Drop Muirfield for sake of international respect

The Scotsman, 20 October 2000

If Scotland is to host the Ryder Cup, it would bring to this country one of the greatest events in international sport, and with it the prestige and honour that will be the envy of the world in 2009.

It is perhaps sad that winning the right to host the Ryder Cup should mean so much to us, when we consider that, should the Scottish bid prove successful, it will be the first time the event has been held here for 36 years. A return is long overdue, particularly when the European staging of the event has been monopolised by The Belfry over the last two decades, a golf course that is nowhere near the class of the Scottish contenders.

Nevertheless, we should be aware that failure this time could delay the return of the Ryder Cup until at least 2017.

For that reason, the bid should be the strongest the nation can muster, and with the resources at hand in terms of courses, funding and government backing, our bid co-ordinators have assembled a highly attractive package.

Unfortunately, the bid is not without flaw. Of the six courses in contention to host the Ryder Cup - if it comes to Scotland - Muirfield sticks out like a sore thumb. Quite simply, a men-only club should not be entertained as a potential host of an event that will attract international interest.

It should be no surprise if Scotland's competitors point to the presence of Muirfield as the soft target of an otherwise formidable bid. There will also be opposition in Scotland to any government-backed bid which is associated with prejudice, but there is a danger we may not reach that stage if Muirfield's interest is counter productive to the collective Scottish bid.

The men-only issue is one few golfers will lose sleep over, and there is a suspicion that those within the sport couldn't care less if a bastion of chauvinism hosts the Ryder Cup. What matters, however, is the image our supposedly mature nation portrays to the world.

It is true that the US Masters is held at a club where the expression "equal rights" is considered to be foul language, but should such a lack of tolerance in the USA be acceptable in Scotland? No. The Irish bid for the 2003 Ryder Cup involved a men-only club, but does that make it correct for Scotland to follow? Again, no.

Members of the Scottish Executive have expressed unease in private over Muirfield's involvement. Those concerns should not be whispered - if politicians feel Muirfield can damage the Scottish bid, they have the power to remove it. The bid has to be submitted by the end of this month. If by then Muirfield is still associated with the tender, the Scottish Executive's involvement will amount to tacit approval of sex discrimination.

Scots eye £67m Ryder spin-off

Donald Walker, The Scotsman, 20 October 2000

A successful bid to host the Ryder Cup would create a spin-off for the Scottish economy of at least £67 million, it has emerged.

The figure was revealed as the final details were being added to Scotland’s bid to host golf’s biennial match between Europe and the United States in 2009. A formal launch of the bid will take place next Thursday, with the document to be submitted the following Tuesday.

Organisers of the Scottish bid stress the £67 million figure is a "very conservative" estimate, but without wanting to put a figure to the possible top line, it is clear they believe a significantly higher sum could be generated.

The 1999 match in Boston boosted the local economy by an estimated £103 million, more than £30 million above the original projection. The estimated figure for the Ryder Cup in Ireland in 2005 is £100 million, based largely on tourist income.

Scotland’s £67 million figure has been delivered by an economic impact study, and it relates to the period immediately around the 2009 tournament and for a few years after. Any increase in tourism in the run-up to the Ryder Cup would be additional to the £67 million estimate.

The figures illustrate what was already common sense: that hosting the Ryder Cup would be an enormous money-spinner for the economy, as well as a tremendous honour for the nation. The significant development is that the Scottish bid now has the financial backing - in the shape of partner the Bank of Scotland - to assert with confidence that bringing the Ryder Cup to Scotland is not only affordable, but also highly lucrative.

The Scottish bid, which has received strong backing from Colin Montgomerie, is up against competition from Wales, England and Sweden, but it is believed to have the edge over the other three. An announcement on the winning bid is expected to be made by the Ryder Cup committee by the end of January 2001.

If Scotland earns the right to host the event for the first time since it was held at Muirfield in 1973, the Ryder Cup committee will announce in September 2001 which course will host the match.

At the moment, six courses in Scotland are in the frame. The five venue partners originally identified, St Andrews, Carnoustie, Gleneagles, Loch Lomond and Turnberry, have been joined this month by Muirfield. The door is open for other courses to throw their hats in the ring, although Troon is the only one missing that is likely to be deemed worthwhile by the Ryder Cup committee.

The presence of Muirfield in the list of potential hosts is causing concern because of its men-only membership policy. It is known that key players behind the Scottish bid are uncomfortable with the involvement of the East Lothian course, home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers.

Bid organisers are anxious to stress that at this stage, the only objective is to secure the event for Scotland. No course is favoured and the respective merits of each venue will not be examined until, and if, Scotland is awarded the honour of hosting the Ryder Cup.

At the moment, Gleneagles appears to be the front-runner of the six courses, followed by Turnberry, with the Perthshire course holding the advantage because of its accessibility. St Andrews and Loch Lomond come next, Carnoustie is understood to be concentrating on securing the return of the Open, while Muirfield’s politically incorrect membership policy makes it the outsider.

Before this stage is reached, competition must be fought off from the three other bidding nations. The Welsh bid centres on one course, Celtic Manor in Newport, owned by billionaire Terry Matthews. The course was built by Matthews with the intention of hosting the Ryder Cup. The entrepreneur’s seemingly bottomless pockets mean that Scotland’s bid will have to prove that it can do more than Wales in terms of tournament golf and the promotion of the game if it is to succeed. If the Welsh bid is not successful this time, it will be a strong favourite to host the next Ryder Cup in Britain.

The English bid centres on Slaley Hall in Northumberland, the complex owned by the hotel group De Vere, owners of the Belfry, where the Ryder Cup has had its British home for 15 years and where the 2001 Cup will be held. The Swedish bid is understood to be lagging behind all three British contenders.

Ultimately, two Scots will be heavily involved in the decision of which country is to host the event - Sandy Jones, chief executive of the PGA and Ken Schofield, executive director of the European Tour. Scotland can expect no favours, because the winner will be the country which can do the most for the game of golf, but the personnel involved will ensure that the selection process takes place on a level playing field.

Golf challenge for Scotland

Editorial, The Scotsman, 20 October 2000

Only once since the Ryder Cup was first played in 1927 has it been held in Scotland, the very home of the game of golf. That was 27 years ago in 1973 - almost a generation ago. But now we have a very good chance of hosting the next Ryder Cup, provided that Scotland - and especially the Scottish executive - can present a confident, professional and determined case to the Ryder Cup Committee over the next decisive weeks.

The advantages of bringing the event to Scotland are more than obvious. There are the economic gains at a time when foreign visitor numbers were down 11 per cent last year. We would think that the Scottish Tourist Board would be more than willing to get behind a bid in these circumstances. Then there is the huge marketing potential for the country. The 1999 event attracted a US television audience of 55 million (up from 42 million for the 1997 matches). Scottish Enterprise and Locate in Scotland should see the magic in those numbers and get on board.

But these are just the economic window dressing. There is the good of the sport itself. The Ryder Committee will be persuaded to bring the Cup to Scotland - it’s Europe’s turn, so we face competition from the likes of England and Spain - on the excellent basis that the Scottish powers that be are seen to invest heavily and wisely in the game of golf proper: better courses and encouraging the sport among the young. Scottish golf courses are already world-class but much could be done to spread interest in playing the nation’s other national sport. Think of the impact on the morale of a rather dispirited younger generation if we could produce another Tiger Woods. Would money not be better spent on giving schools and young people a golfing education rather than yet one more patronising lecture on how to live their lives?

But there are other reasons for bringing the Ryder Cup back to Scotland. There is more to it than economic development or encouraging the young, good reasons though they may be. We need to make Scotland feel good about itself. Make it turn confidently out to the rest of the world rather than gaze inwardly. And above all, our new Scottish executive needs to show us it can win for Scotland.