As the son of a Black father and a White mother, Zane Scotland wanted to discuss how golf could become more accessible to ethnic minorities. At 16 the youngest English player to qualify for the Open Championship when he made his way through Final Qualifying in 1999, Scotland recently went with his suggestion to the R&A rather than the other way about. The R&A liked what he had to say while suggesting that he probably would have a better idea as to how to go about it than they did.
“They were very receptive,†said Scotland, who as a result of that first meeting has been appointed the R&A’s first diversity ambassador.
Because of his mixed race, the now 39-year-old Scotland says that no one gives any thought to where he comes from. Yet he will tell you that any racist remarks made by fellow golfers sting him just the same.
“When it happens,†he says, “I usually excuse myself and leave it to a good friend of mine to point out that I have a Black father.†So far, only one out of the seven culprits he has in mind has ever apologised: “He said, ‘Sorry,’ and he meant it. I doubt he’ll make the same mistake again.â€
Thanks to the golf he has played around the world, Scotland has friends of every nationality. He diverted to give me an example of a couple of those friendships. There was an Indian player of his vintage who would always offer a helping hand when it came to what Indian food he should eat, and why. And then there was a Korean, who, because he was deaf, always traveled with his father. “There were a couple of us who always played practice rounds with him, and whenever this friend was about to hit the ball, we would always keep a respectful silence,†Scotland said. “That was until the day came when we turned to each other and said, ‘Why are we keeping quiet when he can’t hear us?’ We had just been sticking with one of the many great lessons you learn from golf.â€
“They say that golf is open to all ... People could introduce their kids to the game, but when it came to moving on, things weren’t so easy. I said to the R&A that we needed to go one step better. Golf is already a big table, but we need it to be big enough to encompass everyone.â€
Zane Scotland
Scotland also learnt a lot from his father. As a child playing in junior events, he never failed to notice other families giving his father “a look†when the two of them went to a tournament. However, the advice from his father and, indeed, his grandfather, was that he could either let the situation eat him up or he could get on with things. “Remember,†they told him, “it’s their issue rather than yours.â€
That approach could not have served Scotland better than on that Monday when he qualified at Downfield for the Carnoustie Open of 1999.
He was paired with an Australian golfer, one who has had five top-10 finishes in the majors but who is probably better known for triggering altercations. The Australian did not say anything much during the round, but he made it blatantly obvious that he was fed up with the way the teenager was outplaying him. He strode from the greens before Scotland’s putting was done, and at the end of the afternoon, he stormed from the course without so much as saying, “Well done.†(Scotland, incidentally, was hailed as the next Tiger Woods until he injured his neck in a car crash soon after he turned professional.)
Scotland easily could have let the fellow’s behaviour get to him that day, but instead he followed his father’s teaching to the letter. “Whatever was the matter with that chap that day, and it probably had nothing to do with race, it was not my issue.â€
This new diversity ambassador, whose aunt, Baroness Scotland, is another member of the family with an impressive role – namely, secretary general of the Commonwealth of Nations – only came to realise the extent of the problems facing ethnic minorities in golf when he spoke to a friend, Ray Nyabola. The latter had started the Black British Golfers Association and has just been nominated for an award from England Golf.
“They say that golf is open to all,†said Scotland, “but what I discovered from Ray was that this applied only so far. People could introduce their kids to the game, but when it came to moving on, things weren’t so easy. I said to the R&A that we needed to go one step better. Golf is already a big table, but we need it to be big enough to encompass everyone.â€
When Iain Carter from the BBC went to interview Scotland at a top Surrey golf club recently, Scotland was wearing a hoodie and using his mobile phone for a Zoom chat. When Carter made cheerful reference to how he couldn’t enter the R&A dressed like that, Scotland hit back with the light-hearted response along the lines that he could organise a “hoodie day†for the members. In truth, the R&A tends to cope better than you might think with the unexpected. To give just a couple of examples, Scottish professional Janice Moodie changed her baby’s nappy in the men’s locker room during the 2007 Women’s Open, and John Daly appeared for a dinner of past Open champions in what the members identified as a pair of pyjamas.
Back to Scotland, who, on the issue of diversity, says that things are changing but simply not quickly enough.
He, meanwhile, is honest enough to admit that he took time to get the message with women golfers. When, for example, he first started commentating for Sky Sports and was asked to give his opinion on which of the professionals was the best driver, iron player, putter and so on, Scotland would always reel off a list of men’s names. Then Sophie Walker, a co-commentator, asked if he had ever watched Inbee Park on the greens. Scotland made a point of watching her, and it was not too long before he was declaring that she was, indeed, the world’s best in that department.
Top: Zane Scotland during the 2017 Porsche European Open
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