The 2027 Ryder Cup will be special. Historically, it will mark the centenary of a competition that began in 2017, and logisticalally, due to the challenges posed by its location at Adare Manor, J.P. McManus's brand-new resort in County Limerick, Ireland.
Ryder Cup, news
This award, which recognizes the magnate's efforts with the property, including the redesign of the golf course by one of the world's most renowned architects, Tom Fazio, raises a significant issue regarding accommodations for the hundreds of thousands of spectators who attend the biennial event each year (approximately 250,000 last September at Bethpage Black).
About a half-hour's drive away is Limerick, the regional capital, but ultimately a modest-sized city with about 100,000 inhabitants, and therefore limited hotel capacity for an event of this magnitude. The city's flagship hotel, the Clayton Hotel, has only 158 rooms. Organizers are already considering various alternatives for accommodating visitors, and some of the ideas emerging from the latest meeting of the working group responsible for these matters, as reported in the local press, are quite unexpected.
ADVERTISEMENT
Although a final decision hasn't been made yet, one option being considered is the use of boats. Yes, boats. An even more surprising idea if you look at a map of Ireland, because Limerick is located inland. How would the ships reach Adare Manor? Through the Shannon Estuary, the island's largest river, which essentially bisects the island from north to south. Once there, they would be anchored in the Foynes area, just a half-hour drive from Adare Manor, which, it should be noted, is an ultra-luxury resort. Its accommodations, unless reserved for team members, would also be inaccessible to most of the public.
On the other hand, to facilitate crowd movement, a major rail plan is underway, and the Irish government has invested approximately 150 million to accelerate construction of the bypass from Limerick to Foynes. This bypass is scheduled for completion in June 2027, approximately three months before the start of a Ryder Cup that promises to be as memorable as it is operationally complex.
