St Andrews, Scotland: The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews has welcomed its new Captain, His Honour Judge Dennis Watson KC, at the traditional driving-in ceremony on the first tee of the Old Course.
At precisely 8 am on Friday, a cannon fired and Watson launched his opening drive down the fairway to officially commence his term. A large gathering of Members and former Captains assembled to share in the time-honoured tradition.
As Captain of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, Watson will serve in an ambassadorial role for the Club and also for The R&A to support its work in developing golf around the world and will attend its professional and amateur championships and matches in that capacity.
After hitting his tee shot, Watson said: “Becoming Captain of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is both a privilege and a source of immense pride. Standing on the first tee of the Old Course surrounded by friends and fellow Members is a wonderful way to start my Captaincy.
“I look forward to representing the club and supporting The R&A as it continues its work to develop and promote the sport of golf around the world over the coming year.”
Born in Crosby, Watson attended Uppingham School and studied law at Leeds Polytechnic, now Leeds Beckett University, before being called to the Bar (Inner Temple) in 1985 and practising in criminal law on the Northern Circuit. He was appointed Recorder, a part time Crown Court Judge, in 2002 and a QC in 2009 (now KC).
Watson was appointed Circuit Judge in 2012, based at Liverpool Crown Court, and is authorised to sit in the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division). Elected Master of the Bench at Inner Temple in 2022, he also serves as a Tutor Judge at Judicial College.
After becoming a Member of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club in 2003, Watson served on several of the committees overseeing the work of The R&A including the Golf Development Committee and the Equipment Standards Committee, which he chaired from 2015-2019, and as a referee on The R&A’s Rules Panel.
A keen golfer since childhood, Watson became a member of Royal Birkdale Golf Club as a boy in 1975. He served as Captain of the club in 2008 and as Trustee from 2009 to 2023. He is also a member of Royal St George’s Golf Club, Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club, the Hittite, Bar, Old Uppinghamian and Prawn golfing societies and the Senior Golfers’ Society. His current Handicap Index is 5.2.
Watson lives in Birkdale with his wife Nicki, who is a retired solicitor. The couple have two adult children, Samuel and Hannah, who are both barristers. The family are all golfers and were on hand to support him at the Driving-In Ceremony.
In the past, the Club Captaincy was bestowed on the winner of the annual Challenge for the Silver Club but by the early 19th Century the Captaincy had become an elected office. Part of the tradition is that the new Captain buys his golf ball back from the caddie who retrieves and returns it with a gold sovereign. The sovereign bears the head of His Majesty King Charles III.
Caddie Taylor Haugh successfully returned the ball to Watson. “The caddies have been pretty excited for the Drive-In. One of the boys caddied for Dennis’ friend yesterday, so we got a little bit of insight on his ball shape and how far he hits it. It worked out well for me,” said the 27-year-old who is from Dunedin, New Zealand.
“It was a special moment as I walked up onto the tee. Everyone was clapping as I shook Dennis’ hand and he gave me the gold sovereign. It’s surreal to be a part of this history.”
It also marked a special occasion for David Scott, the Club’s Honorary Professional, who for the first time, undertook the customary role of teeing up the ball for the Captain.
