With five years to go until Scotland welcomes the Ryder Cup 2014, Project Director Robbie Clyde talks about how the country is preparing, what his team at EventScotland, the national events agency, is learning from other Ryder Cup hosts along the way and what Scotland, also known as the ‘Home of Golf’, hopes the legacy will be in the wake of the event.
The announcement was made in 2001 that Scotland would host the Ryder Cup Matches in 2014. How do you even begin to plan for an event on the scale of the Ryder Cup thirteen years before the event itself will take place?
The important thing to remember about Scotland is that the nation has a totally unique relationship with the sport of golf which isn’t found anywhere else in the world. Golf has its roots in Scotland, the nation has nurtured and helped the sport evolve and we already host some of the biggest tournaments in the world, including The Open Championship which comes here on average three our of every five years. So, the one thing we could be sure of when Scotland was announced as host of the Ryder Cup 2014 was that we wouldn’t have to create a ‘following’ for the sport or indeed for the event. People would continue to play millions of rounds of golf in Scotland between 2001 and 2014 regardless of the news that the Ryder Cup was coming to Gleneagles.
What we have done in our preparations for the event is to create a Team Scotland approach so that as we get closer to 2014, the partnership organisations involved are working for the common goal of delivering the best Ryder Cup Matches ever. It is vital that we use this time productively, be clear about our objectives and ensure that every organisation with a role to play in the preparations for the 2014 Ryder Cup, from Government and enterprise bodies to tourism and the golf industry, has bought into the Team Scotland approach.
Has being named as a future Ryder Cup venue changed the way that EventScotland has invested in golf over the years?
I wouldn’t say it changed the way we’re investing but it certainly gave us greater focus.
EventScotland is now investing in a portfolio of golf events which will deliver international impact for Scotland and for the nation’s golf industry. From the Open Championship, the Senior Open Championship and the Scottish Seniors to the Women’s British Open, the Curtis Cup, the Scottish Challenge and the Walker Cup we’re very much focussed on ensuring that Scotland’s reputation as a host for world class golf events is at an all time high by 2014.
It’s important to bear in mind however that golf in Scotland is bigger than the 2014 Ryder Cup. In fact it’s bigger than any one single event. Golf is a culture in Scotland and we invest in that culture in as much as we invest in events themselves.
For example, in 2003 we launched clubgolf which was a legacy of the Ryder Cup bid. The clubgolf programme aims to create a pre-event legacy and generate significant growth in junior golf and child participation by 2014. Investment in initiatives like this in the years leading up to the Ryder Cup will prove to be invaluable.
What have you learned from previous hosts and what lessons do you see as key in preparation?
For events like the Ryder Cup 2014, it’s important to look at previous hosts and learn both from their mistakes and also from the things that they’ve done well. The delivery model and staging of the Ryder Cup in America is very different from that used in Europe, so you get to see the same event delivered in very different ways when you attend the Ryder Cup on both sides of the Atlantic. The 2014 Ryder Cup team have attended the event in 2004 and 2008 in the USA as well as 2006 and next year in Europe, so we’re gaining massive insights into the running of the event which will be of great benefit when Scotland takes the reins.
Probably the most important lesson we’ve learned from our predecessors is that a contingency plan is essential. In 2001 for example, the Ryder Cup at the Bellfry was postponed due to the tragedy of 9/11. Then again in Ireland in 2006 the event was hit by the tail end of a hurricane which no-one could have predicted. It’s these factors which are outwith your control which you have to expect and plan for because at the end of the day you still need to give the spectators the best possible experience.
As the Home of Golf, there is massive expectation on Scotland to deliver the best ever Ryder Cup Matches. How will Scotland usurp other hosts past, present and future?
There’s nowhere in the world with a reputation for golf like Scotland, which is why the country is known as the ‘Home of Golf’. It’s this history and heritage which will also be our unique selling point as we aim to deliver the best ever Ryder Cup Matches in 2014. There’s a massive amount of excitement around 2014 due to the event taking place in Scotland and that excitement is going to create an unrivalled atmosphere. There genuinely is nowhere on earth like Scotland for golf and that in itself will outshine all the competition.
What do you hope the Ryder Cup legacy will be for Scotland?
Legacy is incredibly important for any host when it comes to an event like the Ryder Cup. The event is so popular that any country could sell out the 45,000 ticket capacity ten times over, it’s not about ticket sales with Ryder Cup, it’s about the bigger benefits and the benefits with real longevity that matter.
Our ambition is for the 2014 Ryder Cup to showcase Scotland’s exceptional natural assets as the perfect stage for world class golf and allow the nation to go on to sustain and develop its enviable calendar of tournaments as well as attract new golf events to build upon that reputation.
We plan to sustain our investment in golf way beyond the Ryder Cup Matches to ensure that the momentum and enthusiasm is maintained far into the future and that Scotland continues to be marketed as an outstanding destination for events, golf and tourism and business.
EventScotland www.eventscotland.org