Samuel Ryder

The first Ryder Cup on home soil took place at Moortown in 1929 when Sam Ryder was Captain of Stratford on Avon Golf Club.

He was a successful seed merchant in St Albans but at age 49 years after a year as Mayor he was weary. To help him relax his Congregational Minister invited Sam Ryder to join him in a few holes of golf. He became so interested that he laid out a practice area in his garden. He soon joined Verulam golf club where he became Captain in 1911 and was granted Life membership in 1920.

His interest in Shakespeare had brought him to Stratford upon Avon. He became a country member of the Club in 1927. In 1928 he was elected Vice President and in 1929 he became Captain of the Club, serving two years.

The Steward knew him so well that upon his arrival he took him a tray with a whisky glass, soda siphon and a bottle of Johnnie Walker. The huge fireplace and bar is unchanged since those days.

Abe Mitchell, a Ryder Cup player in the successful 1929 team, was his personal professional. He helped him reduce his handicap to 6.

Sam Ryder arranged the exhibition match at Stratford on Avon Golf Club to celebrate its official opening on the 27 April 1928. George Duncan, British Open Champion 1920 and Captain of the Ryder Cup team 1929 partnered Abe Mitchell. Their opponents over two 36 hole matches were Ted Ray, Captain of the 1927 Ryder Cup team; British Open Champion 1912 and US Open champion 1920 and Alex Herd, British Open Champion 1902 (runner up 1920). 500 spectators attended on the Friday and 700 on the Saturday.

He continued to bring top professionals and top amateurs to play at the club in exhibition matches. After the successful 1929 Ryder cup victory he hosted a dinner at the Shakespeare Hotel for the winning Captain George Duncan. On another occasion Henry Longhurst (later of television and journalistic fame) partnered Abe Mitchell. Our member Dr William Tweddell was included in a match in 1931. He was the British Amateur champion in 1927 and Captain of the Walker cup team in 1928 and 1936.

At the dinner after the opening of the course, Samuel Ryder said “It fell to his lot to be present at quite a number of functions of that character but he did not think in all his experience he had ever had so much pleasure as that derived by coming to the ancient town of Stratford on Avon. Your secretary of the club, your committee, all the members of the club have been very kind to me and received me as though I am a very great man. Really I am not. My handicap at golf is questionable, but my interest in golf is above plus 25.” Samuel Ryder remained our Vice President until his death in 1936.

Bibliography
A Confident Century, Stratford on Avon Golf Club 1894 – 1994 John Gee (1994)
Samuel Ryder, The Man Behind The Ryder Cup – Peter Fry (2000)