Ryder Cup Revealed

Ryder Cup Revealed: Tales of the Unexpected is the previously-untold, behind-the-scenes story of golf's most iconic team contest. The book reports on the commercial mysteries of the money and business; the political games and social mischief-making; the controversial actions and conflicting viewpoints; the ever-changing, sensitive relationship between the players, captains and teams. Using new interviews, fresh insights, unique research and an alternative perspective, author Ross Biddiscombe debates and contextualises all nine decades of the Ryder Cup's history. Plus, he provides dramatic forecasts on the future of the matches that have grown from being financial liability to one of the most successful stories in the whole of sport.

Enter the locker room: this is a history of the Ryder Cup like you have never experienced it before. From the origin matches that preceded the first official trans-Atlantic encounter between Britain and America at Worcester Country Club in 1927, all the way through to the fortieth installment at Gleneagles in 2014, this is the complete history of the Ryder Cup – told by the men who have been there and done it. With exhaustive research and exclusive new material garnered from interviews with players and captains from across the decades, Behind the Ryder Cup unveils the compelling truth of what it means to play in golf's biggest match-play event, where greats of the game have crumbled under pressure while others have carved their names into sporting legend.

In 1926, wealthy seed merchant Samuel Ryder agreed to provide a trophy for the best of teams from two countries. What he started is a unique competition that, for the last seventy years, has regularly raised golf tempers to the boiling point on both sides of the Atlantic. It all started amicably enough, but the sense of shock in British clubhouses was palpable when, in 1927, the United States took the first contest by a humiliating margin of 9/-2/. The 1933 contest, hosted that year by Britain, saw patriotic fans overrunning the fairways, setting a tone of hostility, blame, and mutual animosity-with touches of grand displays of sportsmanship-that would last for more than half a century. With the American PGA Tour now producing a steady supply of hardened professional competitors, and with new European players making an increasing impact on the golfing scene, it was decided in 1977 that the Cup would become a "Europe versus America" affair. The Ryder Cup is a thorough history of this fascinating tournament and a well-written chronicle of its attendant glory, drama, and controversy.

Q School is one of the most eye-popping, head-spinning, nerve-tingling sporting tests ever invented: golfers who succeed there can shoot to the very top echelon while those who crash and burn may never recover. It's not a place for the faint-hearted and to emerge triumphant deserves a badge of courage. The Q School graduates roll of honour dates back to 1976 with Woosnam and then Lyle; it includes Montgomerie and Olazabal, and has moved on to the likes of Westwood, Harrington, Rose and Poulter (who needed an astonishing four visits before he got through). They all became superstars, yet still acknowledge the struggle that defines the School. Almost 1,000 players start out at Q School every year, hunting for a European Tour Card that opens the door to the possibility of millions of euros in prize money and a jet-set lifestyle, but success is exceptional because only a few Cards are available. Now, after exploring all 40 years of this wonderfully compelling golf tournament and interviewing hundreds of pros, bestselling author Ross Biddiscombe has constructed a remarkable Q School volume, revisioning his past writings and adding plenty of insightful new material. Q School is an ultimate challenge for golfers and a thrill-fest for fans - it makes this book a must-read for golf devotees.

Presenting a comprehensive and pragmatic view on challenges around sporting events, this timely Research Handbook examines the hosting of major sporting events and the impacts they can have on stakeholders. Looking beyond the host destination, it provides a wealth of conceptual analysis on the organisation and administration of such events, including the bidding process, planning, management, sponsorship issues, and marketing.

The objective of this book is to illustrate how golf became such a popular pastime in America. The roles people played in making that so are long-forgotten, distant memories with the exception of a few, like Harry Vardon. But for overpopulation in Europe and political strife, which led to a mass exodus to North America, it is conceivable that golf would be no more thought of in this country than cricket, rugby, or soccer. The lowly golf professionals that escaped abject poverty and war for a better life and Harry Vardon were instrumental in growing the game. We owe them a debt that can never be repaid.

This book is about Edward Ted Ray who was born in the village of Gorey, on the east coast of the island of Jersey near Grouville, which was the nursery of many famous golfers, including the legendary Harry Vardon. Ted was one of the biggest stars in professional golf, considered a mighty driver of the golf ball and a prince of putters. He won the Open Championship in 1912, the US Open in 1920, and many other prestigious tournaments in Great Britain and mainland Europe. He played for Great Britain against the USA in 1921 at Gleneagles and in 1926 at Wentworth. He was the player captain of the Great Britain team in the first ever Ryder Cup match of 1927. Ted would also represent England against Scotland on nine occasions in their annual team matches, as well as Englands nonplaying captain in the 1930s. Ted Ray toured the USA, along with Harry Vardon, in 1913 and 1920 to promote and popularize golf in the Americas. He, like many of the greats of the game, is one of the forgotten men of golf. The book endeavors to spotlight a golfer who is now a distant memory and one that has inexplicably never been inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

'I have always thought Gleneagles is one of the greatest places in the world to play golf' - Jack Nicklaus Tracing the history of the Ryder Cup back to that famous forerunner match at Gleneagles in 1921, this book intertwines the histories of the coveted prize with the five-star resort's own rich heritage, on and off the course. Through a series of over 80 in-depth interviews with an array of national and international celebrities, including Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Sir Jackie Stewart, Andy Murray and Stephen Hendry, Jewel in the Glen reveals what the Ryder Cup and Gleneagles means to them while examining the impact of the tournament on the local community and the wider Scottish society, culture, and economy. With a foreword from golf's greatest player, Jack Nicklaus, designer of the Ryder Cup 2014 course, The PGA Centenary, and a hole-byhole guide by Ryder Cup legend Colin Montgomerie, this volume paints a unique and absorbing portrait of Gleneagles and Scottish golf as a whole.