Teeing up history: Greater Manchester set to bid for ‘biggest ever’ Ryder Cup – and £1.2bn economic boost

Greater Manchester is aiming for golfing glory, with plans for a £240m Hulton Park resort at the heart of a bid to host the 2035 Ryder Cup – one of the world’s biggest sporting events.

Should the bid succeed, the planned Hulton Park golf resort in Bolton – which is yet to be built on a sprawling 608-acre parkland estate – would host the biennial battle between the USA and Europe.

It will be the 50th edition of the elite tournament.

The Manchester Evening News understands there is a deep-seated desire and funding commitment on the part of landowners Peel and civic leaders to bring the prestigious global sporting event to the city region. The announcement comes with a multi-million pound commitment for public transport improvement to serve the site.

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Work in earnest creating a world class-standard course and facilities could start as soon as December, it’s understood. Civic leaders say a successful bid would open up huge ‘growth ambitions’ around infrastructure in the ‘corridor’ area between Wigan and Bolton.

It’s estimated a Greater Manchester Ryder Cup, which is being backed by top tour pro Tommy Fleetwood, could be worth as much as £1.2bn to the city region’s economy.

The news comes as support worth £420m for a host of new developments and projects – covering homes, infrastructure and industry – to further boost Greater Manchester’s thriving economy is announced, including a new link road to service the golf resort.

The Hulton Park estate(Image: Manchester Evening News)

A total of £69.8m has been pledged for the Park Avenue link road in Bolton, the first phase of the wider 18km M61-M6 NorthFold east-west link road, cutting congestion through Westhoughton.

The Ryder Cup, golf’s biggest team competition, dates back to 1927. Watched globally by millions, it’s said to be the third biggest sporting event in the world.

Europe are the current holders – having beaten America at Bethpage Black in New York last year, with US President Donald Trump as a spectator. The 46th Ryder Cup will take place in 2027 in Ireland.

It is due to be held in Spain in 2031 and California in 2033, with the 2035 host course – widely expected to be held in England – still vacant. The Ryder Cup was last held in the UK 2014, at Gleneagles in Scotland.

Clubs in Merseyside and Lancashire, namely Royal Lytham & St Annes and Royal Birkdale, have hosted the event, but it hasn’t been staged in Greater Manchester before.

A CGI image of the Ryder Cup on the course(Image: Copyright Unknown)

The competition is, however, intrinsically linked to Greater Manchester. Samuel Ryder, who founded the Ryder Cup and donated its famous gold trophy, was born in Lancashire, with the family later moving to Sale, Trafford. He went on to work and study in Manchester, and his parents are buried in a churchyard near Ashton-on-Mersey Golf Club in Sale.

Civic leaders believe a Greater Manchester Ryder Cup would leave behind an unparalleled economic legacy from the creation of something new for the future use of the public – believed to be a key consideration for golf’s decision-makers in selecting a venue.

Peel acquired the land, once home to Hulton Hall and owned by the Hulton family, in 2010. Peel Land has existing planning permission for the golf resort and more than 1,000 new homes on mainly green belt land at the park.

Any development, however, depends on Bolton being awarded the 2035 Ryder Cup.

The estate as it stands today(Image: Manchester Evening News)

The developer said the project would also bring heritage restoration and a new public access to the park.

Planning was originally rejected by Bolton Council, with permission for the plans only being granted for the project after two planning inspectorate inquiries. In January, 2025 the council changed a legal agreement to extend planning permission, allowing Peel Land to undertake ‘limited work’ at the site on a ceremonial ‘driveway’, keeping the planning permission live.

The Hulton Park plan includes a luxury hotel, lodges and a health club, with the course set to be built to accommodate 65,000 spectators.

The proposed golf club’s hotel(Image: Peel L&P)

Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, hailed a bid with Peel Retail and Leisure to host ‘the biggest ever Ryder Cup’. He said it would create a ‘major economic boost’ and drive spend across hospitality, retail and transport.

Backing the bid, Mr Burnham said talks have been held with organisers. “The success of the BRIT Awards in Manchester shows that we can attract and deliver international events to a brilliant standard,” said the mayor.

“Culture and sport will be major drivers of our good growth, and that’s why we’re bidding to host the biggest ever Ryder Cup in Bolton in 2035.

“We’ve had promising conversations with organisers about bringing the tournament to a bespoke, world-class course at Hulton Park. But it will only be possible with the right infrastructure. We’re doing our bit to make it happen.

“We’re committing up to £70m to deliver a transport package to not only help spectators get to the site, but deliver major benefits for the people living in the surrounding areas.

Tommy Fleetwood (Image: Getty Images)

“As well as the new jobs and tourist spend the Ryder Cup would deliver, there’s also a chance to deliver a lasting legacy. We want to work with government to align transport investment to the tournament – delivering more frequent and modern trains on the Atherton line, investing in better rail stations and speeding up work to connect the area to the Metrolink network.”

Tommy Fleetwood, a four-time Ryder Cup player who’s currently ranked third in the world, said: “As a golfer, a Ryder Cup being in England, first and foremost, would be something special. On top of that, to do it in the north west of England, where I’m from, would be amazing.

“We have so much to offer, the people have a lot to offer, the infrastructure has a lot to offer, and I think it would be something that would be incredible. I’m totally in favour of it and would be happy to support as much as I can.”

It’s understood a successful bid would also add considerable weight to growing calls for any future UK bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games to consider the north of England.

The Ryder Cup is jointly administered by golf’s governing bodies in America and Europe.

Europe captain Luke Donald with the Ryder Cup(Image: PA)

Bids in Europe are submitted to the body Ryder Cup Europe, but courses must demonstrate they are world class and have the necessary infrastructure in place, together with a range of other factors. Three other courses, The Belfry, Luton Hoo near Bedfordshire and The London Golf Club, are said to be also in the running to stage the event in 2035.

It’s understood a decision is expected by the end of the summer, with Peel’s bid expected to be lodged well in advance of that, although no firm timescales have been revealed.

A spokesperson for The Peel Group said: “Peel Retail & Leisure is ready, willing and able to deliver the Ryder Cup in 2035 for Greater Manchester.”