When most travelers plan an overseas golf trip, the Open Championship venues are often at the top of their list.
Not to be overlooked, however, are the former Ryder Cup host courses in Great Britain & Ireland.
In the long history of the matches, the cup has been contested on many of the great venues of the game, not to mention a few favored stops for H&B Expeditions.
Here are a few of the Ryder Cup courses you can play across the pond.
Adare Manor
When J.P. McManus purchased Adare Manor in 2015, there was little hiding his ambition to transform the resort into a world-class venue worthy of the Ryder Cup. Less than two years after Adare Manor emerged from an exhaustive restoration, that goal became a reality.
Adare Manor will host the 2027 Ryder Cup, shining a well-deserved spotlight on what might be the best combination of Golf and the Good Life in Ireland. Of course, this leaves plenty of time to experience the “Augusta of Ireland” first-hand before the best in the world arrive.
If you’re counting down to an Adare Manor golf trip, the link above is a helpful guide for when the day finally arrives.
The members of Ridglea Country Club at Adare Manor.
Royal Birkdale
Picture it: Sunday afternoon. The final singles match of the Ryder Cup featuring a healthy Tiger Woods and Ian Poulter reaches the 18th green with the fate of the cup still on the line. Tiger, safely in for par, concedes a dicey little 3-footer to Ian, ending the competition in a tie.
Such a scene is simply unimaginable today given the patriotic rancor surrounding the matches, but in 1969 at Royal Birkdale “The Concession” gave us one of the greatest moments in Ryder Cup history.
The matches that year had been marred by acrimony between the two sides, and yet they ended with a show of sportsmanship which has always been so vital to our great game.
It also marked the start of a beautiful friendship between Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin.
John Panek, PGA and the members of Davenport Country Club at Royal Birkdale.
Southport & Ainsdale
The region known as England’s Golf Coast has hosted 6 editions of the Ryder Cup, two of which were held at the James Braid designed Southport & Ainsdale Golf Club.
In 1937, the United States, led by the trio of Snead, Sarazen, and Nelson, marched into England and took home the cup – the first time the matches were won by a visiting side.
While this was the final time S&A would host the Ryder Cup, it has gone on to serve as qualifying location for The Open eight times, and hosted the Amateur Championship as recently as 2005.
Credit: Southport & Ainsdale.
The K Club
In the history of the Ryder Cup, no one has won more singles or foursomes matches for the United States than Arnold Palmer. So it is with great irony that the American’s biggest defeat came in 2006 on the Palmer Course at the Kildare Hotel & Golf Club, designed by The King himself.
Perhaps the American side was far too comfortable in the K Club’s posh five-star hotel to get their competitive juices flowing. Or maybe the course simply wasn’t their cup of tea – an unfamiliar sentiment for Rory McIlroy who won the Irish Open here in 2016.
Credit: The K Club
Muirfield
For all of the rich history found at Muirfield and the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, one that is often overlooked is its place among the Ryder Cup host courses.
The newly named Great Britain & Ireland team was soundly defeated by the United States, thanks to a starting five of Nicklaus, Palmer, Casper, Trevino, and Weiskopf.
That’s not to say, however, that the team of GB&I went down without a fight.
On the final day, relative unknown Maurice Bembridge halved his morning singles match with the Golden Bear, and took him to the 18th hole before finally giving up the point in the afternoon session.
Kyle Horton, PGA with his Kalamazoo Country Club members at Muirfield.
Gleneagles
When the Ryder Cup was hosted by Gleneagles in 2014, it was just the 2nd time the matches were held in The Home of Golf.
The end result repeated a common refrain from the matches over the last two decades: the Europeans kept the cup on their soil in rather easy fashion.
For golfers looking to follow in the footsteps of this history, it’s worth nothing that the 2014 Ryder Cup wasn’t hosted at the best course at Gleneagles.
That title goes to The Kings, and serves as a true testament to the quality of the golf found here. The Good Life is pretty exceptional as well, as noted in our complete guide to Gleneagles.
Credit: Gleneagles
Valderrama
If golf on the Costa del Sol has a crown jewel, it is certainly Valderrama.
The club played host to the 1997 Ryder Cup, where the American side lost by just a single point.
The European celebration, led by a jubilant Seve Ballesteros, was one for the ages.
As for the course itself, Valderrama meanders through an ancient cork forest and – stop us if you’ve heard this before – is often referred to as the “Augusta of Europe.”
The Expedition led by Jock Olson, PGA at Valderrama.
For more insight on planning your golf trip to Ireland, visit the pages below, read our Ireland golf trip reviews, or have a look through our Yardage Book, where you’ll find answers to many of our most frequently asked questions.
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