It’s grown to become one of the biggest sporting events in the world, as 24 of the best golfers on the planet go head-to-head in the Ryder Cup, which usually presents bucketloads of drama, tension and excitement.
Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome will become the 38th different course to host the biennial golfing slugfest between Team USA and Europe, which started way back in in 1927 at Worcester Country Club in Massachusetts.
Since then it’s visited some famous old courses, some new purpose-built venues and everything in between, but could we do a little bit better and play this golfing epic on some more iconic venues?
The USA have already set their stall out with the next four Ryder Cups in the States being held at Bethpage Black, Hazeltine, Olympic Club and Congressional, while only the next European venue at Adare Manor in Ireland has been decided.
But with all due respect, having purpose-built venues in Luton and Bolton on the shortlist is not as inspiring as it could be is it? Surely we can do better with so many fantastic courses around the UK, Ireland and Europe?
The event itself hardly needs any more hype, but imagine the Ryder Cup being played at some of the most iconic venues on the planet – even for an event already hyped up to the eyeballs it could take it to another level.
So here’s a bucket list, if you will, of five European and five American tracks that would be incredible Ryder Cup hosts – obviously Augusta National would be the dream but we’ve left it off even a bucket list as even in today’s surprising world of golf it’s hard to imagine the Green Jackets wanting chants of “USA, USA, USA” ringing around the azaleas
So in no particular order, and remember, it’s all subjective….
Dream European Ryder Cup venues
St Andrews
The Home of Golf, why not? It stages the Open, the Alfred Dunhill and this year it’s hosting the Walker Cup – there’s even going to be an American collegiate event on the Old Course this October.
It's a golfing Mecca, and what a masterpiece of a canvas to paint another Ryder Cup story than to see the two teams battling it out down the Road Hole or the 18th with the points on the line...
Gleneagles proved that you can stage a Ryder Cup in Scottish weather, everyone is so familiar with the Old Course and the Auld Grey Toon is set-up for hosting golf fanatics in their droves.
Those first tee nerves would be taken up a notch and the sight of a Ryder Cup starting in front of the R&A Clubhouse would live long in the memory.
Wentworth
Wentworth held the 10th Ryder Cup back in 1953 so you could say it's due! The home of the DP World Tour's flagship event the BMW PGA Championship would be a terrific test.
There'd be a nice touch of home advantage for those Europeans who play it year-in, year-out, and if you're talking about finishing holes that could turn a match on it's head then the West Course certainly has that.
And it's all pretty close to London too which will please sponsors and those holding fancy corporate events around the Ryder Cup.
Royal Liverpool
Recency bias? Absolutely. But you couldn't help but wonder how Ryder Cup matches would twist and turn over that finishing stretch - especially if they keep that internal out of bounds on the 18th following that devilish Little Eye 17th.
As we've seen, Hoylake can host huge crowds and Liverpool is just over the River Mersey for hotels and events that usually accompany this huge showpiece event.
Royal Liverpool is also fantastic on the eye as well.
Royal Portrush
The Ryder Cup has been played at Muirfield, Lytham, Birkdale and even Southport and Ainsdale so has a rich history of links venues and it'd be fantastic to see the competition return to those tracks.
Yes, you're at the mercy of the weather but that just adds another element to the mix. Again, some recency bias here but Portrush is a special course and the Northern Irish fans made for a brilliant atmosphere for The Open in 2019 - so much so that it's returning 2025.
So why not throw the Ryder Cup into the mix as well?
Valderrama
The Spanish venue was the first course on continental Europe to host the Ryder Cup in 1997, where Seve Ballesteros led the hosts to an epic one-point victory - and just imagine the emotion of going back?
It's a wonderful course, always ranked up among the very best in Europe, and perhaps should've been used for bigger DP World Tour events over the years.
Hosting a LIV Golf event would've ruled it out but now everyone's friends in golf that won't be a problem, right? And I can already imagine the Seve memories that would be conjured up if the Ryder Cup returned.
Dream USA Ryder Cup venues
Pebble Beach
So Augusta National is probably out of reach, but what about Pebble Beach? It hosts the PGA Tour and this year added the US Women's Open to the men's version so the infrastructure for staging big events is there.
Again, familiarity and jeopardy combine along with iconic ocean views and that threat of weather just adding to the difficulty tariff. Players and fans alike will know all about the tough holes where matches will be won and lost.
It'd be a killer for European fans watching at home due to the time difference, but a winner for US television who can tap into the East Coast primetime market. It's a mouth-watering prospect.
TPC Sawgrass
There's a theme here with tough finishes and you have to love the thought of Ryder Cup matches playing the infamous 17th and 18th here with the trophy on the line.
And again another theme is familiarity - we all know it, we can all speculate what's going to happen over these holes, we've seen The Players Championship won and lost down this stretch many times before.
That familiarity and toughness of the test is why some say Sawgrass hosts the fifth Major, so why not reward it with something even better? It'll also be a home game for plenty of the players too given how many now reside in Florida.
Riviera Country Club
Riviera has recently been selected to host the 2031 US Open, while it will also stage the US Women's Open in 2026 so Majors are coming to the annual host of the Genesis Invitational on the PGA Tour.
It's a hugely historical track with some quirky holes that could be pretty interesting in matchplay - and let's not forget it's in Los Angeles, which seems apt for such a Hollywood blockbuster event such as this.
Cypress Point
On a similar theme to Pebble Beach, and maybe as a second-best if Pebble isn't available, then Cypress Point could step up having previously been one of the co-hosts of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
It's one of the most stunning pieces of golfing property on the planet, regularly near the top of the rankings and topping many amateur's bucket list.
The Alister Mackenzie design is breathtaking as the back nine clings to the Pacific Ocean coastline, and would provide a spectacular backdrop to the Ryder Cup showdown.
Merion
There are so many courses to pick from that are steeped in golfing history, but Merion just gets the nod here for some of the more quirky holes that provide a different challenge - not just for their wicker baskets instead of flags!
Just outside of Philadelphia, Merion was where Bobby Jones completed his Grand Slam in 1930 and where Ben Hogan returned from his near-fatal car crash to win the 1950 US Open - thanks to that stunning 1-iron that is commemorated by a plaque on the 18th fairway.
It's also staged four team events and the unique test it offers coupled with its history would make it a fine Ryder Cup venue.
