5 Of The Best Ryder Cup Venues In The UK&I

Each of these varied and excellent courses has hosted golf’s most thrilling event

5 Of The Best Ryder Cup Venues In The UK&I

Moortown (pictured above)

In 1929, Moortown became the first course in Europe to host the Ryder Cup, with Great Britain winning 7-5 against a USA side captained by the great Walter Hagen. This moorland classic is the work of Alister MacKenzie, who went on to design Augusta, and its primary features are his trademark bunkering and undulating greens. The signature hole is the short 10th, which MacKenzie built as a prototype for the course.

GF: round or day: £95

Celtic Manor – The 2010

It was the vision and drive of Sir Terry Matthews that transformed an already substantial golf resort into the home of the 2010 Ryder Cup. Rain delays led to a thrilling Monday conclusion, which the Europeans edged by 14½ to 13½. The 2010 course mixes nine redesigned holes from the original Wentwood Hills course with nine new holes down in the river valley, resulting in what is effectively a stadium course.

GF: round £137-£154, packages available

The Belfry – Brabazon

The Brabazon course has hosted the Ryder Cup four times, with the Europeans successful in 1985, 1989 and 2002. The Peter Alliss and Dave Thomas design opened for play in 1977, since when it has benefited from significant upgrading and redevelopment. Water hazards abound, and the driveable par-4 10th is one of the best examples of a risk-reward hole in the country.

GF: round from £84

Muirfield

Muirfield is recognised the world over as one of our finest Open Championship tests, but its hosting of the Ryder Cup is less well known. This was back in 1973 and the USA won 19-13 – the first time the home team had been called GB&I, even though golfers from Ireland and Northern Ireland had been playing for many years. The Harry Colt and Tom Simpson design is one of the purest and most perfect tests of golf anywhere.

GF: round: £250; day: £350

K Club – Ryder Cup Course

One of the most dramatic and emotional Ryder Cups of all time took place over this beautiful, watery parkland course in 2006. Darren Clarke had lost his wife to cancer just weeks before, yet went on to win all three of his matches as Europe recorded a third successive victory. This exciting Arnold Palmer design runs through mature parkland, with two of the last three holes bordering the Liffey.

GF: round: €250 (€145 for hotel residents)

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