Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has unveiled a bid to bring the 2035 Ryder Cup to Bolton with the vision of a brand new golf course on the grounds of the historic Hulton Park.
England has not hosted a Ryder Cup since the 1993 edition was staged at The Belfry in Warwickshire and you would have to rewind back another 26 years for the last Ryder Cup in the north of the country, when a young Nick Faldo and Jack Nicklaus went head-to-head in 1977 at the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in Lancashire.
With the proposal of a brand new, "world-class" golf course and significant infrastructure investment, which includes a new £70m link road between the M61 and M6, Burnham is optimistic Bolton can land the Ryder Cup as they plot a firm bid for the event next month.
“The success of the Brit awards in Manchester shows that we can we attract and deliver international events to a brilliant standard,” Burnham said.
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 £70m 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.”
Council bosses have stressed that the development of the golf course and transport links would only proceed if it won the bid to stage the 2035 Ryder Cup bid, but the final decision on who will host the tournament is not expected until around 2029.
The proposal to build a new state-of-the-art course on Hulton Park was initially rejected by Bolton Council due to opposition over the loss of Grade II-listed land on the site, but the plot was later approved by a government inspector in 2022.
Burnham estimates 350,000 fans would be in attendance at Bolton 2035, making it the "biggest ever" Ryder Cup. However, Bolton will not be the only UK bid with the likes of the Belfry and Luton Hoo also expected to formalise plans to host the event. Any bid would require the approval of government ministers.
Current world number three Tommy Fleetwood, who has been a key figure in the Europe team that has triumphed in the previous two Ryder Cups, is backing the bid to bring the event to the region.
"As a golfer, a Ryder Cup being in England, first and foremost, would be something special," he said. "On top of that, to do it in the north-west of England, where I'm from, would be amazing."
