Ireland To Host 2026 Ryder Cup

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Ireland To Host 2026 Ryder Cup: The Ryder Cup will return to Ireland in 2026 when Adare Manor, in County Limerick, hosts the biennial contest between Europe and the United States for the first time.

Ryder Cup Europe – which comprises the Managing Partner the European Tour, the Founding Partner the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland, and the PGAs of Europe – today announced the five-star resort will follow in the footsteps of Whistling Straits in Wisconsin (2020), Marco Simone in Italy (2022) and Bethpage Black in New York (2024) as the venue for golf’s greatest team contest.

Ireland To Host 2026 Ryder Cup

It means The Ryder Cup will be staged in Ireland for the second time, 20 years after The K Club hosted the 2006 contest when Team Europe – under the captaincy of Ian Woosnam and featuring three Irishmen who would go on to captain Europe over the next decade; Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley – memorably defeated the United States by a record margin of 18½ – 9½.

Guy Kinnings, European Ryder Cup Director, said: “We are delighted to announce The 2026 Ryder Cup will be staged in Ireland at Adare Manor which is a world class venue, both in terms of the golf course and the wider resort facilities.

“Today’s announcement would not have been possible without the support of An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and the Irish Government who are in receipt of our grateful and heartfelt thanks. Months of careful negotiation behind the scenes have seen us arrive at this point and we could not be happier to be able to take golf’s greatest team contest back to Ireland.

“Equally in receipt of our appreciation are Adare Manor owners JP and Noreen McManus and their entire team at the magnificent County Limerick venue. JP has shown unwavering support for golf and the European Tour over many years and we are delighted that Adare Manor will be the venue to showcase the next chapter in Ireland’s Ryder Cup story in seven years’ time.

“Aside from having provided three Captains over the past four editions, in addition to world-class talent such as Rory McIlroy, Irish players such as the late Christy O’Connor Jnr, Philip Walton, Eamonn Darcy, Graeme McDowell and Paul McGinley are intrinsically linked with providing Europe’s winning moments over the years.

“Added to that the fact that Irish golf fans are rightly recognised as some of the most knowledgeable and passionate in the world, as was shown during Shane Lowry’s emotional Open Championship triumph at Royal Portrush on Sunday, there was no question in our minds that the time was right.”

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “This is a tremendously proud day for everyone at the European Tour and everyone associated with the island of Ireland and Irish golf. When we started the discussions with both the Irish Government and Adare Manor on this entire project they promised to deliver, and they have both done that today.

“Over the past few weeks we have seen truly wonderful golfing occasions at both Lahinch and Royal Portrush and I know such memorable scenes will be repeated in seven years’ time at Adare Manor. Ireland has golf in its DNA and especially in relation to The Ryder Cup.”

Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar T.D. welcomed the announcement stating: “I am delighted that Ireland will be the host of The Ryder Cup in 2026. It is great news for Ireland, and for County Limerick and the west of Ireland in particular.

“This news comes at the end of an historic week for golf on the island of Ireland, following the hugely successful hosting of the Open Championship by Royal Portrush Golf Club, and the historic victory by one of Ireland’s most popular sporting heroes, Shane Lowry.

“Shane’s victory is one of many great achievements by Irish golfers, not just in Major Championships but also in The Ryder Cup. Over the years, Irish captains and Irish players have played a huge role in the success of the European team.

“I am sure that when The Ryder Cup comes to Adare, we will see many more great sporting memories created, and great sporting friendships forged. It will be a fantastic occasion for everyone on the island of Ireland, and for the many visitors from both sides of the Atlantic who can look forward to another great Irish welcome.”

Commenting on the announcement, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross T.D. stated: “The passion of Irish people for golf across the island is well known and that was reinforced by the fantastic crowds at last Sunday’s Open Championship in Portrush and the joy at Shane’s great victory. Hosting The Ryder Cup here will be a great occasion for Irish golf and Irish tourism. The Ryder Cup in 2026 will be a must go event for golf fans when we expect thousands of overseas visitors to come to Ireland.”

The news was further welcomed by Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Brendan Griffin, T.D. who stated: “It’s been a fantastic week for golf in Ireland following Shane Lowry’s heroic win in Portrush. The announcement of The Ryder Cup for Ireland in 2026 is further great news and is a wonderful honour for all of us in Ireland, North and South. It’s a special honour for the people of Munster, a province steeped in sporting culture, where this marvellous global event will be embraced by the people to make 2026 the greatest ever tournament in the history of The Ryder Cup.”

JP McManus, owner of Adare Manor, said: “I am delighted that the prestigious Ryder Cup will return to Ireland. We were very happy that Adare Manor was chosen as the venue for this world renowned tournament in 2026 and we look forward to welcoming our worldwide visitors.

“It is a wonderful tribute to the many great Irish golf ambassadors and success stories Ireland has had in golf over the years and a nice follow on from Shane’s momentous Open win on Sunday in Portrush. The nation was behind Shane, it was a great achievement and very well deserved.

“I am confident that the people of Ireland will get behind The Ryder Cup and take the opportunity to showcase Ireland on the world stage and ensure that The 2026 Ryder Cup will be an outstanding success.

“I hope the many tourist, golfing and business organisations will work together to identify all the opportunities for the benefit of The Ryder Cup, the Irish economy and across the south west community.”

Since Ireland last hosted The Ryder Cup in 2006, the biennial contest has extended its reach as one of the world’s leading sporting events.

Last year’s Ryder Cup at Le Golf National in France attracted more than 270,000 fans on course across the week – the largest attendance for a Ryder Cup held in Europe – with record social media engagement of more than 22 billion impressions globally.

The Ryder Cup also boosted economic activity in France by €235.7million – a significant increase compared to the £106 million of economic activity generated in Scotland in 2014 when Gleneagles hosted the contest.

Adare Manor, which was extensively renovated two years ago, hosted the Irish Open in 2007, a tournament won by Padraig Harrington two months before he went on to clinch the first of his two successive Open Championship titles at Carnoustie. The Irish Open was staged again at Adare Manor the following year in 2008 when Englishman Richard Finch triumphed.

The venue has also hosted the JP McManus Pro-Am in 2005 and 2010 and is scheduled to do so again next July, with confirmed participants already including Padraig Harrington, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm, Justin Rose and Tiger Woods.

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Avro Promoted On Greenfields Pitch

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Avro Promoted On Greenfields Pitch: After two seasons of playing on their GreenFields 3G pitch, Avro FC have celebrated a second successive promotion which will see them move up from their short-lived stay in the North West Counties First Division to play the 2019-20 season in the North West Counties Premier Division.

Having won the Manchester Premier Division in 2018, then to gain promotion last season (finishing second but gaining promotion with points-per-game), Avro FC are certainly on a roll and definitely a team to look out for. Rob Fuller, Avro FC Chairman attributes their success in part to the installation of the 3G pitch back in Autumn 2017, he commented: “We are about to begin our third season with our GreenFields 3G pitch and we could not be more pleased with it. We are certain that the pitch has played a huge part in our back to back promotions. Last season was our first in semi-professional football, and we received only positive comments from visiting teams regarding the pitch. Several teams pointed out that the GreenFields surface was far superior to any that they had played on previously and they were impressed with the quality of the grass, and the natural bounce and run of the ball during game play. We are proud of our GreenFields pitch and look forward to continuing our successful partnership in 2019/20 as we look forward to playing in the NWCFL Premier Division for the first time.”

Avro Promoted On Greenfields Pitch

Last season saw the club compete in the coveted Buildbase FA Vase for the first time and their most recent promotion which will see them play at step 5 will also open the door to a place in the Emirates FA Cup, a dream for all clubs and footballers alike.

As part of their commitment to supporting non-league football clubs, GreenFields have renewed their sponsorship agreement with Avro FC for the 2019-20 season. Paul Milton, Commercial Director at GreenFields commented: “We are thrilled to see that Avro FC have been promoted for the second year in a row. It’s a brilliant achievement for them and we couldn’t be happier that the GreenFields pitch has played a part in their success. We look forward to seeing them continue to flourish and are proud to be partnering and supporting them for another season.”

More information on GreenFields can be found at www.greenfieldsturf.co.uk

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Complete DLF Range At Goodwood

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Complete DLF Range At Goodwood: The Goodwood Estate relies on mixtures from across the DLF Seeds portfolio to deliver results site-wide. With a remit including two 18-hole golf courses, a cricket ground, gardens and farmland, a grass airfield, and a motor circuit, General Manager of Sports Turf & Grounds, Phil Helmn, is certainly kept busy with such a momentous breadth of surfaces to prepare.

Joining the Goodwood Estate four years ago, from a greenkeeping background, has seen a steep but fascinating learning curve for Phil – “everyone says it, but in this job no two days really are the same!  One day me, and anyone of my full-time grounds team of 35, could be working on golf course renovations, or the next coordinating ground preparations for Goodwood’s Festival of Speed which has an attendance equal to that of Glastonbury Festival!  What’s really interesting is how every environment has such different performance criteria so I’ve taken a lot of guidance and advice from companies and distributors, DLF being one of them.”

Complete DLF Range At Goodwood

As a long-standing user of seed from DLF’s Masterline and Johnsons Sports Seed mixtures, introducing those across the estate was one of Phil’s first exercises. “Ryegrass is the primary species used across the estate because of its hardwearing qualities and quick germination making it suitable on a wide variety of sports and fine turf areas. On our cricket wicket, Johnsons J Premier Wicket mixture has been working really well.”

Johnsons J Premier Wicket features a four-cultivar blend of Clementine, Monroe, Dickens and Chardin perennial ryegrass and delivers outstanding shoot density, rapid establishment and high disease resistance. In terms of its usage, Goodwood’s cricket ground has seen a surge in popularity, which is driving investment into the facilities later this year. “We currently host lots of local league matches but developments on one of the wickets will hopefully see that prepared to a higher spec with the J Premier Wicket, along with a £1m new pavilion, in the hope of heading towards county level play.”

Complete DLF Range At Goodwood

“On our golf greens, we’re currently on a bent grass overseeding programme and over on the grass airfield, which has a resident academy of three Spitfires, we’re using the hard-wearing ProMaster 70 mixture from Masterline. With so many sports arenas, there’s always new challenges, and peaks and troughs in demand, which keeps you on your toes. The seed from DLF gives us one constant we can rely on.”

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GreenFields Award Winners Announced

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GreenFields Award Winners Announced: As Official Pitch Partners of the Northern Premier League, GreenFields launched the second Pitch of the Year Awards at the start of the season and crowned the winners at the league’s prestigious annual End of Season Awards on 15 June which took place in Blackpool.

The Pitch of the Year Awards recognise individuals and clubs who work tirelessly to ensure that their pitches look and feel the best that they can despite often having limited resources. With a staggering 90% of member clubs voting for their top pitches, (a 10% increase on last year’s votes), GreenFields then shortlisted the three clubs per division with the highest nominations. The next step was for the experienced, professional GreenFields Grounds Team to visit the nine shortlisted clubs to carry out in-depth pitch inspections.

GreenFields Award Winners Announced

During the pitch inspections the judges marked the surfaces on the following criteria:

Clegg Tests Moisture Tests
Visibility of Lines Overall Grass Coverage
Quality of Grass in Goal Mouth Areas Overall Surface Stability

The judges also interviewed each Groundsman on aspects such as fertiliser frequency and Summer renovation plans as well as taking into account the staff used for pitch maintenance, the maintenance equipment owned by the club, the weather on the day of the visit, the geographical location and weather implications, the average hours of pitch usage and the level of irrigation in place at the club. Whilst visiting each club, GreenFields documented the visits by using a dedicated app and by taking a series of photos.

GreenFields Marketing Manager, Louise Henderson and Commercial Director, Paul Milton attended the awards with Paul presenting the three winning clubs with a trophy along with £500 to spend on pitch maintenance materials or services from GreenFields. Paul commented: “For the second year of running these awards we have been impressed with both the calibre of pitches and the dedication displayed in the individuals we met. Many of the Groundsmen at these clubs are volunteers with limited resources, yet they work tirelessly with passion and enthusiasm to provide their clubs with the best possible match ready surfaces. GreenFields want to ensure that these passionate individuals and clubs receive the recognition they deserve, and we would like to thank all the shortlisted clubs for welcoming us so warmly during the pitch inspections.”

Well done to all the shortlisted clubs and the winners of the awards:

PREMIER

WINNER: South Shields FC

2nd: Bamber Bridge FC

3rd: Nantwich Town FC

EAST

WINNER: Tadcaster Albion FC

2nd: Cleethorpes Town FC

3rd: Stamford AFC

WEST

WINNER: Trafford FC

2nd: Colwyn Bay FC

3rd: Kidsgrove Athletic FC

GreenFields Award Winners Announced

Trafford FC’s Secretary, Graham Foxall commented on their second successive win of the Pitch of the Year Award: “It’s really great to see that our hard work has once again been recognised by our fellow clubs along with GreenFields for the Pitch of the Year Award for the second season in a row.”

Northern Premier League Chairman, Mark Harris commented: “The GreenFields Pitch of the Year scheme has helped the Northern Premier League to focus attention on the quality of all pitches, grass and artificial. By recognising high standards, we encourage others to raise their own, which has to be a positive step.”

More information on GreenFields can be found at www.greenfieldsturf.co.uk

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Greenkeeper Support Team Revealed

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Greenkeeper Support Team Revealed: The Director of Golf and Greenkeeping at Wentworth Club has spoken about his pride at the return of a greenkeeper support team to assist with course maintenance during the BMW PGA Championship this September.

Members of the British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) will head to Wentworth for the European Tour’s flagship event, which for the 2019 season has shifted from its traditional May hosting to September.

Greenkeeper Support Team Revealed

The shift in dates has been necessitated by changes to the world golf calendar and reduced competition from other events should mean a star-studded field of players head to Virginia Water for the Rolex Tour event, taking place from 19 to 22 September.

Wentworth’s Director of Golf Courses and Greenkeeping, Kenny Mackay, is eager for the BIGGA volunteers to get the most out of their time as part of the team and so the group is divided between those who will undertake bunker raking duties and those who will play an active role in the preparation and maintenance of the West Course for the duration of the event.

Kenny said: “With the change in the schedule, the hosting of the BMW PGA Championship is going to be a completely new experience for the Wentworth team. The preparation of the course each morning is going to be very tight if we’re to stay ahead of the golf and so the BIGGA volunteers will prove vital as we work to achieve our aims of preparing a course fit for the European Tour’s flagship event.”

“Over the last two years we’ve really evolved the support team experience, so a portion of the volunteers have the opportunity to fully integrate with the Wentworth team. If you ask the volunteers who come regularly, every year is getting better and better. We want to ensure they learn many things that they can then take back to their own club.”

BIGGA members are invited to participate in the BMW PGA Championship Volunteer Support Team as an opportunity for career development that is provided as part of their membership. July will also see a separate team of members head to Royal Portrush to assist with The Open, while teams will also attend other major events, such as the Ladies British Open and the Solheim Cup.

To hear more from Kenny Mackay about the changes to the European Tour schedule and what it means to the Wentworth team, listen to episode 8 of the Green Room Golf Course Podcast, available on Apple Podcasts and via the BIGGA website.

The BIGGA Support Team for the BMW PGA Championship 2019 is:

Preparation support team

Adam Baldwin, Lilley Brook; Anthony Duffield, Ham Manor; Craig Woodman, Bramshaw; Daniel Evans, Maesdu Llandudno; David Ball, Thetford; Josh Dunn, Bramcote Waters; Kevin Tigg, Merrist Wood; Leigh Powell, Windlesham; Phillip Slater, West Herts; Rob Patrick, Stoneham; Sam Ewing, Crane Valley; Jonny Peacock, Rugby; David Taylor, The Bristol; Peter Meek, The Wisley; Seamus Gaughan, Migros Golf Park (Switzerland); Tim Leat, Rich River (Australia); Luke Lacey, Exminster; Callum Atkinson, Prestbury; Harry Misselbrook, Harewood Downs; Henry Aggar, Windlesham.

Bunker support team

Jeff Drake, Newbury & Crookham; Oliver Kirk, unattached; Sam Amey, Basingstoke; Nathan O’Sullivan, China Fleet; Kevin Weller, Dale Hill Hotel; Iain Biggs, Chesterfield Downs; Oli Norfolk, Tylney Park; David Westwood, Kingswood; Jamie Ingerson, Rochester and Cobham; Nick Street, Crews Hill; Billy MacArthur, Temple; Craig Gibson, Essendon Country; Steven Maples, Coventry; Oliver Clark, Mill Hill; Matthew Winney, East Sussex National; Jacob Kennard, Milton Abbey School; Aaron Stead, Surrey Down; Ashley Darnley, The Bristol; Charlie Cripps, Cams Hall Estate; Sam Bethell, Chipstead; Steve Bridgeman, Woking; Steven Hirons, Kirtlington; Tony Bartram, Wentworth; Stuart Simmonds, Boundary Lakes; Robert Brown, Bognor Regis; Adam Young, The Players Club; Daniel Allsworth, Drayton Park; Nicholas Edwards, Remedy Oak; Stevie-Jon Hood, Forest of Galtres; Lewis Turner, The Dyke; Ryan Lindsay, East Sussex National; Matthew Lindsay, Highwoods; Chris Mitchell, Maidenhead; Ryan Frankish, Spalding; David Smith, Newmarket Links; Gary Nimmo, Oundle; Jordan Belong, Camberley Heath; Patrick Redmond, Woking; Stuart Fry, Old Thorns; Jakob Schur, Rudding Park; Jorge Manso, Coombe Wood; Daniel Cowley, Stanmore; Lee Williams, Phoenix; Martin Coe, China Fleet; Kevin Hensman, Rowlands Castle; Steven Morgans, Harrow School; Jack Holman, Middleton Hall; Graham Down, Harewood Downs;

James Lomas, Hadley.

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