R&A Insight – David Rickman

One of the most widely respected figures in golf, David Rickman, today retires from The R&A.?

After 37 years of employment with the governing body, he brings to an end a long and successful career in golf administration.?

As an expert Rules official, he has remarkably refereed at over 130 prestigious events in the world of golf. Continuing our blog series with R&A staff, we sat down with David to go down memory lane…?

David, this must feel a little surreal after working so long with The R&A???

Back in 1987, Margaret Thatcher was the Prime Minister in the UK and Ronald Regan was the President in the USA. There was no such thing as the internet. Phones were not mobile – and they certainly weren’t smart. It was definitely a different world! I honestly thought I would do my initial role for a couple of years, learn from it and go and do something else. I certainly did not expect to stay until now. Today, the Rules of Golf App has enjoyed 1.46 million downloads and is available in 23 languages so times have changed!?

You graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a degree in Business Studies and Accountancy, joining The R&A in 1987 before taking over as head of the Rules department from 1996. What has been the key to your longevity??

I was 23 years old when I walked in the door. I just feel really fortunate. My first boss was John Glover, who was the Rules Secretary. The overall boss, the Secretary at the time, was Sir Michael Bonallack. With John and Michael, it felt like an exciting place to be. We were a small team, it was myself and John and not long after Grant Moir joined us, with Grant still with The R&A as Executive Director for Governance. When John retired, they took a chance on me at the age of 31 and that felt very special and significant for me. Suddenly I was leading and building a team to cover the wide responsibilities we had, from refereeing at amateur and professional championships, to doing Rules education to actually writing the Rules. For me, it was the variety that attracted me. I served as The R&A's Executive Director – Governance from 1996 to the end of 2022 and led its governance functions – the Rules of Golf, Amateur Status, Equipment Standards and Handicapping. I’ve been lucky to have had three excellent bosses at The R&A, working under Peter Dawson and Martin Slumbers in more recent times.??

The Open is integral to your time at The R&A. It must be special for you to have been part of so many great Championships??

I was Chief Referee at The Open at Royal Troon in July, which was my 34th Open Championship as a Rules official and 28th as Chief Referee going back to 1996 at Royal Lytham & St Annes. My final R&A championship was the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews in August, which was fitting in a way given I was born and brought up in St Andrews and live nearby.??

In some ways, The Open in 1988 at Royal Lytham & St Annes, which was my first on staff, is one I remember the most. I was really working as a championship assistant, helping with staging rather than Rules. I had this whole buzz at being part if of it all. But we also got a deluge with a flooded golf course, lost a day on the Saturday and ended up finishing on the Monday. Seve Ballesteros won in spectacular style from Sir Nick Faldo and Nick Price. In a strange way, it was helpful that my first Open was full of challenges and it was a good lesson. You need to be as prepared as you can possibly be for all eventualities and build a good team around you that can perform under pressure.??

In my refereeing role, I used to go out on the golf course but I almost inevitably found myself in the wrong place or I couldn’t hear everything in windy conditions. Really since The Open in 2007 at Carnoustie, where we had some challenges, I now stay in a room in one place, with TV and radio so I’m ready for anything! As it turned out, I couldn’t have been in a better place for the Jordan Spieth ruling at Royal Birkdale in 2017, as there was a wire camera on the practice ground. I could see it playing out in real time. It was pressured for all concerned but we handled it. It was interesting from a rules point of view but it was also pretty amazing theatre with The Open on the line.?

Does any other Open stand out??

A few of them really do stick in my mind. Tom Watson nearly winning at Turnberry in 2009 was astonishing as a golfing performance. I thought The Open’s return to Royal Portrush in 2019 after 68 years was an extraordinary Championship. The atmosphere was like nothing I’ve witnessed at an Open. Even for the first tee off at 6.30am for Darren Clarke’s shot, the hole was lined with spectators two deep from tee to green on both sides. It was extraordinary at that time of the morning! Then there was Rory McIlroy’s charge to try and make the cut and obviously Shane Lowry winning the Claret Jug, it was remarkable. Each venue and each Championship brings different memories. It’s been a huge privilege but with that comes pressure and I’m in business mode throughout most of the week of an Open.?

You have been a consistent presence at other major championships and prestigious professional and amateur events around the world, including working as part of the Rules teams at 16 Masters Tournaments, 15 US Opens, 21 BMW PGA Championships and 15 Walker Cups. Which players have you admired??

There have been a few pinch yourself moments, like under the famous tree meeting various people at Augusta National or in The Royal and Ancient Clubhouse in St Andrews at the Past Champions’ dinner. As a sport, we are blessed that professional players, both men and women, are interesting and talented and it was a pleasure to get anywhere close to them on the course. But they have a job to do and so do I. I’ve always concentrated on what I’m doing. If a player wants to engage, then I’ll engage but it’s always about the matters in hand. I’ve known Rory since he was an amateur and I did referee him in the 2014 Ryder Cup against Rickie Fowler in the final-day singles at Gleneagles. That was a great thrill. I’ve also been lucky to referee Tiger Woods a few times and his game was extraordinary. In the Presidents Cup, I’ve walked with Adam Scott as a referee and watching him play is a joy. I loved it when Hinako Shibuno won the AIG Women’s Open at Woburn in 2019 and the joy she brings to the sport with her smile.?

In your time at The R&A, you have worked closely with the USGA and been involved in some of the most significant governance initiatives in the history of the game – including the modernisation of the Rules of Golf in 2019 and subsequently the Rules of Amateur Status, in Equipment Standards the Joint Statement of Principles in 2004 and the Distance Insights project, as well as the introduction of the World Handicap System in 2020.??

Working with the USGA and other organisations, I always knew the Rules of Golf weren’t just for a small number of experts to understand, they needed to work on the golf course and be accessible to all. A long-term mission for me was to help the rules evolve and simplify them where possible. It’s always been a challenge but I’m proud of what we’ve done. I’ve overseen the production of eight editions of the Rules of Golf. My job has always fascinated me, I’ve been caught up in it over so many years, and here we are now!?

I’ve always been keen to see the rules develop and improve. For example, at The Open at St Andrews in 2015, we had big issues with the weather, especially the wind, and we lost a lot of time on the Saturday, meaning that we had to go to the Monday finish. That year reignited the issue of balls moving on the putting green. We were already in the midst of the 2019 Rules modernisation. I think 2015 at The Open was one of those times that convinced me we needed to find a solution that worked. So what the 2019 Rules do, and those Rules still apply today, is that once you’ve marked and lifted your ball on the putting green you have kind of ‘reserved’ that spot. If when replaced the ball is blown by the wind, you put it back, whereas before 2019 you would have to be playing from the new position. That is what we had in 2015. Come forward nine years at the AIG Women’s Open in St Andrews and with horribly similar wind conditions. With the new rule on balls moving on the green and an amazing job on course set up, it was a much smoother week despite the weather and a thrilling Championship won by Lydia Ko. I’ve enjoyed seeing the AIG Women’s Open flourish in recent years.????

There have been so many, but what are the rulings you most memorably recall being involved in??

I think Speith’s drop on the practice ground en route to winning The Open in 2017 is top of the list. We had the late (DP World Tour chief referee) John Paramor shadowing that group, which wasn’t by accident. We didn’t anticipate that the practice ground was in play. And even though Jordan didn’t hit his ball there, it was where he wanted to drop under the unplayable ball rule. John asked me if I wanted Jordan to actually drop his ball in amongst the equipment trucks, but I did not. We knew what was going to happen – he was going to take free relief from that location. So we kept going to the obvious conclusion, Jordan being able to play from a spot on the range. Of course, he went on to make bogey on that 13th hole, which was impressive under the circumstances and then finished in spectacular fashion to lift the Claret Jug.?

Perhaps not so memorably, there was the incident with Mark Roe and Jesper Parnevik at The Open in 2003 at Royal St George’s when they failed to swap cards on the 1st tee before the third round. It wasn’t spotted by anyone. Mark was going along well near the top of the leaderboard and the end result was his disqualification for a score card error. That was a horrible experience for all concerned, but the incident was instrumental in prompting? a change to the rule a couple of years later. Sometimes it takes a case like that to highlight a need for change. It helps us in our rules-making role to be closely involved in The Open, AIG Women’s Open and other significant events, amateur and professional.?

In recent years, you have been The R&A's Chief of Staff, with responsibility for the HR and Facilities departments. In January 2023 you were also appointed to lead on the development of the new R&A staff building at St Andrews West. The building is scheduled to open in 2026. You must be excited to see that come to fruition??

I’ve been pleased to help and support the various staffing initiatives we’ve done, including working towards a new staff HQ. In recent years, we’ve managed to home in on the St Andrews West site and, in time, I believe it will be transformational for the organisation. It’s really exciting. I’m happy to be passing the baton onto Steve Otto to lead the project, who did a great job overseeing the building of our Testing Facility at Kingsbarns.??

Away from the fairways, has there been a personal highlight over the last 37 years??

I’ll always remember my charity cycle challenge in 2011. It was mad! I got in the saddle and went from Land’s End to John o’ Groats, 885 miles in nine days! There was some wild weather too, strong winds, heavy rain and even occasional sleet. I was also ill for a spell during it, so it wasn’t easy. My wife, my three daughters and my mum were there at the end. We raised over ￡25,000 for the British Lung Foundation, in memory of my dad, Geoffrey, who died in 2010.?

David, enjoy your well-deserved retirement – spending more time with your family and, just as importantly, more time on the golf course!?