Ryder Cup rentals on market for huge sums
HOMEOWNERS in Limerick are going for the green and renting out their houses for the Ryder Cup – more than five years before the huge golf event tees off.
At least 50 properties have been snapped up by the American corporate market, and many more property owners are advertising in the hope of an early windfall ahead of the contest between the golfing men of Europe and the US at Adare Manor in 2027.
Prices range from €20,000 for a two-bedroom apartment in Dooradoyle, Co. Limerick, to €55,000 for a four-bedroom house in Patrickswell, for stays generally between seven and ten days.
The same phenomenon struck Co. Kildare when the Ryder Cup last came to Ireland in 2006, at the K Club in Straffan, when homes were advertised for up to €100,000 for two weeks.
Brian Higgins’s property rental
‘Largest corporate event in the world’
website, Accommodation For The Event, was founded by him a year prior to that 2006 competition, and has since offered homes for rent for many other golf tournaments such as the Irish Open.
It is currently advertising 57 properties for the Ryder Cup 2027, but Mr Higgins said it recently had over 100 available for viewing, suggesting that at least 50 have already been rented.
Most of those being advertised are in Co. Limerick, but there are offerings from counties Clare, Tipperary and Kerry.
Mr Higgins said American companies would often book early to secure their Ryder Cup accommodation. ‘The Ryder Cup is the largest corporate event in the world,’ he explained.
‘With golf events especially, companies tend to be well prepared and plan ahead.
‘They can get all their clients and customers together under one roof, and build a rapport with them, and it pays off for the business for the next ten to 15 years.’
He said he was happy that his website helped Irish families cash in on the event, which is expected to draw 300,000 golf fans from America and Europe.
‘They are really mostly private families that we are dealing with. I am a family man myself, so I know that having an extra income like that can really help,’ he said. He said homeowners don’t need to move all their possessions out of the home, as fans will spend most of their time at the tournament and won’t need much space.
His company also gave advice if people were a little too optimistic in the rates they were looking for.
‘If they are asking above the market value, we would reach out and discuss it with them, to see how they thought the price was justified,’ he said.
Among the houses being advertised to golf fans is a new-build six-bedroom home with a gym, situated in Shanagolden, Co. Limerick, 25 minutes away from Adare Manor Resort. It is being offered for €50,000 for seven to ten days, and the owners have said they would be willing to transfer guests to and from Shannon Airport.
A traditional Irish stone cottage in Adare, Co. Limerick, with extension, is being offered for €40,000 for seven to ten days, promising to accommodate 13 people in four to five bedrooms, ‘with ample room for helicopter landing’.
A four-bedroom home in Patrickswell is being offered for €55,000 for seven to ten nights. It will sleep eight people and has a large, openplan living space, nine minutes’ drive from Adare Manor.
The ad for a three-bedroom apartment in Dooradoyle, being rented for €20,000 for the duration of the event, said it was renovated in 2020 by an American ex-pat, with ‘American classic décor’.