Beneath Buddhas Eyes
“I am truly honored to be the captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews,” said Forster, who will serve as The R&A ambassador to support its work in developing golf around the world.
He will also participate in professional and amateur R&A championships, including the 150th Open in St Andrews next July.
“I look forward to representing the club and The R&A in the coming year, as we celebrate the historic staging of the 150th Open here in St Andrews,” added the new captain.
Peter Forster started his year on duty training at 8 a.m. sharp as a cannon fired off the tee.
“It was fantastic to see so many members and people from the city taking part in this wonderful tradition and enjoying the atmosphere around the first tee,” he said.
“I was certainly relieved and delighted to have good contact with the ball and give the cadets a decent shot to recover.”
Forster was educated at Rannoch School and then at Agricultural College in Aberdeen. He began working on the family farm at Peacehill, Wormit, ten miles north of St Andrews, in 1972. He purchased Peacehill Farm in 1990, expanding the property through acquisitions to 1,800 owned acres and 700 leased acres. .
The 71-year-old is now retired and continues to serve as a director of Peacehill Farming Ltd and Peacehill Gas Ltd.
He became a member of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club in 1972. He was elected to the club committee from 1999 to 2003 and served as its president from 2001 to 2003.
Forster is also a member of the Ten Golf Club of St Andrews, Scotscraig and the Seniors Golfing Society.
Part of the tradition of the driving ceremony is that the new captain redeems his golf ball from the caddy who collects it and returns it with a gold ruler.
Ed Rankine, who lives in Leven and has been a caddy at St Andrews since 2019, successfully returned the ball to Forster on his third attempt at the driving ceremony.