The Ryder Cup visits Leeds Castle

The first nine-hole pro-am in the region is set to take place at Leeds Castle on June 5^th, and to make it truly unique, the Ryder Cup trophy will be there as well.

The Leeds Castle Pro-Am with the Ryder Cup supported by Arkas Limited will celebrate the ongoing redesign and re-launch of the golf course at the historic venue.  However, the venue’s links to the Ryder Cup in fact go back to 1935, so chief executive of The PGA, Sandy Jones, will be the guest of honour for the day with the Ryder Cup in attendance.

20 pairs will be made up of one PGA Professional and one amateur, and entries are invited from all PGA Professionals. Sandy Jones and Leeds Castle Foundation Chairman, Niall Dickson, will both be participating.

Alan Walker, PGA Professional, past captain of The PGA and golf consultant, has been overseeing the redesign and renovation program of the course.

“Sir Guy Campbell did a terrific job originally,” he said, “but like many courses, golf equipment and new technology have meant that it’s become necessary to look at how the course can be updated successfully, retaining all the best things about it while enhancing the challenge for the modern golfer. I think the new pro-am will be a terrific way to prove that we’ve achieving all that and more.”

The par 33, 2681 yard course was originally built on the 500 acre Leeds Castle Estate in 1931 by Sir Guy Campbell. Benefitting from its recent update by Alan Walker, combined with the maturity of the Kent parkland surrounding Leeds Castle, the nine-hole course provides both challenging and spectacular holes from start to finish.

Of course, Leeds Castle itself is famous for all sorts of other reasons. It has been a Norman stronghold; it was the private property of six of England’s medieval queens, and it has been a palace used by Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. It has gone through most of the architectural styles, from Jacobean country house to a Georgian mansion, and then an elegant early 20th century retreat for the influential and famous. 

In the 21st century, it has become one of the most visited historic buildings in Britain. Its links to the Ryder Cup, though, are by way of the castle being the place where both the 1935 and 1937 US Ryder Cup Team Professionals stayed while they were playing in the event in the UK.

The Leeds Castle Pro-Am with the Ryder Cup is supported by Maidstone door and shutter company, Arkas Limited.