The R&A: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show
R&A Championships Limited's person with significant control on the Companies House register is R&A Trust Company (No.1) Limited. In the year to December 2025 R&A Championships Limited reported turnover of £152m.
- In the year to December 2025, The R&A had turnover of £152m, up 0.6% on the year before.
- It made a pre-tax profit of £2m, keeping £1.36 of every £100 of sales.
- R&A Championships Limited is controlled by R&A Trust Company (No.1) Limited, according to the Companies House register.
- These figures are from R&A Championships Limited's accounts for the year to December 2025, filed at Companies House on 15 September 2026.
- Registered name
- R&A CHAMPIONSHIPS LIMITED
- Company number
- SC247047
- Status
- Active
- Incorporated
- 2 April 2003
- Registered office area
- Kirkcaldy
- Industry code on the register
- 93199: Sports activities and amusement and recreation activities
- Accounts
- Single company accounts, this company only
- Accounts type
- Full accounts
- Latest accounts
- Year to December 2025, filed 15 September 2026
What does The R&A do?
The R&A is a golf governing body that stages The Open, the AIG Women's Open and leading amateur championships. Based in St Andrews, it sets the Rules of Golf, equipment standards and the handicap system and runs golf ranking systems. The Open, golf's original championship, has been played since 1860 on links courses, with qualifying events on every continent and its championships draw spectators and commercial partners. The R&A also runs Golf It!, a community golf and entertainment facility in Glasgow.
In brief: runs The Open and AIG Women's Open · Rules of Golf and equipment standards · based in St Andrews · amateur championships
Source: The R&A's own website, retrieved 25 September 2026.
Who owns The R&A?
The Companies House register records R&A Trust Company (No.1) Limited as the person with significant control of R&A Championships Limited, company number SC247047. R&A Trust Company (No.1) Limited is itself company number SC247045.
That places R&A Championships Limited inside a larger group. The accounts on this page are the company's own, not the wider group's.
The full ownership record is on the Companies House register. Control is given in the bands the register uses, not as exact shareholdings.
Who runs The R&A?
The Companies House register lists 5 current officers for R&A Championships Limited.
All 5 current officers
| Officer | Appointed |
|---|---|
| John Fraser Murray | 30 April 2012 |
| John Daniel Brink | 15 March 2023 |
| Mark Robert Guy Darbon | 13 December 2024 |
| Johnnie Liston Cole Hamilton | 4 March 2026 |
| Neil Armit | 4 March 2026 |
Every current officer, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
What did The R&A file?
R&A Championships Limited reported turnover of £152m in the year to December 2025. That was up 0.6% on £151m the year before.
It has no employees of its own: its accounts say the people who work for it are employed by other companies in its group, which charge it for their cost.
It filed a pre-tax profit of £2m for the year, against a pre-tax profit of £5m the year before.
It ended the year with £8m at the bank and net assets of £31m. It paid dividends of £3m.
| Measure | Dec 2025 | Dec 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £152m | £151m |
| Pre-tax profit | £2m (filed) | £5m (filed) |
| Employees | None of its own | None of its own |
| Bank and cash | £8m | £5m |
| Net assets | £31m | £33m |
| Dividends paid | £3m | |
| Interest received | £0.6m | |
| Directors' pay | £0.2m |
Read the accounts to December 2025 (PDF, Companies House) · every accounts filing
What do these figures mean? Turnover vs profit · Profit per £100 · Cash vs profit · Net assets
Are there any charges against The R&A?
R&A Championships Limited has registered 1 charge at Companies House, of which 1 is still outstanding. A charge is security a lender takes over a company's assets; one is satisfied when the lending behind it is repaid or released.
The outstanding charge
| Charge holder | Created |
|---|---|
| Glasgow City Council, as Local Authority for the City of Glasgow in Terms of the Local Government Etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 | 20 October 2021 |
Each charge, with its holder and dates, is on the Companies House register.
How The R&A compares
The R&A files as R&A Championships Limited, whose person with significant control is R&A Trust Company (No.1) Limited, with turnover of £152m in its latest filed year.
Questions about The R&A
What does The R&A do?
The R&A is a golf governing body that stages The Open, the AIG Women's Open and leading amateur championships. Based in St Andrews, it sets the Rules of Golf, equipment standards and the handicap system and runs golf ranking systems. The Open, golf's original championship, has been played since 1860 on links courses, with qualifying events on every continent and its championships draw spectators and commercial partners. The R&A also runs Golf It!, a community golf and entertainment facility in Glasgow.
Is The R&A bigger than DP World Tour?
No, by turnover. The R&A reported £152m in its latest accounts, against £346m at DP World Tour. Our The R&A v DP World Tour page compares the two on profit, margin, growth and staff. The R&A v DP World Tour →
Who owns The R&A?
The Companies House register records R&A Trust Company (No.1) Limited as the person with significant control of R&A Championships Limited.
How much does The R&A make?
R&A Championships Limited reported turnover of £152m in the year to December 2025. It filed a pre-tax profit of £2m.
How many people work at The R&A?
R&A Championships Limited has no employees of its own. Its accounts say the people who work for it are employed by other companies in its group, which charge it for their cost.
Who runs The R&A?
The Companies House register lists 5 current officers for R&A Championships Limited. The full list, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
- Figures come from R&A Championships Limited's filings at Companies House, company number SC247047, for the period shown at the top of the page.
- These are single company accounts: they cover this company alone, not any wider group.
- Pre-tax profit is the figure the company filed, for both years.
- A figure the filing does not disclose is shown as n/d. A zero in the filing is treated as not disclosed, never as nil.
- Rounding: below £0.1m in thousands, from £0.1m to £2m to one decimal place, from £2m to the nearest million.
- Ownership is shown in the control bands the register of people with significant control uses, not as exact shareholdings.
- Officers' names and appointment dates come from the Companies House register. Job titles come from the company's own website. The description of what the company does comes from its website, or is marked Spark Intel editorial where it is written from stable, checked facts, with the date either way.
Spark Intel, “The R&A: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show”, updated 6 November 2026. https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/companies/the-r-and-a/. Figures from Companies House filings for R&A CHAMPIONSHIPS LIMITED (SC247047).
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