The Pitch: How the R&A is driving a wedge through Irish golf industry

The R&A, or to give it its full title, The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, tells chief executive of Golf Ireland Mark Kennelly that it will “pursue other options” if the Irish organisation doesn’t fall into line.

In May we told how golfers would soon be able to purchase handicaps and play in Open Club competitions, without themselves being members of golf clubs, for an annual fee of what is forecast at approximately €65.

The plan — which critics warn is being implemented without adequate risk assessment — may cause a detrimental financial hit to many clubs across the country, impacting on membership subscriptions and revenue.

‘Independent Golfer’ is expected to turn profit for Golf Ireland in its second year, but critics have warned it could see up to 100 Irish clubs struggle financially.

Supporters of the scheme claim that the move could bring up to 300,000 extra players into the sport, although this number does not appear to be based on detailed forecasting. If this number were accurate it would see up to €20m in extra income for Golf Ireland once the scheme is up and running.

Whatever the pros and cons of such an initiative, the key issue for the clubs is that the programme has been fast-tracked without any meaningful consultation or debate with its members.

The Slumbers letter seems to have been leaked by Golf Ireland to various stakeholders to alleviate it of any responsibility for implementing the controversial plan. While the overall tone of the communication is cordial, the message is clear in sections.

“I am writing to urge you and your colleagues at Golf Ireland to take this opportunity to offer a handicap to all golfers in Ireland, including independent golfers,” wrote Slumbers in June. He then outlines what will happen if Golf Ireland fails.

“In countries where independent golfer initiatives are not introduced by the national governing body, in this case Golf Ireland, our intention would be to pursue other options to ensure that independent golfers are able to obtain and maintain an official handicap index.

“It is also a timely opportunity to provide necessary leadership to our sport by actively promoting an inclusive approach,” he adds.

The commitment to inclusivity is quite cynical, from an organisation which is run by a 10-strong, male-only executive, and which only in recent years allowed women to join. The R&A has a reputation of being closed off and dark — this column has never succeeded in getting any meaningful response to various queries over the years.

Our latest question about whether the R&A exercised a “growing influence over Golf Ireland, in particular the directive from Slumbers to Mark Kennelly over the introduction of the Independent Golfer Scheme” was met with typical silence.

So what is the R&A, and why the obsession and emphasis on Ireland?

A far cry from the crusty, tweed-wearing, old boys establishment of the past, the R&A today has evolved into a global powerhouse, representing 61 million golfers in 145 countries, outside of North America. 

It enjoys the consent of 164 golfing organisations across amateur and professional golf around the world. What form this ‘consent’ comes in depends on the country and how important it is to the R&A’s worldview.

Ireland and its glorious links and golfing heritage, as well as its half-a-billion euro worth of inbound tourism, makes this a strategically vital territory for the the R&A.

And it certainly gives back in spades, namely two Open Championships to Royal Portrush and the constant teasing of a potential third, for Portmarnock, in the coming years.

But why such a strong letter to Golf Ireland around this scheme?

A number of key sources have told us that Golf Ireland welcomed the directive and the tone from Slumbers, demonstrating it is effectively being horsewhipped on the issue.

The issue of just how autonomous Golf Ireland is now, with the currency of Major championships on the table, is largely a political one, and let’s be clear, this is a highly political organisation.

It is run by a former Chief of Staff at the Department of the Taoiseach and a policy advisor to the Government, and Mark Kennelly knows only too well the role he serves currently is as much about the politics and pleasing the Department of Sport as it is about the members.

For all of his political skill, Kennelly will also understand that the downfall of every politician comes when they lose touch with the public, and that has already happened in large parts due to the movement of meetings held by clubs across the country.

Among measures being discussed, is a ‘maintenance levy’ for non-club members, whereby a 100% ‘tax’ on entry fees at Open events may be charged to independent golfers. For example, if a member of another club pays a fee of €25 to €40 to play in an open competition, that rate may double for those without a club.

The most recent mass meeting of clubs took place last week at the country’s oldest course, Royal Curragh. The event, organised by Honourary Secretary Brian Molloy, heard a range of concerns including how handicaps can be accurately assessed without adequate committees to deal with non-aligned players.

The issue of whether a three-year ‘stand down’ period recently introduced by Golf Ireland was also heard, where in a late turn, Golf Ireland declared that current club members could not become independent golfers until three years after they left a club.

“There’s a lot of talk about this stand down period, but I doubt that will even be kept in place — in England that was ‘one year, but it quickly disappeared once the scheme was up and running,” said Molloy.

Michael McCarthy, Secretary of Borris Golf Club in Carlow, told us he doubted “that such a mechanism is even legal” questioning freedom of movement laws, something which may have to be legally tested.

One aspect that keeps coming up at these meetings is just how much the programme will impact clubs financially — and this is a figure neither Golf Ireland nor the R&A can stand over.

Racing fixture list for 2025 reveals plans for potential Tipperary closure 

Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) will not increase the number of race meetings in 2025, staying with 395 programmes across the calendar year.

Four fixtures have yet to be allocated with the remainder utilised as “floating fixtures” to deal with periods of high demand.

A contingency agreement is in place to re-assign Tipperary’s meetings, should work on the development of a much-mooted all-weather track get underway at the venue.

Racecourses were asked to apply to stage the Tipp fixtures throughout the year — in the event of works progressing — with Cork, Dundalk, Listowel, Punchestown, Wexford, Fairyhouse, Limerick, Galway and Gowran Park on hand to stage those meetings.

Jonathan Mullin, HRI’s Director of Racing, said: “The number of horses in training in Ireland this year remain at similar levels to 2023 and therefore it was felt prudent not to increase the number of fixtures for 2025.” 

Significant moves in Red Bull’s football strategy 

A most interesting development is taking place through various deals with English Premier League clubs by Red Bull, with contracts agreed with four clubs in recent weeks.

Following a frantic period for the energy drinks brand, Newcastle United, West Ham United, Crystal Palace and Everton have been signed up by the Austrian company.

While none of the agreements are headline sponsorships, rather aligned to drinks partnerships, the multi-million euro investment looks like part of a wider strategy to take over a significant marketing segment of English football, with two more deals expected soon.

At its core is a minority stake in Leeds United, currently back in the Championship, for now.