Major Ryder Cup decision made for opening hole at Adare Manor as horse-shoe grandstand forces issue

The decision has been made to use one of the forward tees on the first hole at the County Limerick venue to accommodate a horse-shoe grandstand – a structure which will be capable of accommodating some 6,500 seats – meaning the green at the 294-yard hole is going to be reachable from the tee.

The opening hole at Adare Manor, where the course was originally designed by Robert Trent Jones before being completely rebuilt by Tom Fazio, can stretch to 433 yards off the back tee, with other tees at 376 yards and 341 yards.

Using any of those, though, would have meant a much smaller grandstand being built, with the one that has been given the thumbs up by hat trick-seeking European captain Luke Donald being bigger than the 5,000-capacity structure at Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome in 2023.

The first tee grandstand arena has become a big thing in the Ryder Cup, having even gone up a notch or two since the 2014 edition on the PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles.

The atmosphere was electric at Le Golf National in France in 2018 then again in the aforementioned contest in Rome, where the home fans gave Europe a rousing send off on their way to an eventual 16½-11½ triumph over the United States.

The PGA of America erected a massive structure for the 2025 match at Bethpage Black in New York, but it went along the back of the first tee and back of the 18th green as opposed to being a wraparound grandstand.

The first hole on that occasion measured 397 yards but, even someone like Bryson DeChambeau, found that outside his range, especially on a golf course that was quite soft.

The opening hole at Adare Manor won’t be just a case of someone standing up and having a blast at it, though, as a burn runs all the way across the front of the green then up the left side of it, so it will play as a risk-and-reward option, especially in the fourballs.

A total of 20,000 spectator seats are being provided across the course at Adare Manor, which is almost double from Marco Simone Golf Club.

The event, which is the second Ryder Cup to be held in Ireland after the 2006 match was played at The K Club, will see 50,000 fans attend on each day, with some facing a short walk from an Official Camping Village which is located to the left of the fifth hole.