A Life's Two Nines
By Alastair James Niel Loudon
Niel Loudon’s ‘Round’ … played with his son
A personal perspective on the R&A's early modern strategic evolution
A previously unseen account of the modern international structure of golf administration around the world
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The modernisation of The Open
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The emergence of modern international golf administration between 1963 and 1982
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Personal insight into the individuals who shaped the modern game
A round of golf is about how a game unfolds: early promise, inevitable setbacks, the rhythm of recovery and, if well played, a strong finish. This book is shaped by that understanding. It uses the metaphor of an eighteen-hole round to reflect life, divided into a ‘Front Nine’ and a ‘Back Nine’. The ‘Front Nine’ is where the whole round's foundations are laid.
Centre stage is the life of my father, William Niel Brown Loudon OBE, who served the R&A between 1963 and 1982.
The ‘Front Nine’ explores the formative experiences that shaped Niel's character and tested both faith and resolve — demanding what David Forgan, in The Golfer’s Creed of 1899, described as courage, skill, strategy and self-control. For Niel, golf was never merely a game. It was a revealer of character. Courtesy, kindliness and generosity to an opponent were not abstractions to him, but principles to be lived.
Following the R&A’s strategic review of 1960 — which sought both to modernise The Open Championship and expand the R&A’s international role — Niel responded to an advertisement by the R&A in The Times and was appointed Assistant Secretary of the R&A in 1963.
The ‘Back Nine’ traces his contribution during the R&A's evolution up to 1982: through the building of influence by collaboration, relationships and trust.
The administration of the global game of golf did not evolve by accident. It was shaped by a small number of individuals working within national institutions that adapted it to a changing world. I refer to them as the 'titans' of golf.
A Life’s Two Nines offers an account of that process from inside the room ... previously unseen.
As gratitude for the life’s experiences that the R&A gave my father, the net proceeds from the sale of these books will be donated to The R&A Foundation in support of the Foundation’s work to preserve the game’s heritage, expand its reach and inspire future generations: https://www.randa.org/foundation. Cost per book estimated £30 plus P&P. Please note that I may also produce Limited Editions at higher cost/ benefit to the Foundation if there is a demand.