Throwback Thursday: R&A changes rules on mobile phones
The Background
During the 2006 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool there were numerous complaints made by players about the disturbance of spectators using mobile phones.
The Scene
Due to the volume of complaints made by players the R&A announced in January 2007 that mobiles would be banned at Carnoustie for the upcoming Open Championship.
The ban was eventually placed on all the other major championships and the Ryder Cup.
The Legacy
The ban wasn’t lifted until the 2012 Open Championship at Royal Lytham St Annes where designated areas were setup to allow spectators to make phone calls during play.
The uplift in the ban also carried over to other tournaments like the Ryder Cup and other majors apart from the Masters as the use of mobile phones on the course during championship play is banned at Augusta National.
Quiet please… pic.twitter.com/Wgf5JQABs6
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) July 5, 2017
At the time R&A chief executive Peter Dawson said: “There is no denying the attachment people feel to their mobile phones, allowing their use at the championship will enrich the Open experience.”
Recently, the European Tour adopted a policy where spectators were allowed to use their mobile phones on the course as long as they stayed on silent and didn’t disturb a player during play.
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Matthew Beedle
Matthew has been playing golf since he was around 13 and took up the game at a local nine-hole municipal course with his friends before joining Pontefract & District Golf Club just over the hedge.
Still a member of Pontefract with a handicap of 3, he currently sits on the board of directors to help with digital and marketing initiatives in order to improve membership and visitor income.
Matthew graduated university with a First Class in Sports Journalism from Leeds Trinity University and has been working in the golf industry since graduating.
NCG’s social media & marketing manager, Matthew’s main job role is to increase website traffic to the National Club Golfer website via our email and social media channels as well as driving entries to grow our NCG Top 100s Tour events amongst other tasks.
Not one to change his equipment too often, Matthew currently plays the TaylorMade M2 driver which has lasted the test of time in his bag. Elsewhere, you’ll find him using the TaylorMade Stealth 2 three-wood with a Ping G425 Crossover 2-iron to aid his long game.
Through his 4-iron to Gap Wedge, Matthew uses the Ping i500 irons accompanied by Ping’s Glide 3.0 56-degree and 60-degree wedges.
Another club that has stood the test of time in his bag is a Nike Method Core MC-3i putter which has had to have the SuperStroke grip changed at least three times. Ball of choice is the Titleist ProV1.
