\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s one of golf\u2019s worst-kept secrets, but now work is set to get underway at the English resort\u2026<\/p>\n
It\u2019s widely accepted that a golf course in England will host the 50th edition of the Ryder Cup in 2035 \u2013 ending a 33-year wait for the biennial tournament to return to the country where it all started almost a century ago.<\/p>\n
In the running are a proposed new venue at Hulton Park<\/a>, near Manchester, four-time Ryder Cup venue The Belfry, and Luton Hoo, near London, which recently closed to undergo multimillion pound upgrades<\/a> to its course and facilities.<\/p>\n Making up the quartet of hopefuls is The London Golf Club<\/a> \u2013 which too is pumping significant sums into its chances of bringing the biggest competition in golf to the capital.<\/p>\n Dubbed the \u2018London Project\u2019, the plans include a five-star hotel and spa, luxury lodges, a sports pavilion, a state-of-the-art driving range, and a Callaway Elite Performance Center to complement its two courses \u2013 the Jack Nicklaus-designed Heritage, and the International by the late Ron Kirby, whose notable layouts include the stunning Old Head<\/a> in Ireland, the PGA Centenary<\/a> course at Gleneagles, and Apes Hill<\/a> in Barbados.<\/p>\n The Heritage course has a history with top-level tour events. It hosted the European Open in 2008 and 2009, the World Match Play in 2014, and the English Open \u2013 when that made a brief return to the European Tour calendar \u2013 in 2021.<\/p>\n But it will have never experienced anything of the magnitude of a Ryder Cup<\/a>. And that\u2019s why planning documents, which have subsequently been accepted by the necessary local councils, stated: \u201cWe\u2019re building the kind of infrastructure that is expected at world-class venues. We believe this puts us in a very strong position to host the biggest events in golf.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking to Kent Online<\/a>, the club\u2019s chief executive Stephen Follett, said: \u201cThe project came about because of a Ryder Cup bid that we were involved in, and our hospitality offering was the weakest part of it.<\/p>\n \u201cSo that\u2019s when we started to look at the planning. We actually had an existing planning permission for a 140-bedroom hotel, but it wasn\u2019t enough for what we wanted to achieve.<\/p>\n \u201cSo the project then grew arms and legs to where we are today, and I think really what we\u2019d like to achieve is a turnkey solution for any event.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, a golf tournament like the Ryder Cup or any of the other golf tournaments that are potentially in the marketplace, we\u2019d like to be able to host them, but we\u2019d also like to be able to hold conferences.<\/p>\n \u201cSpeaking to people who visit Kent, the size of the hotel we\u2019re creating and the conference space that we\u2019re creating would help them bring international conferences here. So I think that\u2019s what we\u2019d like to achieve.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019d like to achieve a venue that we could host golf tournaments and major conferences. That\u2019s really where we are.\u201d<\/p>\n The last Ryder Cup hosted on English soil was over The Belfry\u2019s Brabazon course<\/a> in 2002, when Sam Torrance\u2019s European side ran out 15.5-12.5 winners.<\/p>\n