Shannon Airport has placed golf firmly at the heart of its international tourism proposition as it welcomed the United States Walker Cup team to Ireland ahead of this weekend’s contest at Lahinch Golf Club.
The American team arrived on a United Airlines service from Newark on Saturday, beginning what will be an extraordinary 12 months for golf across the Mid-West, with the Walker Cup followed almost immediately by the Amgen Irish Open at Doonbeg and, a year from now, the Ryder Cup at Adare Manor.
The 51st Walker Cup takes place at Lahinch on Saturday and Sunday, September 5th and 6th, bringing some of the best amateur golfers from the United States and Great Britain and Ireland to the Clare links.
The concentration of major events provides an opportunity for the airport to reinforce its positioning as a gateway for international golf visitors, particularly from the highly valuable North American market.
“It was a pleasure to welcome the USA Walker Cup Team on their arrival at Shannon Airport ahead of this weekend’s tournament in Co. Clare,” said Vanessa McTigue, Commercial Director of The Shannon Airport Group.
“As Ireland’s Gateway to Golf, we’re proud to welcome players, supporters and golf fans from around the world as the Mid-West prepares to host a remarkable run of major golfing events over the coming year.”
There are almost 40 golf courses within a 90-minute drive of Shannon, giving the airport a compelling tourism proposition beyond the major championship weeks themselves.
That accessibility is also important to the organisers of this weekend’s Walker Cup.
“Shannon Airport offers excellent connectivity from key cities in North America and across Europe, meaning players, officials and spectators can be on the ground and at the venue in just over an hour,” said Susan Simpson, Head of Amateur Championships at The R&A.
“That level of convenience, together with the quality of the golf and the welcome players and visitors receive on Ireland’s west coast, makes Lahinch a fantastic setting for the Walker Cup.”
A Month in the Golf Spotlight
The Walker Cup begins an exceptional September for the region.
Only three days after the competition concludes at Lahinch, the Amgen Irish Open gets underway at Trump International Golf Links Ireland in Doonbeg from September 9th to 13th.
September will then also mark the start of the one-year countdown towards the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor.
The Ryder Cup will take place from September 13th to 19th, 2027, with the three match days running from Friday 17th to Sunday 19th. It will be only the second Ryder Cup staged in Ireland and will mark the contest’s centenary year.
That sequence gives Shannon and the wider Mid-West a real opportunity to turn major-event exposure into a longer-term golf tourism dividend.
Research cited by Shannon from the Ireland Golf Tour Operator Association indicates that more than 70 per cent of its members’ clients originate in North America.
Shannon Airport currently has five transatlantic services connecting with New York, Newark, Boston and Chicago, with seat capacity across those routes up four per cent this summer.
Sport for Business Perspective
The value of hosting major sporting events is maximised when they become part of a wider economic and tourism proposition.
For Shannon, Lahinch this weekend is not simply about welcoming two golf teams. It is an opening opportunity in a 12-month window encompassing the Walker Cup, Irish Open and Ryder Cup to establish the Mid-West even more strongly in the international golfing imagination.
With North America already the dominant overseas market for Irish golf tourism, connectivity and convenience could prove almost as important commercially as what happens on the courses.
KPMG, Golf Ireland, Forefront Sports and The K Club are full members of Sport for Business. KPMG are partners of our Golf coverage.
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Image Credit: Shannon Airport
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