GOLF fans from all over Europe will be jetting out to Louisville, Kentucky, in September - for the 37th Ryder Cup.

The biennial contest, to be held at the Valhalla Golf Club from September 16-21, will be the largest international sports event ever held in Kentucky, and the state plans to use it as a world showcase.

Valhalla, ranked No. 70 in the most recent list of "America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses," by Golf Digest, was the scene of Tiger Woods' PGA Championship playoff victory over Bob May in 2000.
The course, designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1986, has also played host to the 1996 and 2000 PGA Championships, the 2002 PGA Professional National Championship and the 2004 Senior PGA Championship.

America has won only one of the last six Ryder Cup clashes - and already the U.S. team is trying to gain an early edge. Captain Paul Azinger has opted to change the Order of Play in a bid to turn the tide. So, for the first time since 1999, the opening matches will feature the alternate-shot format.

This format for the first two days of competition was last utilised in 1999, when the U.S. snatched victory at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Away from the manicured greens of Valhalla, Louisville - home of the Kentucky Derby - claims to have more than 120 tourist attractions. They range from the Frazier International History Museum to the Bourbon Trail, where you can raise a glass or three at six of the world’s best-stocked whiskey bars. The city is particularly proud that Louisville is one of only a few U.S. cities with a professional full-time orchestra, opera, ballet and theatre.

Louisville is expecting about 150,000 visitors to pour into the city for the Ryder Cup - so early booking of accommodation and flights is recommended.

The official Ryder Cup organisation has its own travel service, which has been offering ticket-inclusive packages on both sides of the Atlantic since 1997. For full details and bookings, log on to http://www.rcts.co.uk/rydercup2008

Looking ahead to future Ryder Cup competitions, the Celtic Manor Resort, near Newport, South Wales, will host the 2010 event. In 2012 it will be held at the Medinah Golf Club, in Illinois, while the Gleneagles Hotel, in Perthshire, Scotland, will play host in 2014. Two years later it will be the turn of the Hazeltine National Golf Club, in Minnesota.