I’ve never been particularly bothered about getting on in years. In fact, I view the aging process as a sign of continued success. Congratulations to me, I haven’t keeled over yet.
We all, of course, have to leave our youth behind at some point. Look, there it is, waving and sobbing in the rear-view mirror as you pull out of the layby you dropped it off in and accelerate away down the road towards crotchety, pained middle age and beyond. That’s quite an elaborate way of putting it, but you get the idea.
Anyway, the reason I’m waffling on about miles on the clock is that a press release arrived recently announcing the appointment of a new chief executive of the R&A, and it actually gave me something of a jolt.
The reason? Well, the new man at the helm is younger than me.
All of a sudden, my whole ‘aging doesn’t bother me’ nonchalance evaporated. I’m 48. Mark Darbon, who is the highly qualified gentleman taking over at the R&A, is a mere 45.
In my head, people like chief executives, or senior politicians for that matter, are supposed to be older than I am. Indeed, no matter how much I age, part of their job is to remain older than me. Yes, I know that’s ludicrous, but it’s the way I think.
At 45, Darbon feels too young for the world of golf administration. At 48, I now feel too bloomin’ old for the world full stop.
I’m being typically flippant, of course. Darbon comes with a mightily impressive CV and will assume command in November when Martin Slumbers leaves after nearly a decade in charge.
Darbon held key roles in the London Olympic and Paralympic Games and, most recently, was the acclaimed CEO of the Premiership rugby club, Northampton Saints.
According to our rugby scribbling brethren, the Englishman was the man the Scottish Rugby Union desperately wanted as their head honcho, but the oval ball game’s loss is the dimpled ba’ pursuit’s gain.
Darbon will come into golf at a time of ongoing tumult in the men’s professional scene and various to-ings and fro-ings in leadership. Only the other day, Seth Waugh, the main man at the PGA of America, announced that he would be stepping away.
Darbon, who will also become the secretary of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club, has some fairly sizeable shoes to fill but he looks like the kind of young (there, I said it), dynamic and driven individual who will be perfectly suited to a constantly evolving R&A.
Let’s face it, the St Andrews-based governing body used to be as stuffy and austere as a taxidermist’s scullery but, over the years, has transformed itself into an extremely progressive organization.
During a tenure that promoted innovation and inclusiveness, Slumbers has accelerated that process of modernization. I once saw him wearing a hoodie, for goodness’ sake.
A few years ago, such a sartorial statement from the head of the R&A would’ve been punishable by a public whipping with the cat o’ nine tails on the Bruce Embankment.
Golf has never been more focused on engaging with new audiences than it is now. It continues to be an eye-opening period.
I mean, here’s the opening paragraph from another R&A press release sent last week which just about left me choking on my own brain.
“The Gang, a full-service gaming studio building best-in-class branded immersive activations, has partnered with The R&A to launch ‘Just Swing’, a new virtual golf experience on Roblox designed to reach new, diverse audiences and drive engagement and participation in the sport.”
Forget the Royal & Ancient. It’s the Radical & Awesome. I was trying to be down with the kids there but have probably only intensified my own crushing irrelevance. Radical & Awesome? Dear me.
In a game that often embraces change with about as much gusto as the three-toed pygmy sloth embarking on a ponderous and reluctant mating ritual, Slumbers helped haul it into a bold new era.
The merger of the R&A and Ladies Golf Union was a major milestone while modernizing the rules of golf, implementing the World Handicapping System – yes, I know that has divided opinion – and the collaborative yet contentious Distance Insights Project, which will usher in a rolled back golf ball, were all done on Slumbers’ watch.
The 63-year-old has championed disabled golf, through the G4D Open, and helped the AIG Women’s Open grow into a hugely lucrative showpiece while his hands-on approach to the development of the pioneering, community-based, family-focused Golf It facility in Glasgow underlined his passion and commitment to the grassroots.
Darbon, then, has plenty to build on. There will be plenty on his plate, too. Who knows what state the fractured men’s game will be in when he starts in November. The rollback of the ball, meanwhile, still faces strident opposition from the big-hitting PGA Tour and the PGA of America.
There will be bountiful challenges ahead, but Darbon seems up for them. Now, how old is he again?
