History · RYDER & SON · ST ALBANS

The Ryder Cup began with penny seed packets.

Samuel Ryder sold seeds by post in penny packets from St Albans. He took up golf at 50, hired Abe Mitchell as his coach in 1925 and offered a gold cup for a British and American match in 1926. The first official Ryder Cup came in 1927, without Mitchell, who had appendicitis.

The one to remember

Picked as captain, kept at home, and said to stand on top of the cup.

Facts and sources

  • Ryder and Son of St Albans sold garden seeds by mail order in penny packets ("All seeds in penny packets from orchids to mustard and cress"); by 1910 it was sending out an average of 10,000 packets in a 12-hour day (St Albans & Hertfordshire Architectural & Archaeological Society, St Albans Civic Society).
  • At 50, after a breakdown in health, Ryder took up golf when his minister and friend, the Reverend Frank Wheeler, told him he needed fresh air and exercise and took him out to hit a few balls. He joined Verulam Golf Club (in 1909 by the club's account, 1910 in others) and was its captain within two years (Verulam Golf Club).
  • In late 1925 he hired Abe Mitchell, one of Britain's leading professionals, as his personal instructor: £500 a year and £250 expenses, on a three-year contract (LINKS Magazine, Today's Golfer, The PGA).
  • In April 1926 the press reported that Ryder had put up a trophy for annual competition between British and American professionals, the first match to be at Wentworth that June. Five of the ten American players were born outside the United States, among other problems, and the match was never made official; Britain won it 13 to 1 with one halved (Verulam Golf Club, LINKS Magazine, Today's Golfer).
  • The first official Ryder Cup was played at Worcester Country Club, Massachusetts, in June 1927, and the United States won 9½ to 2½. Mitchell had been chosen as Britain's captain, but he was diagnosed with appendicitis and Ted Ray captained instead (Ryder Cup, BBC Sport, LINKS Magazine).
  • The trophy, made by Mappin & Webb for £250, is gold and 17 inches tall. The Ryder Cup and The PGA say the golfer on its lid is Abe Mitchell; LINKS Magazine and a PGA of America historian have called the figure a generic one, holding the club in a Vardon grip where Mitchell used a baseball grip (Ryder Cup, The PGA, LINKS Magazine).

Illustration: Ryder & Son's packing hall and its yard, the street beyond, the courses at Verulam, Wentworth and Worcester and everyone in them are drawn from their general look, not surveyed: the packers, the postmen, the crowds, Ryder, his minister, Mitchell and the players are small figures seen from a distance or from behind, with no attempt at a likeness. The flags over the 1926 American team stand for where five of its players were born. The trophy is drawn from photographs of its general shape, without its engraving.

Sources

  1. The Ryder Cup · The PGA (The Professional Golfers' Association, Great Britain and Ireland; trustee of the trophy) checked 11 October 2026
  2. Five things to know about the Ryder Cup trophy · Ryder Cup (rydercup.com, 13 December 2020) checked 11 October 2026
  3. History: 1927 results, Worcester Country Club · Ryder Cup (rydercup.com, 2006; read via the Internet Archive's copy of 22 October 2006) checked 11 October 2026
  4. The Ryder Cup · Verulam Golf Club, St Albans checked 11 October 2026
  5. Remembering Samuel Ryder (1858–1936) · St Albans & Hertfordshire Architectural & Archaeological Society (Judy Sumner, Newsletter 164, February 2007; read via the Internet Archive's copy of 4 December 2023, the live page refuses automated requests) checked 11 October 2026
  6. Gardening, golf and greatness · St Albans Civic Society checked 11 October 2026
  7. The fascinating story of why the 'first' Ryder Cup was scrubbed from the record books · Today's Golfer (Michael Catling, updated 24 September 2025) checked 11 October 2026
  8. 10 People Responsible for the Creation and Evolution of the Ryder Cup · LINKS Magazine checked 11 October 2026
  9. Ryder Cup history: 1927, Worcester CC, Massachusetts · BBC Sport checked 11 October 2026
  10. 5 Myths About the Ryder Cup · LINKS Magazine checked 11 October 2026

The narration is AI-generated. Sources last checked 11 October 2026.

Script

The Ryder Cup was started by a man who sold seeds for a penny a packet. Samuel Ryder ran a mail order seed business in St Albans, just north of London. At 50 his health broke down, and his minister took him out to hit a few golf balls. He took to it at once and joined Verulam Golf Club. In 1925 he hired one of Britain's best players, Abe Mitchell, as his coach. In 1926 he offered a gold cup for a match at Wentworth between British and American professionals. Half the American team had been born abroad, and the match was never made official. The first Ryder Cup was played the next year, in Massachusetts. Mitchell was picked to captain Britain, but appendicitis kept him at home. The small golfer on top of the trophy is said to be him.