Work Starts On 'Augusta Of Europe' Upgrade In Bid To Stage 2035 Ryder Cup

Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf and Spa has closed to begin a huge redevelopment in the hope of creating an "Augusta of Europe" and landing the honor of staging the 2035 Ryder Cup.

The £170m ($226m) redevelopment of the Bedfordshire golf course will take up to two-and-a-half years with the hope that it will be able to stage the 2035 Ryder Cup - and with the companies involved it certainly stands a huge chance.

When plans were first released, the aim was for either the 2031 or 2035 events, but Camiral in Spain has since been announced as the 2031 host.

The Ryder Cup has not been held in England since 2002 at The Belfry so a return is due, but Luton Hoo seems to be facing competition from another new build - the abitious £240m project at Hulton Park near Bolton.

And as with England Golf's hopes to bring the Solheim Cup to the country, the bid would need UK government backing.

Plans are going ahead at Luton Hoo though and with the companies involved in the project it certainly points to it being a future Ryder Cup site.

Seven-time Ryder Cup player Justin Rose is helping to design the new championship calibre course alongside golfing icon Gary Player.

Layout work is being carried out by European Golf Design - a company partly owned by the DP World Tour which has been responsible for recent Ryder Cup venues Celtic Manor, Le Golf National and Marco Simone.

That means they'll have the inside track on just what Ryder Cup Europe is looking for in selecting a venue for the biennial showpiece - which has grown into one of the biggest sporting spectacles in the world.

Luton Hoo owners the Arora Group employing Atlantic Golf Construction to carry out the works is also a big hint that they fancy their chances - as that company built the next Ryder Cup venue, Adare Manor in Ireland.

"If you want the best you have to bring the best team on board," chairman of the owner group Surinder Arora is quoted as saying by the BBC.

"We are very excited about the whole project. It was always my dream to create the Augusta of Europe.

"Work has started and we have chosen contractors Atlantic Golf Construction, external from Ireland and they also built Adare Manor which is where the next Ryder Cup is so we are not skimping anywhere.

"It is more than about time we bring it [Ryder Cup] home."

Gary Johnson, a designer with European Golf Design, told the BBC that his company "know exactly what is needed for a championship golf course".

And when calling the area around Luton Hoo as "a truly special landscape" he said the new resort would have everything needed to host the Ryder Cup in the next decade.

"This site has the space and the access and everything else you would need," he said.

Ryder Cup Future Venues

• 2027 - Adare Manor (County Limerick, Republic of Ireland)
• 2029 - Hazeltine National Golf Club (Chaska, Minnesota)
• 2031 - Camaril Golf & Wellness (Girona, Spain)
• 2033 - The Olympic Club (San Francisco, California)
• 2035 - Unconfirmed (Europe)
• 2037 - Congressional Country Club (Bethesda, Maryland)