Open your house to the wealthy golf set!
Homeowners earning up to €50,000 in rent for glitzy golf events
FAMILIES in Co. Kildare are being encouraged to put their houses up for rent to earn a bumper €20,000 when the Irish Open comes to the K Club.
It comes as homeowners in Limerick are already taking €50,000 bookings for the Ryder Cup at Adare Manor – which is still five years away.
Brian Higgins, founder of the Accommodation For The Event website, said the 2027 Ryder Cup was ‘breaking all records’ for advance bookings.
‘There is an unprecedented level of interest. We have never seen it before in the 17 years we have been running this site,’ he said.
One home was snapped up for a golf event just ten minutes after it was listed, he said.
A modern four-bedroom house ‘with a potential helicopter landing area’ and electric gates was being advertised yesterday for the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor.
Located 22km from the JP McManus-owned venue, it is asking for €50,000, with a 30% deposit required to secure the booking.
Just three houses in Co. Kildare had been listed for the more imminent event at the K Club next year.
They include a five-bedroom house in Maynooth, priced at €27,000, a three-bed home in Donadea, asking €22,000, and a four-bed bungalow in Prosperous, which is hoping to fetch €20,000.
Explaining the pricing, Mr Higgins said: ‘What we suggest is that houses are advertised at rates that undercut what the hotels are offering.
‘For example, at the Women’s Irish Open in Dromoland recently, Dromoland Castle was charging guests €2,000 to €3,000 per room, for two people.
‘So if you charged just under €200 per person per night, that’s substantially cheaper, but you will still make €20,000 for a fivebedroom house that can sleep ten people for a ten-night stay.’
He said many of the bookings on the website were made by corporate clients, who like to book well in advance.
‘We’ve analysed the data on the website and we have found that people mostly book for the Irish Open up to one year in advance, and earlier still for the Ryder Cup,’ he said.
‘We have also found that many of the corporate guests like that they are giving money directly to families in the area, rather than paying agency fees. They see it as a way of giving back.’
Mr Higgins said part of the 30% deposit was a 15% safety deposit, in case of damage. However, he said this had never not been repaid in the history of his site.
‘They are quite a sophisticated crowd – they are not hooligans – and generally speaking they are often up at 5am to play a round of golf before going to the event, and not getting home until 10pm, and doing it all again the following day. So they tend not to spend that long in the actual property,’ he explained.
Mr Higgins suggested that homeowners either make space in wardrobes for the visitors’ clothes, or provide freestanding rails in the rooms for them to use during their stay. Some homes offer transport to the event, or from the airport.
‘They see it as a way of giving back’ ‘They are not hooligans’
Mr Higgins also said it was recommended that all of them offer a welcome pack.
‘The important thing as we come up to the Irish Open at the K Club is that people spread the word in their local areas and get their homes up as soon as they can. The best chance you have of getting your house rented is to get it up on the site and seen,’ he said.
Accommodation For The Event does not charge commission on rentals or ask for service fees. Listing fees range from €145 to €375.