The Ryder Cup 2027 at Adare Manor Golf Club
The iconic matchup between golfers from the USA and Europe arrives back to Ireland in September 2027. The venue, Adare Manor, County Limerick will be hosting the 44th biennial Ryder Cup match play competition. It has become one of the great world sporting events. The current score favours the USA 27 to 15 wins. The excitement is building as preparations gear up for a tremendous week of golf for players and spectators alike.
To think about playing in a Ryder Cup in Ireland is really exciting. It’s going to be a great venue. It’s really cool and I’m so happy for JP, his family and everyone involved with Adare that it’s there. Rory McIlroy
Little Ryder Cup History
The famous trophy was first played for in 1927 – the previous year’s match in England being an ‘informal’ one. The USA team, captained by Walter Hagen, which included Gene Sarazen, beat a Great Britain team 9 1/2 to 2 ½. The venue was the Worcester Country Club, Massachusetts. Afterwards the GB captain, Ted Ray, made a simple point: superior American putting was the crucial difference. As they say, you drive for show and putt for dough!
In 1933, at the challenging Southport and Ainsdale links course, near Liverpool, the Great Britain team won a nail biting 6 ½ to 5 ½ victory on the final green. Little did they know it would be another 24 years before they savoured Ryder Cup success again. The GB team that broke the duck was captained in 1957 by Dai Rees with teammates including Christy O’Connor Jnr and Peter Alliss. The venue, Lindrick Golf Club, England. The score 7.5 to 4.5 to Team GB thanks to a final day rally. It was also notable as it was the first time Great Britain chose its team by means of a points system.
The First Drawn Match
The first draw happened in 1969 at Royal Birkdale, another magnificent links course to the north of Liverpool. The USA team included legends of the game: Jack Nicklaus, Ray Floyd, Lee Trevino, captained by Sam Snead. The GB team included Christy O’Connor Jnr and a young Tony Jacklin. The match would be decided by the pairing of Tony Jacklin and Jack Nichlaus. Neck and neck up the 18, Nicklaus made a four-footer for par, then conceded a two-foot par putt to Jacklin. Their resulting half made for a very sporting first drawn Ryder Cup, 16 points each. There’s a lesson there for us all.
Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright
The 1997 match was the first to be played in continental Europe, at Valderrama, Spain. It was also the first Ryder Cup call up for Tiger Woods, one member of another star-spangled USA team. The new ‘European’ team, was captained by Seve Ballesteros, and included Woosnam, Langer, Faldo, Olazábal, Clarke, and Monty! A 13 ½ to 14 ½ win the Europeans was followed by much celebrating!
2025 USA, USA, USA!
Since 1997, the Americans have been victorious on 4 occasions to the European’s 8 wins. In 2025, the USA Team, captained by Keegan Bradley, will be looking to avenge their previous 2023 loss in Italy. Home advantage, at Bethpage Black Course, Farmingdale, NY, will hopefully infuse the American team and their supporters with the sportsmanship and camaraderie on which the competition has been built. The European’s, captained by Luke Donald, will present a tough challenge. This year’s team looks like it will have two players from Ireland, Rory McIlroy, who leads the points rankings, and Shane Lowry.
Adare Manor 2027
In Ireland, we’ll enjoy the 2025 competition and savour its dramas and tensions. However, we have one eye steadily fixed on 2027. Adare Manor is simply a magnificent venue. The golf course first opened in 1995 and hosted the Irish Open in 2007 and 2008. Having been purchased by the McManus Family, it underwent a significant 24 month reconstruction project starting in 2016.
However, JP McManus and Adare Manor are no strangers to high-profile golf tournaments. Since 1990, he has organised the J. P. McManus Pro-Am, an unofficial European Tour event, which to raises money for local charities. It has been staged six times with winners including Tiger Woods, Pádraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, and, most recently in 2022, Xander Schauffle.
The Course
One notable feature of the course is the absence of rough in play: instead it has 170 acres of low-cut, sand-capped grass. No rough supports speedy play, which is always welcome – at all levels of golf! It’s also a real differentiator when compared to championship links courses with their heathery, grassy 3-feet of wilderness waiting just off the fairway. The greens are a first for a European course as they have been laid with super fine Pure Distinction bentgrass. All 18 greens have a SubAir Aeration System, which removes moisture, and guarantees firm greens. Players (and caddies) prepare for speed!
My favourite course (in Ireland) is Adare Manor. What JP [McManus] has done is incredible and this is going to be a great Ryder Cup in Ireland.’ Shane Lowry
Adare Statistics
The course is a Par 72, 7,509 yard parkland course. Designed by Tom Fazio and opened in April 2018, it covers over 842 acres, and has 41 bunkers lying in wait. In the remodelling, 16,000 new trees were planted and 220,000 tons of sand was used to help drainage. For those seeking relief, be prepared for the 1,291 sprinkler heads and the 12 new, hand cut stone bridges across the course. All of this is lovingly tended by a team of 50 greenkeepers.
The Junior Ryder Cup
The 2027 Junior Ryder Cup will take place at Ballyneety Golf Club, County Limerick. Ballyneety will host the first two days of foursomes and fourballs between male and female juniors from Europe and the USA. The decisive single matches will be held at Adare Manor, the day before it hosts the ‘senior’ Ryder Cup.
Ballyneety Golf Club
Ballyneety was co-designed by 2014 Ryder Cup Vice-Captain Des Smyth. The parkland course is set on 183 acres of rolling Irish countryside, offering breathtaking views over County Limerick. It will provide a stiff challenge to all team members. Birdies will require steely nerves and a gentle greenside touch. The speedy, three-tier greens have brought tears to the eyes of many a fine golfer – with a bogey-free card.
It is a true honour for Ballyneety Golf Club to host the 2027 Junior Ryder Cup. This tournament represents not only a celebration of skill and dedication to the game, but also an opportunity to showcase the spirit of our community and the beauty and quality of our Championship course. We are looking forward to welcoming the world’s top emerging golf talent to compete on one of Ireland’s finest parkland courses. John Leamy, General Manager of Ballyneety Golf Club
John, his immediate team, the club’s various committees, and green keepers are working to deliver a memorable event for players, caddies, officials, and visitors alike.
As a member of Ballyneety Golf Club, I was delighted to hear that our course was chosen as the venue for the Junior Ryder Cup. It’s a friendly place, where you can put your name down for a round with anyone and enjoy the golf and the company. The hard work that has taken place in recent years has both beautified and toughened the course. It will be a fitting challenge to all who play there.
…and Finally
The Junior and the Senior Ryder Cup teams will discover a Céad Míle Fáilte awaits in 2027. Adare Manor is a spectacular championship venue. It has everything required to support great golf for players, officials, and spectators alike. Ballyneety is a pocket battleship, waiting for the juniors to sharpen (or blunt) their teeth on.
What of the locality? The people of Limerick, and Ireland, are preparing to welcome all visitors. Pádraig Harrington summed matters up very well:
As much as JP is the owner, the people of Limerick have taken ownership and they will make sure there will be no stone unturned to make sure the Ryder Cup in 2027 will be a success. Pádraig Harrington
If you are planning to visit in September 2027, prepare to find a genuine welcome and plenty of craic before, during, and after the golf is finished.
Reference: Adare Ryder Cup Media Kit
About the Author: Dr. Paul Gadie is the Managing Director of Gift Innovations with wide experience in the corporate gifting industry. He holds various degrees including a doctorate in Theology, which focuses on leadership. He has worked in academia, researching, and lecturing in Theology & Religious Studies and managing academic partnerships across the UK, Europe, and Africa. He is also a published author; in his research, he encourages the development of leaders with a vision to work with and persuade others, rather than to control and command.