SAMUEL Ryder is famous throughout the world of golf as the man who created The Ryder Cup – a tournament that every two years pits the best golfers from the USA against their European counterparts.
What many people may not know is that the man behind the famous tournament was the captain of Stratford Golf Club from 1929 to 1931, and came to the town through his love of William Shakespeare.
The latest Ryder Cup competition tees off today at Bethpage Black Course, Farmingdale, New York State, but the original came about during the 1920s after a series of matches between the best golfers in the USA and the UK.
Samuel was born in Walton-le-Dale on the outskirts of Preston, Lancashire, on 24th March, 1858. One of eight children, he later moved with his family to Sale. His father, also called Samuel, ran his own horticulture business and it was through this that Samuel Jr was inspired to start his seed firm.
Through innovations such as selling penny seed packets via mail order, Samuel made it affordable for anyone to brighten up their garden with flowers. The business was launched in St Albans, with Samuel choosing the Hertfordshire city as the base due to its good rail connections – it had three train stations at the time.
St Albans has also remembered Samuel over the years, with a hotel, exhibition hall (which now houses a restaurant) and a school bearing his name.
However, the seeds of the Ryder Cup were sown in the early 1920s whilst playing golf at Came Down Golf Club in Dorset with club professional Ernest Whitcombe. Writing in a 1979 booklet The Ryder Family in 1979, Samuel’s eldest daughter Marjorie told the story of the meeting. She wrote that Ernest said to Samuel: “The Americans come over here smartly dressed and backed by wealthy supporters, the Britisher has a poor chance compared to that.”
This portrait of Samuel Ryder hangs on the wall at Stratford Golf Club. Mark Williamson
This stirred something in Samuel, and it fuelled his determination to make British golf as well-invested in and popular as that of its American counterpart.
A keen golfer already, having been introduced to the game by a friend who wanted to see him find an escape from his busy work life, Samuel moved to Stratford in the 1920s and in 1927 became a member of the golf club. He was vice-president of the club when it moved from Wilmcote to its location on Tiddington Road.
As the end of the decade approached, Samuel commissioned the creation of the Ryder Cup tournament, which took place for the first time in Massachusetts in 1927 and was disappointingly won by the Americans. Samuel carried on organising and financially backing the competition until his death in 1936.
The link with the man behind the Ryder Cup is still very much alive at the Stratford club almost a century later. The club’s spike bar – where players can grab a drink without removing their spiked golf shoes – is named after Samuel. The club’s annual mixed pairs competition is known as the Samuel Ryder Trophy and has taken place since 2013.
Anne Parry, who is marketing and communications director at Stratford Golf Club, said a lot of work has gone into the Ryder Cup link.
“The link is a focus for us as a club and we are trying to build on the strength of the brand and affiliation to make more of it. We perhaps fell a bit short in recent years of doing that and I think it was a missed opportunity. We’ve also just recently joined Shakespeare’s England, because we recognise the number of tourists that come over, Americans in particular, who have a close affinity due to the Ryder Cup and our association with Samuel Ryder.”
Stratford Golf Club manager Craig Brown with the display at the entrance to the club with artifacts commemorating Samuel Ryder as well as a 2016 Ryder Cup golf bag donated by Warwickshire’s Andy Sullivan who played for the European team.Photo: Mark Williamson
While the historical connections between club and cup have been kept alive, general manager Craig Brown described it a “well kept secret” outside of the golfing world.
“Sometimes clubs or establishments can be almost burdened with those special connections to history,” Craig said. “But it’s important that the quality of what you provide is kind of matching that history. It’s a case of having something that’s traditional, but with a contemporary twist.”
“We’re very inclusive,” Anne continued. “There is a perception from some people in Stratford who think we’re a little bit elitist, but we are not. We have a whole range of different memberships, and the juniors section is certainly a big part of an area that we’re developing. The juniors are often inspired to be the future of the game by watching these big events such as the Ryder Cup.”
Away from the course the club is gearing up to host members to watch Europe take on the USA.
“As a club we are working hard on improving pathways into golf. After a big event such as the Ryder Cup a ripple effect happens, enquiries come in and people want to know about how they can get involved with the club,” Anne said. “We have a set up with large TV screens in the lounge and in the restaurant. The Ryder Cup will be on and because it’s in the USA this year, people will come up to play and then congregate to watch. It’s a bit like any big sporting event, people like to watch with others. There’s good camaraderie.”
Anne added: “It makes you feel really proud that you’ve got that unique association with the Ryder Cup and it becomes a bit of a talking point.
“It’s an extra special cherry on the cake – on top of being around for well over a century – and it makes the tournament, when it comes around, even more memorable for us.”
Above right, Samuel Ryder and, right, his name on the captains’ board. Above, barman Harvey Errington at the Samuel Ryder Bar. Photo: Mark Williamson
Craig continued: “As a manager it’s an exciting time, because golf clubs are generally quite social. Members come together on many occasions, but it’ll be nice to connect with members and their experience and ask them what the Ryder Cup means to them.”
Stratford, is more than one man and that famous cup.
“We like the golf course to do the talking,” said Craig. “It is one of the premier facilities in the county, if not the West Midlands, with a fantastic reputation. The members like the association, it gives them a sense of belonging to the history of the game.
“I think it’s almost our job to re-ignite that history, the special part of which is why we created the spike bar, to pay tribute and homage to the great man.”
Samuel left Stratford in the early 1930s and spent some time in South Africa to visit Marjorie who had emigrated. He died on 2nd January, 1936, at the age of 77, but the tournament he helped to create has only grown stronger over the years.
The 2025 Ryder Cup tees off with Europe looking to defend their win over the USA in Italy in 2023. Europe haven’t won on American soil since 2012, and the bookmakers, including SkyBet and Paddy Power, suggest this wait will go on with the Americans’ home advantage helping to make them favourites.
From 1927 to 1971, the Ryder Cup was a USA and UK only affair. Between 1973 and 1979, UK and Irish players took on the Americans and since 1979, players have been picked from across Europe.
Overall, since that first Ryder Cup back in 1927, the USA leads Europe 27-15.
