Simply James

As The Golf Course at Adare Manor prepares to host the return of the JP McManus Pro-Am next July, the club’s Director of Golf Operations Andy McMahon believes the course is “built to challenge the world’s best.”

Not only will the redeveloped parkland course roll out the red carpet for some of Hollywood’s and golf’s biggest stars next summer, it will also be welcoming the Ryder Cup to Ireland for the first time in 20 years after the course won their bid to host the tournament in 2026.

McMahon, who formerly worked as interim Director of Golf in Fairmount St. Andrews, promises the course will be in immaculate conditions to host a memorable Ryder Cup, an event that could be worth between €90-€160 million to the Irish economy.

“Mr McManus had mentioned not long after we opened that he would love to bring the Ryder Cup to Ireland. The golf course has been built with big tournaments in mind. It has the capability to hold big tournaments all year round with spectator areas, walkways and just the way the golf course has been built,” the Scotsman said.

“In September and October with Irish weather it’ll be as dry a golf course as you could ever expect in Ireland which is fantastic.

“It’s a spectacular finish here, the holes 15, 16, 17, 18 are made for matchplay. There’s a lot of risk and reward, so if the players are trying to stage a comeback, it’s definitely possible.

“I think you’ll have to go back to Valderamma (Spain) to see a golf course that’s going to be presented in the condition that we’ll present a European course. In terms of the day four approaches, our SubAir greens (technology built into every green that pulls moisture from the greens keeping them dry and fast), the speed of our greens, it will be in prime condition.”

Before that, only nine months remain until the gates of Adare Manor open for the JP McManus Pro-Am, an event that has supported over 100 charities in and around the Mid-West region from the funds raised from the previous five events, and organizers of next years event will be hoping to surpass their achievement of raising €43.7 million.

According to McMahon, the charitable element to the event is what attracts the public and the top-ranked golfers, considering the event will take place just ten days before the golfers gear up to face Royal St. George’s GC, England for the Open Championship 2020.

“The Pro Am is a huge event which seems to catch the imagination of professionals along with the general public. The fact that we sold out an event like that with 35,000 tickets is huge, and when you look at the list of pro’s from Tiger (Woods) to Phil (Mickleson) to Rory (McIlroy), it’s really becoming the who’s who of golf.

“It raises huge funds for charity which I know means a lot for those players as well, €140,000,000 it has raised over the years and we’re certainly expecting next year’s event to be the biggest one yet. These pro’s certainly don’t do it for everyone, so it’s a huge testament to what our ownership do for the country, the area and the game of golf in general.”

Tickets for the event sold out almost instantly in August, and spectators will see celebrities such as Mark Wahlberg, Niall Horan and Hugh Grant teeing it up next July, while American golfers including Xander Schaufelle and Tony Finau will be using it as an opportunity to get a first-hand look at the course before the USA and Europe do battle in 2026.

“An added benefit is that players get an inside view of what the course is like. We’ve already welcomed Rory (McIlroy), Sergio (Garcia) and Jon Rahm, so a lot of the European side have seen it,” the Director of Golf Operations added.

“The American side haven’t seen it yet, but it will probably be more aligned to what they are used to from when they’re coming to Ireland, it’s certainly not a rugged links by any stretch. It’ll be interesting to see what they make of it.”

The worldwide recognition The Golf Course at Adare Manor is receiving comes as no surprise to people within the club. When rebuilding the course, golf course designer Tom Fazio and his consultants adopted the tag-line ‘Beyond Everything’, and this golfing gem will certainly be bringing be bringing crowds from all over the world to not only Adare, but Limerick.

“Everything that’s happening in Adare Manor is a huge testament to the investment work the work that has gone into the club to make it what it is,” McMahon followed.

“I don’t think there’s any higher praise than when the golfers who are paying a very high green fee are coming back and raving about the experience. I think that’s the biggest advert we can have.

“This will be huge for the whole south west of Ireland. The amount of traffic that it’s going to bring to the area, the city will get so much attention. With the Open Championship up in the north, the success of the Irish Open in Lahinch this year, Ireland has become huge as a golf destination around the world.”