Focus turns to Adare Manor and the richest Ryder Cup in history
The 2027 Ryder Cup will be held in Limerick at the J McManus-owned Adare Manor. Pic: Vaughn Ridley/Sportsfile
The 2027 Ryder Cup - the competition’s 100th anniversary edition at Adare Manor – is expected to return approximately €300m in financial impact from golf fans back into the Irish economy.
This documented economic impact estimate will double related spending and revenue for the K Club’s 2006 event, which took place at the peak of the global financial boom, and which brought in a more-than-expected €143m to the state.
Officially commissioned pre-tournament forecasts - two years out from Co Limerick’s hosting of the tournament – is a conservative forecast on a €280m economic impact study, commissioned by tourism agencies.
That number is set to rise past €300m, barring an economic downturn or uncontrollable global events.
This will make the 2027 match-up between Europe and America the richest ever, easily surpassing Paris’s €235m in 2018 and Rome, two years ago, which saw a return of €262m to the Italian economy.
These numbers exceed all recent US values, with the compelling Bethpage Black event over the weekend expected to settle at approximately $200m (€170.5m) with Whistling Straits in 2021 pulling in $135m (€115).
The 2021 figure (Forbes) figure was noticeable, given that certain international Covid travel restrictions into the US were in place (until six weeks after the competition), which turned out to be a record-breaking 19-9 American win over their European rivals.
As JP McManus and the Irish Government formally accepted the ‘Silver Putter’ on Sunday in New York, the time is now for Adare as the custodians of this historic competition.
Not that a European shellacking of its American rivals would have harmed gate receipts at Adare and other financial investments for 2027, the fact that the three-day competition ended in such drama will only add to the intrigue.
A winning putt by Shane Lowry in Bethpage will also increase anticipation for the Limerick Ryder Cup, a tournament which will be a perfect tonic for what was an extremely hostile three days in New York.
Adare will certainly be a far cry from the boorish Bethpage galleries, and while many spectators will have enjoyed the raucous edge of the New York competition, the ‘Manor will not lack in atmosphere, albeit to a more measured degree.
The high end sponsors – including BMW and Rolex - will certainly find more attachment with Adare than Bethpage, for a competition first brought to this country in 2006 by Michael Smurfit and the K-Club, with far less commercial value than it has today.
In an interview with Smurfit some months ago, the retired business man told me that bringing the Ryder Cup to Straffan, Co Kildare was not an initial driver for him.
“Initially the Ryder Cup wasn’t such a big deal at all,” he said.
“Johnnie Walker gave it up as a key sponsor and nobody was really interested in the Ryder Cup - it only started to be a TV phenomenon when things started to do well.”
The ‘War on the Shore’ at Kiawah Island’ in 1991 - the year the K Club opened for business - and when Johnnie Walker was heading into its final phase as headline sponsor, as well as ‘The Battle of Brookline’ in 1999 – were significant drivers in increasing global interest in the tournament.
The moments of madness at Bethpage Black over the weekend will also drive a phenomenal amount of attention on Adare Manor in two years, and one which certainly pushes commercial values and interest in the biggest match-play competition in the world.
The value of the 2006 event in Straffan represented a 32% increase on the impact of the 2002 Ryder Cup at the Belfry in England and an 80% increase on the return from Valderrama in Spain in 1997.
Of this €143m in 2026, a total of €128m was invested in the Kildare and Dublin area, excluding future marketing and spending values on the country, with Ireland continuing its surge as a must-visit golfing destination, particularly to North American audiences.
Reports from the time show that fans spent an average €350 per day while at the event, with US attendees paying out €526 per day, and corporate guests investing €500-€600.
And so the marketing for 2027 has begun in earnest, not only for the tournament itself but for the value of future visitors, making their way across the Atlantic and from the UK and European mainland.
The current annual golf tourism figure stands at somewhere between €300m-€500m through campaigns and marketing investments, paticularly in the US, by the various tourist agencies, led by Tourism Ireland.
Overseeing Ryder Cup strategy is Siobhan McManamy, TI’s Director of Markets & Partnerships, who confirmed that Adare Manor will have the greatest economic impact of any Irish-hosted sporting event in history.
“The thing is, that Adare will sell out, and it is quite deliberate with it coming to Ireland for its 100th anniversary,” she explained.
McManamy added that while the 2027 impacts will be record-breaking, the add-ons for Ireland will be substantial, by attracting future tourism assets and “shining a light on Ireland”.
Just to compare and contrast the expected economic impact of Adare in 2027 – the weekend’s NFL game at Croke Park will reap at least €74m and perhaps €100m, while the annual NCAA College game at the Aviva Stadium brings in €164m.
Interestingly, data has suggested that Rory McIlroy’s impact in winning a career Grand Slam at Augusta earlier this year has increased the value for Irish golf by 30%.
That and Shane Lowry’s winning putt on the 18th at Bethpage Black, as well as the Open Championships held on the island of Ireland, along with the lead-in to Adare Manor combines for a valuable mix.
“Irish golf is having a good moment,” adds McManamy.
Part of this ‘good moment’ began during the summer with the staging of The Open in Royal Portrush, which was forecasted to bring £213m (€244m) to the economy.
This is almost 18 times the value of the Irish Open in Royal County Down in 2024, which delivered approximately £12m (€13.7m) to Northern Ireland and to the local economies.
While the NFL clash at Croke Park on Sunday could eventually be worth €100m to the Irish economy, advisors within Tourism Ireland first looked at the value of American Football to other European cities, with Munich reaping an estimated €70m from its game last season.
All NFL matches overseas include a licence fee paid to the US sports body, of €4.8m.
If we park all of the financial forecasting to one side, there is also the injection of confidence that Ireland has acquired in the past 20 years as a host of major competitions.
Certainly JP McManus will feel what Michael Smurfit experienced as the Ryder Cup finally got underway in 2006, at a course and resort inspired by great ambition and vision.
“I was filled with pride, pride for the K Club, pride for Ireland, pride for the crowds that turned out - and nothing was going to dampen the enthusiasm,” he explained, referring to appalling weather conditions which hit the country in the lead-up."
And the benefit for the country as a host of the biggest competition in golf?
“I have absolutely no doubt that it was a turning point for modern Ireland in the industrial sense.”
The next turning point in that journey of national elevation is almost upon us, and in particular for the mid- and southwest of Ireland - and the nation as a whole.
Over to you Adare Manor.
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