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.
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