing passion for golf and keen business sense, as well as a true global perspective from his time overseas.
He also did not seem to mind that the job was most decidedly full-time.
Just weeks before the R&A staged the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England, Slumbers spoke with GGPBiz about his electrician father; his years as a banker and what he brings from that experience to his current job; his favorite golf courses and clubs; the way he has decorated his R&A office, which overlooks the first and 18th holes of the Old Course in St Andrews; his drive to create more pathways to the sport; the debate over rolling back the golf ball; and why he thinks the agreement between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to cease hostilities and find a way to work together is a good thing for the game.
What follows is the latest edition of The 19th Hole:
My dad left school when he was 16 years old but became successful enough in his trade to put me and my brother and sister through private schools.
I took some lessons from Mr. Shepherd at West Hove. But I also picked up a lot about the game just by watching the people I caddied for and trying to imitate the swings of those who were the best golfers. I turned out to be a pretty good mimicker.
I was playing a lot as a teenager. But when I did poorly in my exams, my father took away my golf clubs. I did not play again until after I had graduated from college.
I studied production engineering and economics with the intention of working in engineering. But I switched to accounting after graduation and went to work for Price Waterhouse in London before going into investment banking. I spent 12 years at Salomon Brothers International and was based for three years in Hong Kong. I was there in the 1990s when the region was really beginning to boom, and stayed until Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997.
The following year, I joined Deutsche Bank in London. That’s where I met (the current PGA of America CEO) Seth Waugh. And all these years later, both of us are in leadership positions in golf.
There are similarities between the golf and investment banking worlds, and some very big differences. Both are full of very bright people who work very hard. Both are meritocracies and all about performance. Investment bankers are pretty aggressive, however, and I have to admit that the people who work in golf are a lot nicer. They really care about the sport, too, and are less individualistic.
I am involved in two very distinct entities. There is the R&A, which oversees all commercial activity, chief among them running the Open, as well as governance. Then the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. Both are very different operations, and as I am more naturally trained in business, that side is easier for me.
I have found that some members feel I do not spend enough time with the club, while there are those in the R&A who feel I do not devote enough time to company business.
Yes, the office for the CEO of the R&A is a great one. It’s on the second floor of the clubhouse and has a balcony. That view across the Old Course is spectacular. But it was really weird sitting down at my desk there for the first time.
I was not a member of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club when I came to work at the R&A, and I am not one now. You cannot be a member of the club if you are working for the organization.
Peter Dawson was a great help to me. It could not have been easy having your successor sitting in on all those meetings for his last months as CEO. I was an outsider and not from the business of golf. I did not know anything. Peter gave me room to learn and introduced me to a lot of people.
Yes, the office for the CEO of the R&A is a great one. It’s on the second floor of the clubhouse and has a balcony. That view across the Old Course is spectacular. But it was really weird sitting down at my desk there for the first time. It made me really appreciate the enormity of the position and the responsibility that comes with it, to the history of the game and to ensuring that golf continues to grow and prosper.
I still have the wonderful drawing of the Old Course by Alister MacKenzie that hung in the office when Peter was CEO. I also have replicas of the Claret Jug and the AIG Women’s Open trophy and pictures of moments in golf we all want to remember. Seve (Ballesteros) pumping his fist after winning the 1984 Open at St. Andrews. Annika winning the Women’s Open in 2003. And Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson walking off the 18th green at Turnberry after their epic battle there in the 1977 Open.
Golf is my job, and also my hobby. And I play whenever possible. I love playing with my sons, Matthew and William, and with my wife, Jill. It’s more than a sport. It’s an experience.
I think it is important for those of us in golf to play golf and make time for the game. I often talk to my senior staff about that. If you work in this industry, you have a responsibility to go out and play.
My favorite places to play? We moved to St. Andrews when I came to work for the R&A and play on the links here as well as at Elie and Crail, which are nearby. I am a member at those places, and also Worplesdon in Surrey. Royal Dornoch is a favorite, and I was blown away by Royal Melbourne in Australia and other clubs in the Sandbelt. I am a member of Loch Lomond, which is a happy place for me, and also Seminole in the United States.
My guiding principles? I have tried to bring a few of them to my work at the R&A. It is important to learn from one’s mistakes and constantly seek to be better. And I’ve found that business truly is driven by relationships. The best business people I know are those who are best at establishing and maintaining good relationships.
One of the most important things I have tried to do at the R&A is create more pathways to the game for those who want to make a living playing it, which is in many ways why we have been so involved in the Asia-Pacific and Latin America Amateur championships, for both men and women. And also those who want to play golf recreationally all over the world. We also want to further popularize the game by doing more than just talking to people who already know it. We have to reach out to those who do not yet play or watch the game. One way to do that is through our R&A ambassadors such as (singer) Niall Horan and (soccer star) Gareth Bale, who can help bring the game to different audiences. We also have to keep investing heavily in areas such as women’s and girls’ golf.
I was brought to the R&A in large part to add to the commercial capabilities of the Open and the rest of the organization. And the more we are able to generate commercially, the more we can put back into the game to help grow and develop it.
Building family-friendly facilities like Golf It!, which is opening in Glasgow next month and has all sorts of different ways for people to enjoy the game, is another example of that effort.
I was brought to the R&A in large part to add to the commercial capabilities of the Open and the rest of the organization. And the more we are able to generate commercially, the more we can put back into the game to help grow and develop it.
Regarding the Model Local Rule for golf balls, I do believe that golf is a game of skill. Technology has been brilliant in helping people get into the sport and to play it, but as golf has evolved, that balance of skill and technology at the top level has got a bit out of kilter. That is why we are considering that move. Now, we are still in the discussion process. We’re listening to people and getting their feedback. But I believe that doing nothing is not an option.
As for the agreement between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, I was only informed of it two hours before the announcement was made last month. Obviously, the game has been divided by the conflict, and that division was damaging the reputation of the sport. Something needed to change to stop that and find a way to move forward.