Captain with a millennium mission

Sir Michael Bonallack, who seems to have progressed seamlessly from secretary of the Royal and Ancient into the role of its millennium captain, is dedicating his year in office towards recapturing some of the standards he believes the game has lost.

Interestingly, it was only after a visit to Brookline for the Ryder Cup, that he felt moved to make a mission statement.

According to the five-time British Amateur champion, the etiquette of the game is becoming increasingly ignored.

"Nowadays, slow golfers very seldom wave through the match behind," he claimed. "And people talk and move while others are playing nearby."

He went on: "Failing to replace divots, rake bunkers and repair pitch marks - these little things begin to multiply. If the basic courtesies of golf were bred into people, you would not get crowd incidents like those at Brookline."

Bonallack believes that the sort of incidents which sullied the Ryder Cup are started by a minority. But he claimed that it can become contagious in a highly-charged situation.

"Incitement of spectators should never become part of a golf event," he said. "Hopefully, the incidents at the Ryder Cup will cause many people to give the situation a great deal of thought. The players' reaction at Brookline was out of hand. They should be leading the way, not inciting the crowds with gestures." Looking back to his start in golf as a member of the junior section in Chigwell GC, Bonallack recalled how youngsters were taught the rules of the game, along with the appropriate behaviour. And anyone who transgressed was precluded from playing for several weeks.

With more people these days taking up golf later in life, he feels there should be a greater emphasis on the game's established code of etiquette, as presented in the rule book.

Of his 16 years as secretary of the R and A, he spoke of memorable happenings such as the 1984 British Open victory by Seve Ballesteros and the recent Walker Cup triumph at Nairn. But Bonallack concluded: "It has not been about highlights. Rather has it been about maintaining the consistency and the reputation of the R and A and giving a lead in the development of the game while retaining the spirit of integrity and good sportsmanship built up over so many centuries."