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There were two particular points of interest at last week’s roundtable meeting with the media at the R&A’s headquarters in St Andrews. The first, that the 2023 Open Championship is to be held at Royal Troon rather than Turnberry or Muirfield, each of which at one point had reason to believe that they might be chosen. And the second? That as from this year, the championship is an all-ticket affair.
Back in the old days, golf fans were not averse to accessing an Open via the so-called Aberdeen Gate, squeezing under railings or simply walking along miles of beach in order to make a surreptitious entry over the dunes. Even in the 1960s, there was a rogue husband-and-wife team who would arrive in a freshly painted ambulance and find themselves ushered into a prime parking place.
Inevitably, the R&A put a stop to such goings-on. However, up until this year, they continued to do as Wimbledon (the R&A and Wimbledon always keep a close eye on what the other was doing) in encouraging a diverse crowd by allowing people to pay at the gate.
Now, the two bodies are going their separate ways on the ticketing front. Some 11th-hour Open access still might be available for Mondays and Tuesdays, but only where the prepaid tickets have not been snapped up.
Wimbledon, for their part, are continuing to let the public buy premium tickets at the turnstile throughout the Wimbledon fortnight. To quote from their website: “A limited number of tickets are available daily for Centre Court, No. 1 Court and No. 2 Court, except for the last four days on Centre Court, when all are sold in advance. In addition, several thousand Grounds Passes are available each day at the turnstiles entitling use of unreserved seating and standing room on Courts No. 3-18.”
Again, the All England Club boast of the overnight queues “being as much a part of the Wimbledon experience as the tennis itself.”
At last week’s meeting, Martin Slumbers, the R&A’s chief executive, spoke of how the end to the Open’s “rock up and pay at the gate years” is all about change: “I think the world changes and I think the all-tickets arrangement creates a scarcity value and a real interest in the championships.” At the same time, of course, the new modus operandi allows the R&A to make more money and to keep tabs on it: “We’re able to talk to our audience (there is already a wealth of chat on social media about this year’s edition at Royal St George’s) and we can build the infrastructure commensurate with the number of people we know to be coming.” For the purposes of this summer at Royal St George’s, that figure is expected to be more than 200,000.
Slumbers (above) admitted that, as from now, the R&A will be concentrating mostly on those venues which can attract and accommodate the larger crowds: “We, internally, have this desire for the Open to be one of the world’s greatest sporting events and, as I have said a number of times, I think that a big-time sport needs a big-time crowd.” He added that it is the R&A’s intention to pour twice as much money into the game overall between 2020 and 2030 than applied in the past decade – something which represents a tough ask when the Open prize money is only going one way.
In talking of the 10-strong pool of Open Championship courses, Slumbers did not dispute the suggestion that links like Turnberry and Muirfield, both of which had poor attendance figures at the last time of asking (123,000 for Turnberry in 2009 and 142,036 for Muirfield in 2013), are unlikely to host the Open on a more regular basis as things stand at the moment. Owner Donald Trump could help Trump Turnberry were he to fork out for a road linking the complex to the M77/A77. As for Muirfield, Slumbers mentioned that the R&A are looking at how they might ease 200,000 fans around the links, and how they might encourage people to see a Muirfield Open as “Edinburgh’s Open.” (That might not be so easy in that the club’s spectacular wrought-iron gates would seem to have been designed to keep all and sundry at bay.)
To sum up, Royal Troon, St Andrews, Royal Birkdale, Royal Liverpool, Royal Portrush and Royal St George’s clearly are seen as the crowd-pullers of the future. Royal Lytham & St Annes, which does not boast too much in the way of extra space, and Carnoustie, which is somewhat out of the way, could join the ranks of Turnberry and Muirfield.
Throughout the meeting Slumbers emphasised the need for “change.” Changes to the Open and changes in golf clubs which, he suspects, are not always delivering “a product which people want.”
“We, internally, have this desire for the Open to be one of the world’s greatest sporting events and, as I have said a number of times, I think that a big-time sport needs a big-time crowd.”
Martin Slumbers
He named England’s Golf At Goodwood as a club whose ideas marry with the times, with particular reference to its “credit” system. Robin Irving, the membership manager, explained an option which allows for those expecting to play no more than 10 rounds a year to invest in a £435 membership which, if necessary, can be topped up. And if, at the end of the year, the people concerned have not played their 10 rounds or have been unable to use the top-ups for which they have paid, they can roll over the credits for use the following year. Though, initially, the club did not allow for that to happen, they were quick to have second thoughts.
In essence, Goodwood golfers for whom the UK's winter weather puts paid to the amount of golf they had planned do not have to sit and brood about how much money they have wasted – something which is clearly happening at not a few of those courses which have spent much of 2020 under water.
In elaborating further on the club system, Slumbers talked of how clubs which are family-orientated and boast such things as “fitness centres, creches, coffee shops, Wi-Fi, short par-3 courses, short nine-hole golf courses and pitch and putt” (and no dress codes) as the ones which are going to succeed.
The exchange sired by this little spiel was one of a couple to raise a combination of raised eyebrows and laughter, or both.
Journalist: “Is there any scope for the R&A to introduce any of that (i.e. fitness centres, creches and coffee shops)?
Slumbers: “We’d love to.”
The second concerned Muirfield, which admitted its first women members last year.
Journalist: “Is it possible that Muirfield might stage a Women’s (British) Open in the future?
Slumbers: “I think that would be an interesting idea.”
This August, mind you, the club is testing the water in a mild way by holding the Babe Zaharias Trophy, a well-known women’s amateur competition named after the double Olympic gold-winning athlete and US Women’s Open champion.
“The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers are delighted to be hosting this event,” said Stuart McEwen, the Muirfield secretary.
Top: Shane Lowry tees off in front of a multitude of fans on No. 14 during the 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush.
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