Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews names new captain

Donaldson, nominated to replace former Welsh international golfer Clive Brown in that post by past captains, will begin his year in office with a driving-in ceremony on the first tee of the Old Course on Friday, September 22.

Away from golf courses, the club’s new skipper is president of Glenrothes-based timber firm the James Donaldson Group, one of Scotland’s largest family-run companies still in private ownership.

The 67-year-old, the fifth generation of his family to be involved in running their business, is also chairman of Edinburgh-headquartered investment trust Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon and a former chairman of the Securities Trust of Scotland.

He’s already on the board of the company overseeing the Old Course Hotel Golf Resort and Spa and is also involved in various charities, including the Donaldson Leadership Academy he founded in 2008.

Born in Perth but brought up in Fife, Donaldson was educated at Edinburgh’s Merchiston Castle School and Heriot-Watt University.

He’s been a member of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews since 1992 and has taken on roles there including being chairman of their club and heritage committees and deputy chairman of their general committee, also serving on the board of the then British Golf Museum.

Donaldson is a keen golfer, playing to a handicap of 12.5, and next year will be his 50th year as a member of Lundin Golf Club. He is also a member of Vila Sol in Portugal.

Donaldson, a father of three and grandfather of eight, lives in St Andrews with wife Val.

His other pastimes besides golf include salmon fishing and skiing.The club, founded in 1754 and boasting a membership of more than 2,400 worldwide, appoint a new captain annually but have twice stuck with the same skipper, John Murray Belshes in 1835 and 1836 and Clive Edgington in 2019 and 2020.

Since devolving responsibility for the administration of the rules of golf, the running of the Open and other such events and promoting the development of the game overseas to the R&A, set up for that purpose, the club and governing body have been separate entities.