As the countdown to next year’s tournament at Adare Manor continues, the European and US Ryder Cup captains visited a Limerick golf course focused on nurturing the next generation.
According to RTE, captains Luke Donald and Jim Furyk visited Rathbane Golf Course, a municipal facility in one of the city's regeneration areas to meet young golfers and promote the opportunities golf offers beyond the elite level.
While Adare Manor will host the world's top players, Rathbane has spent nearly 30 years making the sport accessible and affordable.
They have already introduced thousands to golf, local organizers hope the upcoming Ryder Cup will inspire even more to take up the sport.
European captain Luke Donald said via RTE that events such as the Ryder Cup have an important role to play in encouraging young people to take up the game.
"This is how you grow the game and inspire juniors to love the game like I did. I certainly watched some Ryder Cups when I was growing up and that was very inspirational for me. Now it’s our opportunity to inspire the next generation," Donald said.
US captain Jim Furyk highlighted to the news outlet the importance of making golf more accessible. "I think it’s really important for the game of golf, in general, to get our youth involved and in this case, trying to make it more accessible to as many kids as possible," he said in an interview with RTE.
According to RTE, Rathbane’s goal is to ensure the tournament’s legacy is measured not just by tourism or global coverage, but by real opportunities for locals to pick up a club.
Junior golfer Jess Sutton told RTE that she believes the growing buzz around the event will inspire people across Limerick to take up the sport.
"A lot of people that watch it are not golfers and, like my friends, they'll say 'Do you want to go for a round?' and they'll just get into it," Sutton said.
