Bolton set to bid for the 2035 Ryder Cup, as Cup comes home to England for first time in 33 years
- SHANK
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
The Ryder Cup will celebrate its centenary next September when Adare Manor in Ireland hosts the event, 25 years after the Belfry hosted the event for the fourth time. With the 2031 Ryder Cup set to be played at Camiral near Barcelona. Spain, the Ryder Cup will have been played outside of England for more than 30 years by the time 2035 comes around.
Today, the Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham announced that Greater Manchester, and specifically Hulton Park in Bolton, will be bidding for the 2035 Ryder Cup. in a statement the Mayor's office said: A chance to host the biggest ever Ryder Cup in Greater Manchester
Culture and sport have been major drivers of growth in recent years. Already in 2026 Manchester has hosted the most-viewed BRIT Awards ever – the first time the event was hosted outside of London in its nearly 50-year history. And next week the MOBO Awards will be held in Manchester for the first time, as they mark 30 years of celebrating black music and culture.
Now, we’re planning to submit a compelling bid with Peel Retail & Leisure to host the biggest ever Ryder Cup in the city region in 2035. The Mayor is supporting plans to bring the tournament to a new world-class, purpose-built golf course planned at Hulton Park, Bolton. It would be the first time in more than 30 years that England has hosted the world-renowned tournament.
Hosting would deliver a major economic boost – showcasing the North on the world stage, attracting an influx of visitors and driving spending across hospitality, retail and transport. With around 350,000 fans anticipated to attend, it would create a wave of job opportunities and create a lasting legacy for our communities.
To help make it a reality, we’re committing up to £69.8 million to deliver Park Avenue – a significant package of transport improvements that will benefit the area. This will support delivery of the first phase of a new M61-M6 link road, new cycling and walking routes, and new bus routes to the Ryder Cup site.
During the tournament, special Bee Network bus services would be tailored to get spectators to and from the site, like during Oasis’ triumphant homecoming gigs last year.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said:
“The success of the BRIT Awards in Manchester shows that we can we attract and deliver international events to a brilliant standard. Culture and sport will be major drivers of our good growth, and that’s why we’re bidding to host the biggest ever Ryder Cup in Bolton in 2035.
“We’ve had promising conversations with organisers about bringing the tournament to a bespoke, world-class course at Hulton Park. But it will only be possible with the right infrastructure. We’re doing our bit to make it happen. We’re committing up to £70 million to deliver a transport package to not only help spectators get to the site but deliver major benefits for the people living in the surrounding areas.
“As well as the new jobs and tourist spend the Ryder Cup would deliver, there’s also a chance to deliver a lasting legacy. We want to work with Government to align transport investment to the tournament – delivering more frequent and modern trains on the Atherton line, investing in better rail stations and speeding up work to connect the area to the Metrolink network.
“We’re serious about making sure every part of Greater Manchester benefits from our approach to good growth. By almost doubling our Good Growth Fund, thanks to a landmark partnership with the National Wealth Fund and new investment from Government, we can invest in bringing even more homes, jobs and opportunities to our communities.”
FedEx Cup champion, eight-time European Tour winner and current world number three-ranked golfer, Tommy Fleetwood – part of the Europe team that won the Ryder Cup in 2025 – has now backed the ambition to bring one of the world’s most popular contests to the North West.
Tommy Fleetwood, professional golfer and Ryder Cup winner, said:
“As a golfer, a Ryder Cup being in England, first and foremost, would be something special. On top of that, to do it in the North West of England, where I’m from, would be amazing.
“We have so much to offer, the people have a lot to offer, the infrastructure has a lot to offer, and I think it would be something that would be incredible. I’m totally in favour of it and would be happy to support as much as I can!
“Whenever it’s on the Ryder Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world, and bringing that to the North West of England would be something very special that we’d remember forever.”
Hosting the event would add more than £1.2 billion to the North West’s economy in Gross Value Added (GVA), while restoring the historic parkland would leave a lasting legacy locally for generations.
Manchester has been home to some of the World's biggest sporting and cultural events in recent decades. These events include the 2002 Commonwealth Games, and the Oasis concerts in 2025, as well as the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final, 2008 UEFA Cup Final, the annual Super League Grand Final, matches in the London 2012 Olympic Football Tournament, matches in the 2021 Rugby League World Cup and will host the upcoming World Heavyweight Championship Boxing bout between Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley in May.
The Ryder Cup was established by seed Merchant Samuel Ryder in 1927 as a biennial contest between Great Britain and the United States of America, before expanding to become Europe v the USA in 1979. It has been played in a variety of destinations and courses across England over the last century, but it would be fair to say that this will be the first Ryder Cup played in England which is a truly major event which transcends the sport to non-golfers. In 2002, the most recent Ryder Cup played in England, the event was still largely consumed by predominantly golf fans.
It the event was to hit its target of 350,000 fans, that would make it by far the biggest golf event ever staged in the United Kingdom, far exceeding the numbers regularly attending The Open Championship every year. Hulton Park is located 5 miles from Bolton Wanderers' Toughsheet Community Stadium, and less than 20 miles from the centre of Manchester.
Greater Manchester is not alone though in bidding for the 2035 Ryder Cup, as Luton Hoo is already developing its resort and golf course with the aim of hosting the event.
Luton Hoo is located in Bedfordshire, and the course redesign work is being undertaken by European Golf Design, led by Gary Player and Justin Rose.
The course is part of £170million in upgrades being made to the resort, which has its own manor-house hotel and the bid is supported by course co-designer Justin Rose, along with resort owners Arora Group. The group's founder and chairman Surinder Arora said: "We are very excited about the whole project."
"If you want the best you have to bring the best team on board," said Mr Arora.
"Work has started [on the golf course] 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 (in 2027) so we are not skimping anywhere."
He said working with Justin Rose and Gary Player and going round in golf buggies on the planned course was "absolutely amazing" and "it was always my dream to create the Augusta of Europe".
London Golf Club near Sevenoaks and Brands Hatch in Kent are also said to be putting together a bid to host the event. The club has already hosted previous DP World Tour events, including the European Open and the Volvo World Match Play Championship, and has two Jack Nicklaus-designed golf courses, along with a planned 240-bed hotel.
Whoever wins the Bid to stage the 2035 Ryder Cup will also have to commit to staging other DP World Tour events over the coming years, as has been the case with all other European Ryder Cup venues. This could see the return of the English Open, as the British Masters has made its home at the Belfry, and the BMW PGA Championship is permanently staged at Wentworth.
Bolton faces an uphill battle to win this bid, with European Golf Design building the course at Luton Hoo, and London Golf Club being a European Tour Destination. Both bids in Luton and Kent have great proximity to Airports, and to London, and there is certainty over the golf course. Luton Hoo is being designed by Gary Player and Justin Rose, and the London Golf Club already has two existing Jack Nicklaus-designed courses. Yes, the support of local government is huge for Hulton Park, but when looking at the three bids side by side it would seem very unlikely the North West of England will be hosting the 2035 Ryder Cup.
I was just 18 the last time the Ryder Cup was played in England, and the world has changed dramatically since that sunny September afternoon when Paul McGinley sunk the winning putt on the 18th green of the Brabazon Course at the Belfry. 2035 will be 54 years since a Ryder Cup was played in England at a venue other than the Belfry, which is remarkable. Walton Heath in Surrey hosted the 1981 matches, when the American dream team demolished Europe.
It is a great moment that the Ryder Cup is coming back to England, and its absence will surely make it a once in a generation event for golfers across the country, and one not to be missed.
SHANK, by Matt Hooper
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