Sports Listings: Plan Ahead

THE top-ranked golfers from Great Britain and Europe peers from the United States adds up to a heady brew of emotion and drama. This is Ryder Cup year and the 30th match, and it promises again to deliver the same nerve wracking excitement.

The Ryder Cup returns to The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield from 24 to 26 September. The practice days are on the preceding Wednesday and Thursday. The Cup has become a popular spectacle, all the more so this year when more than 60 per cent of the public tickets have already been sold with the tournament still six months away.

There is a daily limit of 28,000, which comprises 20,000 public tickets and 8,000 for corporate hospitality, because of fewer matches being played. Spectators, however, will be better served than in 1989 when the Cup was first held at The Belfry. More than pounds 800,000 has been spent on improving viewing facilities. It could also be the last time this decade that the Ryder Cup will be held in Britain. The country to stage the 1997 match, when it returns to Europe, will be named in May - with Spain well placed.

The Professional Golfers' Association at The Belfry is the official organiser of corporate hospitality, and individuals and companies should confer with the PGA's patronage office over any package. Their individual packages start at pounds 145 (plus VAT) for the final practice day, rising to pounds 245.

The accommodation section of the Birmingham Visitors and Convention Bureau at the National Exhibition Centre can supply up-to-date information on hotel space. The Belfry is ideally situated within the triangle of the M42, M6 and M1 motorways, with easy access to Birmingham International airport and the International railway station, which is a 10-minute drive from the course.

Ryder Cup, The Belfry, 24-26 September.

The Belfry Golf Club, Lichfield Road, Wishaw, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands (Ticket bookings 0675- 475475; Patronage office: 0675-475000).

Admission: Practice days (21, 22 and 23 September) pounds 15; match days pounds 35. Season ticket (includes practice days): pounds 100. Postal bookings: RC 93, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B76 9PT.

Birmingham Convention and Visitors' Bureau, National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham B40 1NT (Tel: 021-780 4321).