R&A Insight – Shona McRae

To celebrate International Women’s Day this Saturday, we continue our R&A Insight series by highlighting women working within our organisation and celebrating their work.?

This reflects our work across the Women in Golf Charter, established in 2018, as we aim to encourage more women and girls into playing golf and enjoy successful careers in the sport.?

Holding an important role at The R&A, Shona McRae is Director – Rules and combines her passion for the sport on the course with her employment off it. We caught up with Shona to learn about her career pathway and varied experiences over 18 years at The R&A…?

Shona, could you talk us through your career to date and your progression to being Director – Rules at The R&A??

After graduating from university with a BA in Commerce at Napier in Edinburgh, I got an opportunity to do a trainee management role at The Gleneagles Hotel in Golf Operations. I spent a couple of years learning about the golf operations at a busy 5-star resort, from greenkeeping and retail to hospitality and event management.??

Thereafter I worked on the McDonald’s WPGA Championship and the Scottish PGA Championship for Gleneagles and I really enjoyed working in the golf event environment. After four enjoyable years at Gleneagles, I decided I needed to try something else and see a little of the world and was successful in securing a role with Dubai Golf at Emirates Golf Club as their Golf Administrator.???

At Emirates, I ran all the members events and corporate days. It was there where I had my first interaction with The R&A. They came out to Dubai to do a Rules of Golf Seminar and I took part in this and did the Rules exams. I did well in the exam so got the chance to referee at key events in the Middle East and gain valuable refereeing experience.?

After seven years of working in Dubai, I decided due to family reasons to return to my home town of Cupar.? Shortly after this, I was in touch with The R&A and after interviewing, I found myself working in the Rules Department.? This was in January 2007.? I started as Rules Assistant, then was promoted to Rules Manager, Assistant Director and, in 2023, I was successful in my promotion to Director.? I now lead the Rules team for The R&A.??

What do you most enjoy about working in the golf industry???

If you like golf, then working in an area that you have a genuine interest in is a privilege. It can mean long hours and a lot of travel at times, but you tend to find like-minded people in the golf industry who really care about the sport and want to do their best for golf.? Working with our affiliated federations and unions allows us to meet many people in the golf industry and there is a strong sense of community amongst the officials who work to deliver all aspects of club golf, championships and the development of golf.?

And what do you enjoy most about your role and the opportunities it provides??

I enjoy the variety of my role. Sometimes you are working at a championship such as The Open or the AIG Women’s Open, which is a big team effort where you must pull together to deliver a major championship. Refereeing requires different skills in that you need to assess the situation and communicate in quite high-pressured situations to ensure you provide the right decision for the player.???

Then, at other times, I am focussed on our plans for our four-tier Rules education programme that we deliver around the world. Being the governing body for golf outside of the USA and Mexico, The R&A also writes and interprets the Rules of Golf, so we meet with our Rules of Golf Committee and the USGA regularly to achieve this. No week is ever the same!?

What does International Women’s Day mean to you??

Having worked in the golf industry for nearly 30 years now, I recognise, and have witnessed, the changes and opportunities there now are for women to work in golf.? It was not always like this, so it is good to take the time to celebrate and recognise how positive this change has been for women and golf. It is now a diverse working environment with opportunities for all.??????

Do you think the golf industry is continuing to make strides to grow the sport for women??

Yes. I think the golf industry is recognising that women’s golf has been undervalued and perhaps left behind in the golf explosion during the late 1990s and 2000s. Women train just as hard to be successful in their sport and have not always been given the credit for their skills in playing the game.? It is positive to see this changing in terms of prize money, television coverage and spectator support, albeit slowly.???

What progression have you seen since you first joined The R&A??

The R&A has always been very progressive in their employment of women and women have equal opportunity to be involved in decision making and the direction of our organisation. The fact that so many women, like myself, have joined our organisation, managed to progress their careers and stay within the organisation, is testament to The R&A and their willingness to support women in the workplace. The Women in Golf Leadership Programme that has developed in recent years has been an important part of that.?

Who are the women who inspire you the most??

For me, it is often the unsung heroes that inspire me the most. I was fortunate to grow up and play golf at a club that had a women’s section who were really encouraging to girls. They took us out in all weathers, showed us how to play the game and got us involved in competitions. When I look back, I now appreciate the time and effort they gave to inspire the girls to play. It is because of them that I got involved in golf, which ultimately led me to having a career in it!??

I have just watched the Simone Biles documentary, and the way she has handled herself through challenging times is inspiring, while achieving so much in her sport.?????

What are you most excited for in 2025??

I am really looking forward to The Open at Royal Portrush and the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl this year. I will be involved with the organisation of these majors and will be refereeing at them. It is always exciting to be involved with these major championships and to be part of the magical atmosphere that is created around live sport – especially at these two great venues.???

As well as our Level 3 Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar in St Andrews, we will also be taking our Rules education programme to Vietnam, India and Latin America this year which will see over 250 delegates take part in our refereeing training. In particular, the seminar in Latin America will provide opportunities for new referees to get the essential training to be able to run championships in their own countries.??

Finally, our team have been working to increase awareness of the Official R&A Rules App and provide the Rules in as many languages as possible. We are nearing two million downloads of the app and this exciting milestone will be significant in providing a sustainable way of sharing the Rules with golfers worldwide.?????