Meet the Man Who Wants to Bring the Ryder Cup to Luton Hoo
Interview Matt Nicholson
It’s been more than two decades since the Ryder Cup was last staged in England. In 2002, Sam Torrance captained Europe to a 15½-12½ victory over the United States at The Belfry, the fourth time the famous North Warwickshire venue hosted the biennial contest.
It remains to be seen whether England’s wait to host the prestigious contest will extend beyond 30 years. As it stands, Camiral Golf & Wellness Resort (formerly PGA Catalunya) in Spain is reported to be in pole position to host the event in 2031, although there has yet to be an official announcement.
One man that will be hoping to see the Ryder Cup return to England is Surinder Arora, the founder and chairman of Arora Group, owners of The Buckinghamshire Golf Club.
Four years ago, the company bought Luton Hoo, and Arora has big plans for the venue. Work will soon commence on building a new course, one that will be worthy of hosting the Ryder Cup.
That’s the dream: Luton Hoo, Ryder Cup venue 2031. He might settle for 2035, but the ambitious billionaire businessman, who moved to England from India when he was 13 years old, is ploughing on with his bold plans for the property regardless – and he has a lot of good support, too, in the shape of golfing legends Gary Player and Justin Rose.
Matt Nicholson caught up with Surinder Arora at his Heathrow offices to talk about his love of the game, and what golfers can look forward to seeing at Luton Hoo in the not-too-distant future and something special in the pipeline at his Fairmont Windsor Hotel in Berkshire.
When did you discover your passion for the game?
It was really when I moved to Wentworth in 1999. A parent at my daughter’s school persuaded me to play a game on the Edinburgh course. He gave me a shot a hole. We played two games, and I never won a single hole. He said, ‘Surinder, you’re so bad – you’ll never beat me!’ That’s what got me going.
Did you beat him?
I went and had a few lessons. Within eight or nine months we were kind of level. I remember the first time I was winning when we got to the 18th on the West.
I was one up. I said, ‘Come on, let’s double the bet.
I’ll give you a shot.’ I lost the hole, but I reminded him that he said I’d never beat him, and that I had just had to give him a shot. It was all about bragging rights.
What’s been your most memorable golfing moment?
I remember it clearly. I always used to say to my son, Sanjay, that one day I want to go to the Masters.
Six years ago, when it was my 60th birthday, he made a plan. He put all these dummy appointments in my diary.
Then, a couple of days before the Masters, we sat down for dinner and he said, ‘Dad, I’ve got a surprise for you. We’re going first to the Masters. First class.’
That’s not a bad birthday present…
When we got there, he’d planned for us to have dinner with Gary Player at a place near Augusta. Gary’s been a good friend for many years.
I watched the Masters on Thursday, had dinner with Gary that evening, and I played golf with him the next morning at one of the local courses.
I was standing on the first tee pinching myself, wondering whether it was all real. I never thought anything like this existed.
I remember thinking if I’d come ten years earlier, I would have gone back to England and looked for 600 acres of land and I’d have built my own Augusta National of Europe.
What about your most memorable round?
Playing with Padraig Harrington in the BMW PGA Pro-Am at Wentworth. It was about 15 years ago. I was playing off about 20. I’ve got some funny habits, and Padraig kept giving me tips.
It was one of those days. I went out in 40 and came back in 41. Maybe one day I can get to a ten or twelve handicap, I thought. I’ve never done it again, but I love the game.
What is it you enjoy the game so much?
It’s just such a great game, regardless of your age. My dear friend, KP Singh, the owner of DLF, he’s 95 and he plays four times a week.
Look at Gary – approaching 90, and he’s out on the golf course every day. Then you see youngsters. My four-year-old grandson is having lessons. That’s the beauty of this amazing game.
Has the game influenced your personal and professional life?
It’s had a big impact on both in a positive way. You meet such wonderful people, young and old, and then there’s the etiquette.
I really miss it now if I don’t play. On a good day, I can play off 16. I just love the game. It’s about the people you play with and the people you meet.
Let’s talk about your work. What was your vision starting out?
When I started, I wanted to build a four-star hotel. I wanted to offer five-star service at three- and-a-half star prices.
If you can do that, you can beat your competitors. That was the vision, and we did that against the big boys. Within 12 years, we became the largest family-owned hotel company in the UK.
Tell us about how you acquired Luton Hoo?
About a year after coming back from that Augusta trip, Knight Frank rang and asked if I was interested in buying it. I said no.
Then, one Sunday, Sanjay took his wife and my grandson to Whipsnade Zoo, which is around the corner, and then went to Luton Hoo for afternoon tea.
The next day, he said, ‘I’ve got an appointment, and you’re coming with me!’ We jumped in the car and went to Luton Hoo.
As soon as I saw it and we drove up to the main mansion, I said, ‘I’m going to buy this.’ Without even going inside.
We bought it cash – sold as seen. To become the custodian of such a beautiful estate, it’s amazing. That’s when the dream of hosting the Ryder Cup started.
Is that dream still alive?
Yes. The only problem was that the previous owner got the planning permission 20 years earlier to build the golf course, but with no bunkers.
You can’t host any championship if you don’t have bunkers. So, that’s the challenge.
We’ve been working really hard with the local authority, local planners, and Historic England.
The dream is to create something really special that not only creates hundreds of jobs, but puts central Bedfordshire on the world map.
People still talk about The Belfry, which was the last time the Ryder Cup was held in England. This is what we want to try and do.
Who will be designing the course?
We have put together an amazing team. We’ve got European Golf Design, with Jeremy Slessor and Dave Sampson.
I’ve also got Gary Player and Justin Rose. Normally you wouldn’t get two of the greats working together like that.
I’ve known Gary for 25 years now, and Justin is such a gentleman. It’s not just about building a golf course for a competition.
I’ve spoken to Justin about also doing a Rose Golf Academy for young people around the area. I feel we have the best team.
Will the new course be on the existing layout?
When you drive around, you’ve got the stables on the right – that’s where the golf shop and everything else is.
You’ve got three or four holes in the middle, and then you’ve got the rest of the course on the left as you’re looking from the road.
We’re trying to remove those middle courses and return that back to parkland, which was a huge tick in the box for Historic England.
We’re taking it all the way down to the signature holes by the lake. It’s going to be amazing.
When will the work commence at Luton Hoo?
After Easter this year. We’re not going to wait. We’ve got to see if we can get the Ryder Cup in 2031 or 2035. We’re still going to keep pushing for 2031.
What makes the service at The Buckinghamshire and Luton Hoo different?
When I was opening my first at a hotel, I got a very experienced General Manager, who had 25 years in the Forte Hotel Group, Guy Morris.
I remember telling Guy one day that I wanted to be different from other hotel companies. I wanted us to treat our staff like family and our guests like royalty.
You recently appointed Gerry Ivers from Queenwood. Are you looking to grow your portfolio?
I’ve always said that we look at anything and everything. We have acquired Fairmont Windsor Park.
It was about 20 odd acres, and now we have nearly 250, so we can build a lovely golf course there, attached to the Fairmont. That would be built by the same team as the Ryder Cup one for Luton Hoo.
You’ve invested over £11 million into transforming the clubhouse at The Buckingshamshire. Are any other investments planned?
I’ve given the go ahead for a drainage project. We need to replace 14 holes, so we’ll get all 18 done.
We’re taking no shortcuts. There’s also a bit of extra work to be done on the 17th and 18th holes, which will happen this year. Sanjay has an amazing golf club.
What’s the joining fee at The Buckinghamshire?
They are just raising the fee from £20,000 to £25,000, but it’s so close to London.
The type of clientele they’ve got now is incredible. For me, it’s my passion – and it has the Arora Group branding on the doorstep!
If you could change one thing about the golf industry, what would it be?
That’s a tough one. There’s nothing I would say I’d change. Hopefully we’ll get more people putting cash into golf rather than just saying, ‘What return can I get?’ That would be great for the game.
What advice would you give to an aspiring entrepreneur looking to invest in golf?
There are always different returns. You’ll never get the returns that you can make in tech, for example.
Choose what your passion is, like we have. Then make sure, to the best of your ability, to keep in the black rather than the red