7 May 2025, St Andrews, Scotland: The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews has announced that His Honour Judge Dennis Watson KC will serve as Captain in 2025/26, having been nominated by the Past Captains of the Club. He will begin his year in office after the traditional Driving-in ceremony on the first tee of the Old Course on Friday, 19 September 2025.
Born in Crosby, Dennis 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).
Dennis 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 Dennis 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, Dennis 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 4.4.
Dennis (61) 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.
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Note to Editors:
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews holds a unique position in golf. Established in 1754, it evolved through two and a half centuries as a leading authority in the world game.
As the Club celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2004 it devolved responsibility for the administration of the Rules of Golf, the running of The Open and other key events, and the development of the game in existing and emerging golfing nations, to a newly formed group of companies collectively known as The R&A.
As a separate entity The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews remains as a private golf club with a worldwide membership of over 2,400 Members.
Note to Picture Editors:
A photograph of Dennis Watson is attached and may be used with editorial coverage of this news release only. Please credit The R&A.
For further information contact:
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews
Tel: +44 (0) 1334 460000
Email: media@randa.org