Why would hosting the Ryder Cup be great for Bolton?
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Ryder Cup venues can attract 250,000 fans through their gates, while millions more around the world tune in to watch the pinnacle of team golf.
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There are hopes the biennial event may return to the north-west of England for the first time since Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club hosted the final edition of the competition between the United States and the combined Great Britain and Ireland team.
From 1979, and after decades of domination, the Americans have faced the best players from around Europe every two years.
The Ryder Cup is staged alternately between the two continents, meaning Europe only hosts it once every four years.
And the competition to become a Ryder Cup venue is as intense off the course as it is on the fairways and greens.
You have to dream big. And that is exactly what those behind the proposed Hulton Park resort in Bolton are doing - they want to stage the 2035 Ryder Cup.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham this week announced a funding package, with a focus on infrastructure around a new golf course, to support the bid. This includes a new £70m M61-M6 link road.
But how much of a big deal would it be for Bolton and the wider north-west of England?
'It's phenomenal'
"It's one of the top three sporting events in the world - probably only behind the Super Bowl and the World Cup," said Sean Owen, professional at the Bolton Old Links Golf Club, who runs the club shop and provides lessons.
"We would see a huge increase in our green fee revenues; we would get the benefit of people on holiday who have more disposable income and who would buy merchandise locally.
"We would also see the benefit for local hotels.
"It would grow the game, it always does. The Ryder Cup is like the FA Cup final - it is phenomenal."
Owen has spent much of his life in Gibraltar, which is only 25km (16 miles) away from Valderrama Golf Club in Spain.
It staged the Ryder Cup in 1997 - the first time a venue in continental Europe had ever hosted the competition.
"I saw the boost it brought to Costa Del Sol," explained Owen.
"The interest in golf went through the roof.
"I wouldn't say it put them on the map, but it really set the ball rolling there."
Fellow professional golfer Rick Shiels, from Westhoughton, has more than three million subscribers on YouTube.
He also runs his own podcast and provides coaching to other golfers.
"I know the Hulton Park area very well - I think it would make for a fantastic venue," Shiels told BBC Radio Manchester.
"And I think that Greater Manchester is looking to invest £70m into the [local] infrastructure can only be a good thing for the bid and also for the local area.
"The benefit of having a Ryder Cup golf course on our doorstep, the tourism it will bring in, the continued use of that golf course is also really important.
"I am very much behind the Ryder Cup coming to Greater Manchester."
Stuart Leech, chief executive of Lancashire Golf, used to be based at St Pierre Marriott golf club in Chepstow, Monmouthshire.
It is only a 20-minute drive from Celtic Manor, which hosted the Ryder Cup in 2010.
"We had a hotel on the site and that was filled up significantly in advance. There were lots of activities before and we had pre-events where sponsors played," said Leech.
"There was a significant boost to the club and hotel and I would anticipate similar boosts in Bolton.
"It could be extremely positive for the area and could bring significant long-term value."
Lancashire Golf provides coaching to the next generation of golfers, as well as helping to grow the game locally.
Leech believes the Ryder Cup would boost the game across north-western England.
"It would be a huge opportunity to showcase what golf can do for so many different kinds of people, it would be really positive for bringing through young people locally," he said.
"Golf can do great things, whether that be the social aspect of playing but also for people with disabilities and how it can make their life better."
'Interest filtering down'
Viewing figures for golf's major events continue to rise.
In the UK, Sky Sports recorded its most-watched Open ever last year, with 21.2 million viewer hours, representing a 36% year-on-year increase.
The broadcaster also boasted of record numbers tuning into September's Ryder Cup, with five million reportedly watching Europe edge out the United States in a thrilling contest in New York.
With interest continuing to grow, Leech says that is beginning to filter down to grassroots golf.
"We are seeing an increase in the number of members at our 146 clubs," he said.
"We have got 50,000 members across the county. As well as Lancashire, we cover parts of Merseyside, Greater Manchester, the Fylde coast and right up to Cumbria.
"The number of members is growing slightly but we are seeing bigger increases in non-golf club venues such as driving ranges and simulator venues. That provides a pathway into sport.
"Simulator venues can be great for people who are partially sighted for example. It allows them to see the ball flight and the ball landing on the green for the first time.
"Once people attend these venues, we want to get them into golf clubs."
A new golf course and resort is planned for Hulton Park in Bolton [BBC]Two other golf courses in England are vying for the 2035 event: the London Golf Club in Sevenoaks, Kent, and Luton Hoo in Bedfordshire.
No other European courses have yet thrown their hat into the ring.
"It's something we've heard about for a long time (the plans for Hulton Park) but we've not had any progress," said Owen.
"So I remain sceptical (about whether the project will happen).
"But we have three major venues in the North West - Royal Birkdale, Royal Lytham & St Annes and Royal Liverpool.
"So if we can host an event on the Fylde coastline, why can't we host an event inland?"
About 250,000 fans from 96 different countries attended the Ryder Cup in Gleneagles in 2014, the last time it was held in the UK.
Around the world, more than 500 million homes tuned in to broadcast coverage.
Edinburgh Airport saw a 2.9% increase in passenger numbers and Glasgow Airport a 2.4% rise in the month of the event.
It brought an estimated £24m boost to the Scottish economy and £46m to the UK.
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