Five Magnificent Courses That You May Not Know Have Hosted The Ryder Cup

As the biennial competition approaches its centenary, we look at five former hosts of the greatest team event in golf

Royal Lytham - Hole 18
The closing hole at Royal Lytham & St Anne’s is instantly recognisable both for its distinctive clubhouse and the 17 bunkers that stand guard
(Image credit: Geoff Ellis - golfworking.co..uk)
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The first Ryder Cup contest took place in the United States in 1927 at Worcester Country Club in Massachusetts. Two years later, its first GB&I host was Moortown in Leeds, since when it has been staged at a surprising number of courses including these five excellent Top 100 championship venues.

Royal Lytham & St Annes

Royal Lytham - Hole 1

The opening hole at Royal Lytham is a very well bunkered par 3

(Image credit: Geoff Ellis - golfworking.co.uk)

England’s renowned golf coast in the north-west had a strong, formative role to play in the Ryder Cup with Lytham first hosting the match in mid-October, 1961. The format that year was four foursomes morning and afternoon on day one, and eight singles both morning and afternoon on day two; a gruelling schedule over such a tough and strategic test of golf. Arnold Palmer made his debut and was leading points scorer as the visitors won 14½-9½. They won again when it returned in 1977, this time with a young Tom Watson making his debut. Despite its slightly more enclosed nature with the railway bordering several holes, Royal Lytham & St Annes is a classic links that has hosted the Open Championship 11 times.

Muirfield

Muirfield - Hole 18 - GettyImages-155466030

The closing hole and distinctive clubhouse at Muirfield

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Renowned for its hosting of The Open Championship, not so many golfers are aware that Muirfield has also hosted the Ryder Cup. This was back in 1973 when the USA prevailed 19-13. This Harry Colt and Tom Simpson design is quite simply one of the purest and most perfect tests of golf anywhere.

Muirfield - Hole 2 - RS

The second green at Muirfield

(Image credit: Rob Smith)

Its subtle, flowing and very classy design is packed with some of the finest bunkering anywhere as well as excellent greens. Rather than one or two exceptional holes at Muirfield, there are eighteen. For fans of golf course architecture, this most elegant of designs is a living master-class.

Royal Birkdale

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The tenth at Royal Birkdale is played from right to left and up a slope

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Prior to Muirfield, Royal Birkdale hosted the Ryder Cup in 1965 and 1969. The latter match resulted in the event’s first tie culminating in the famous Jack Nicklaus concession of Tony Jacklin’s final putt for a half. With recent changes improving the test and balance still further, this is widely regarded as the leading course in England.

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The par-3 twelfth at Birkdale is a real beauty

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Next year, it will host The Open for an eleventh time. This wonderful and very engaging links is blessed with some of the finest dunes in the country and despite the strength of the challenge is still extremely enjoyable for all golfers.

Southport & Ainsdale

S&A - Hole 5

Looking back down the fifth hole at Southport & Ainsdale

(Image credit: James Hogg)

Separated from Birkdale simply by the fabulous links at Hillside, S&A as it is familiarly known has also hosted two Ryder Cups. The first of these was ten years after James Braid designed this classic inland links in 1923. The home side squeezed a one-point victory in 1933 with the USA gaining revenge four years later.

S&A - Hole 7

The par-5 seventh, Steeple, works its way towards the Liverpool Road Cemetery

(Image credit: Rob Smith)

Opening with a strong par 3, the feature hole is the par-5 16th which calls for a blind second over the hill to a long narrow green in front of a high dune. In an area packed with pristine golf, Southport and Ainsdale is one of the best and most memorable links.

Walton Heath

Walton Heath - Old 7 - GettyImages-1495352387

The par-3 seventh on the Old Course at Walton Heath

(Image credit: Getty Images)

With two strategically very strong courses in the Top 100, it is the Old Course at Walton Heath that was home to the Ryder Cup in 1981. The Americans fielded a particularly strong line-up featuring the likes of Nicklaus, Watson, Trevino and Crenshaw, and eased to a comfortable victory.

Walton Heath - Old 18 - GettyImages-1495354197

A cross bunker protects the approach to the final hole on the Old Course

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Both courses were designed by Herbert Fowler and the club has hosted numerous other top-flight championships including the AIG Women’s Open and European qualifying for the US Open. A real feature of the golf here is that there is wonderful strength in depth with some scenic short holes, some super-tough par 4s, and some manageable par 5s.

Rob Smith
Rob Smith
Contributing Editor

Rob has been playing golf for over 45 years and been a contributing editor for Golf Monthly since 2012. He specialises in course reviews and travel, and has played over 1,250 courses in almost 50 countries. In 2021, he played all 21 courses in East Lothian in 13 days. Last year, his tally was 78, exactly half of them for the first time. One of Rob's primary roles is helping to prepare the Top 100 Courses of the UK&I, of which he has played all, as well as the Next 100 where he is missing two in Scotland and two in Ireland. He has been a member of Tandridge for over 30 years where his handicap hovers around 15. You can contact him at r.smith896@btinternet.com.

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