Ryder Cup: Peel’s Hulton Park one of two courses in running to host

It may not yet have planning permission for its latest rendition, but Peel’s Hulton Park project in Bolton is one of only two courses left in the running to be the UK’s choice to host the international golf championship in 2031 or 2035.

Hulton Park had been competing against the London Golf Club and The Belfry in Birmingham for the spot as UK Sport’s preferred venue for the competition. The Belfry has since withdrawn its bid. UK Sport is expected to choose its preferred venue in April.

The news comes ahead of Bolton Council’s planning committee meeting on 24 February, where the fate of Hulton Park will be decided. If approved, the 882-acre development would create an elite golf course, golfing academy, primary school, community facilities, and homes.

The application has been recommended for approval by planning officers, and an earlier version of the scheme was already approved by both the council and the secretary of state. The newer version introduces more outdoor sports facilities and a village hall.

“The selection of Hulton Park as a potential venue for the Ryder Cup is now a very realistic and exciting prospect,” said Richard Knight, Peel L&P’s director of planning and strategy. “We hope that the council will seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity and support our efforts to bring this prestigious event – and all the benefits that flow from it – to Bolton.”

Knight went on to describe how the park suits the government’s levelling up missions by regenerating part of Bolton and also encouraging physical activity by having more than 15.6km of public paths and trails.

“It’s a perfect fit in many ways,” Knight said. “Hulton Park could be bringing the Ryder Cup to Bolton and is restoring degraded historic parkland, creating jobs, creating skills and training opportunities with new community facilities and new infrastructure. The new link road on the back of this development will help resolve a lot of traffic issues in the area. It’s all-around a good fit for levelling up.”

While the Ryder Cup news is exciting, Knight did make a point to say that other parts of the project are just as important.

“What actually often gets forgotten is the heritage and restoration that this will deliver,” Knight said. “And secondly, there’s the sustainability of what we have put forward, which is net zero carbon with biodiversity gain, with sustainable building design and sustainable golf design. There’s also the whole side of things about what this can do for the local area in terms of community engagement.

“At one level, there’s an international tournament and that’s very high profile and very shiny – but we also want to make sure Hulton Park is seen as being the right thing locally. That’s what we’ve worked really hard on and what’s important to us.”­

Here are some CGIs which show Peel’s plans for Hulton Park: