Archive for January, 2007

Don't Kill the Golden Goose!

Friday, January 26th, 2007

Sandy Jones

Sandy Jones has revealed that the benefit to the Irish economy of hosting the Ryder Cup is now estimated at €100M. Jones, the chief executive of the PGA of Great Britain & Ireland, has revealed that the PGA now estimates that the impact on the Irish economy, over an extended 3 year period, will be about €100M. The PGA have included tourism, advertising, television, and sponsorship (more…)

Ryder Cup Hotels

Friday, January 19th, 2007

If you’re looking for hotel accommodation for the Ryder Cup at Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucky this is a list of hotels in the area. Remember there will be a mad rush for accommodation once the tickets are allocated so it would pay to do some research on what’s available and what the pricing is like. We’ll update this list regularly with any hotels that we come across in the run up to the Ryder Cup. Feel free to review any of the hotels by leaving a comment. (more…)

Ryder Cup Corporate Hospitality 2008

Wednesday, January 17th, 2007

Corporate Hospitality
The Ryder Cup corporate hospitality suites are now available for reservation at Valhalla. There are a range of corporate hospitality options available from hospitality chalets, to corporate tables. These are limited in number so book early.
The corportate hospitality options are as follows:

150 Person Hospitality Chalet – Located at Hole 17. With 150 (5 day) tickets and VIP parking. Cost $500K (more…)

Ryder Cup Books

Monday, January 15th, 2007

A review of all the best (and worst) books published for the 2006 Ryder Cup.  The publishing industry was well lined up for the Ryder Cup with a slew of books being released throughout 2006 both before and after the event, many of them reprints from earlier years. Prior to September, the books tended to recount different specific Ryder Cups or were more wide ranging histories of the event, often with an Irish angle. The more interesting ones however really got into full swing after the event in September with many different books from players, caddies and journalists being rushed out in time to capture the lucrative Christmas market. Some of these books were sometimes little more than coffee table fluff pieces whilst others were more detailed and well researched. Outlined below are some of the good, the bad and the ugly.

The Cup: How the 2006 Ryder Cup Was Won
Philip Reid

 The Cup: How the 2006 Ryder Cup Was Won by Philip Reid

Reid’s book is perhaps the best of the bunch in describing the event that was the Ryder Cup 2006. Those looking for all the facts and figures minutiae will not be disappointed here however it also has something more to add than merely a dry retelling of the event. Reid is a journalist with the Irish Times and as such has a wide background on all matters relating to golf in Ireland. This background adds greatly to the book by situating the event within the context of a very Irish setting in terms of place, time and people.

See it at Amazon UK / Amazon US – Not Available

Heroes All: My 2006 Ryder Cup Story
Darren Clarke

Heroes All: My 2006 Ryder Cup Story - Darren Clarke

The goodwill engendered by Darren Clarke for his stoicism and performance throughout the Ryder Cup was well deserved at every level. The decision to rush out this book was (more…)

Ryder Cup 2010

Friday, January 5th, 2007

Wales will host the 38th Ryder Cup in 2010. The event will be held at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport in South Wales. Ian Woosnam is the offical ambassador for Team Wales in the run up to the event in 2010.

The Welsh will be taking this opportunity to showcase Wales and golfing in Wales to the world. First Minister Rhodri Morgan was delighted with the opportunity for Wales and said, “Getting The 2010 Ryder Cup to come to The Celtic Manor Resort in Wales is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our country to show the world what we have to offer.

Terry Matthews and his team are investing a huge effort in putting Wales and Celtic Manor Resort on the map.

Ian Woosnam Honoured with OBE

Monday, January 1st, 2007

Ian Woosnam was in the Queens New Years Honours list this year. Woosnam, who captained the victorious European Ryder Cup team at the K Club was awarded an OBE by the Queen. This is a grade above the MBE which Woosie previously held. An OBE is an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.

Celtic Manor

Monday, January 1st, 2007

Celtic Manor

Celtic Manor Resort plays host to the 38th Ryder Cup Matches in 2010.

The resort, set on 1400 acres in the Usk valley in South Wales, boasts three golf courses – Wentworth Hills, Roman Road and Coldra Woods Academy Course. The Ryder Cup will be played at Wentworth Hills which is being completely overhauled for the event. The new course will be a par 71 – 7459 yds in length. It features nine new holes (1st – 5th and 14th, 15th, 16th and 18th) that have been developed along the floor of the Usk Valley, as well as nine holes from the former Wentwood Hills Championship Course that have been extensively remodelled (6th – 13th and 17th). The course features six signature holes (the 3rd, 5th, 6th, 14th, 15th and 18th), each of which features a formidable water hazard.

Celtic Manor Resort is owned by Sir Terry Matthews, who bought it in 1980 and began an enormous development program to turn the victorian country house and estate into a world class leisure resort. The resort includes a 330 bedroom, 32 suite hotel, a state of the art Convention Centre and Exhibition Hall. It also has 40 function rooms, 4 restaurants, 2 championship golf courses, a golf Academy with a dedicated tuition course and a stunning clubhouse. Finally the resort also is equipped with a spa and 2 heath clubs.