4 - FIFA/CIES International University Network

RYDER CUP
Celtic Manor’s 18th hole - lhourahane
Ian Poulter (Europe) and Phil Mickelson (US)
- Getty Images Sport
Newport expected to benefit. The decision to
award the event to Celtic Manor was made
before the course had been built.
Although this may have been viewed as
something of a risk, there are clear upsides
says Celtic Manor marketing director Gareth
Rees Jones: “There’s always been an issue with
getting 45,000 spectators close enough to
see the action at a Ryder Cup - because of
the nature of team play. So Celtic Manor has
created a stadium course - which provides
fans with maximum viewing opportunities at
key points on the course.
“Because we were designing the
course with The Ryder Cup in mind, we
were also able to work with the rights
holder to
make sure we selected the best
hospitality and camera position.
There are vast platforms for
corporate hospitality running
almost the entire length of the
final three holes.”
‘The Twenty Ten Course’,
running along the floor of the
Usk Valley, combines nine new
holes with nine holes from the
Wentwood Hills course which
have been remodeled. Because it
was new, there were numerous
factors to take into account. “It
has been a great privilege to
create a golf course that is not
only capable of challenging the
world’s greatest players but can also deal with all
the requirements of staging a Ryder Cup,” says
course designer Ross McMurray of European
Golf Design. “It has been interesting to balance
the requirements of engineers, archaeologists,
ecologists and the European Tour Staging
Department with the need to create a golf course
that will host both The Ryder Cup and The
Celtic Manor Wales Open as well as provide a
high quality golfing destination for visitors to
the resort.”
Putting Wales on the map
Celtic Manor’s Rees Jones estimates that Sir Terry
has spent about £120 million on the resort - of
which £50 million was about bringing The Ryder
Cup to Wales. All of which begs the question -
how will Celtic Manor generate a return on an
event which only lasts for three days?
“Clearly with that level of investment, Sir
Terry wasn’t simply looking at recoupment
for the resort. He was interested in helping
Wales attract inward investment - both in
terms of tourism and support from industry.
Not to be overlooked either are infrastructure
improvements that derive from Ryder Cup
investment - notably the transport network.”
In terms of golf tourism, there’s no question
that winning The Ryder Cup is having a positive
effect. “We have some great courses here,” says
Rees Jones, “including links courses. But Wales
just wasn’t on the map when compared to Ireland
or Scotland. Now, The Ryder Cup means it now is
and we are getting more people coming.”
SportBusiness International • No. 160 • 09.10 35