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Owners of a luxury hotel in Bedfordshire are pumping money into building a new state-of-the-art golf course with the hope of launching a bid for the 2031 or 2035 Ryder Cup.
The five-star hotel currently has a golf course on-site but the owners, Arora Group, are looking to rip it up and develop a championship standard course to bring the world’s best golfers to Bedfordshire.
Arora Group have said the prospect is a “very realistic ambition” while Kevin Collins of Central Bedfordshire Council has also given it the green lights, saying that a successful Ryder Cup bid would boost tourism and investment in the area.
Credible plans
Mr Collins is the council’s executive member for planning and regeneration and has said that he now believes the plans are “credible” despite initially having reservations about whether or not it would be possible. He said:
“It’s one of those things that when someone first mentions it to you, you think ‘oh crikey, that’s a bit pie in the sky’, but these guys know what they’re doing.
This isn’t the first luxury hotel in their group and we’ve spoken to the Professional Golfers’ Association who obviously need to be fairly guarded in their opinions…but they like the venue and like the possibility.”
In addition to believing that the plans are credible, the Councillor also believes that hosting the Ryder Cup would provide a monumental boost to the local area. He said:
“If we hold the tournament that will bring tourism. Hotel rooms will be booked throughout Luton, Watford, St Albans and restaurants will be taking bookings and people will be coming to this area.
We want more people to be aware of Luton Hoo, we want it to be a destination – and that will means jobs and a boost for tourism.”
One of sport’s greatest competitions
It’s hard to argue with Mr Collins, particularly on the notion that hosting the Ryder Cup would bring an intense amount of interest in the area. The competition is one of sport’s greatest competitions and pits the best golfers from Europe against the best golfers from the USA.
The tournament is held every two years, with both teams taking it in turns to host. This year is a Ryder Cup year with Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome hosting the first edition of the tournament since the launch of the LIV Tour.
As a result, the competition may look a little different to usual with team USA confirming that those players who have joined the Saudi-backed tour will be ineligible for selection. The situation is less clear-cut for Team Europe, however, it is unlikely that any European LIV Tour player will qualify.
The most recent Ryder Cup was played in Whistling Straits in 2021. Team USA recorded a resounding 19-9 victory so Team Europe will be itching to set the record straight this time around.
Some of golf’s most iconic moments have come in the competition and Luton Hoo will be hoping that they can host even more of them in either 2031 or 2035.
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