‘The Ryder Lions’ celebrates perhaps the greatest achievements of British Golf and one of the great moments in the world history of the sport.

At a time when the United Kingdom was still recovering from the ravages of war, a massively strong group of American golfers landed in England with the aim of retaining a trophy they had come to see as their own.

The Americans had humbled the men from the British Isles on nine occasions; the Cup had not been out of US hands for almost a quarter of a century.

But the Great Britain and Ireland team had it in their minds to send the greatest golfing power the world had known back across the Ocean as ‘losers’, a word and a notion that was an anathema to the people of the United States.

And over a few days in 1957, the unthinkable happened and one of the great transatlantic sporting confrontations erupted into a seminal moment in the annals of the greens.

Although Great Britain and Ireland would never again win the Ryder Cup, the ‘Lions of Lindrick’ had proved a point and the world had heard their roar as they created one of the great sporting triumphs of the 20th century and a shining example to everyone who follows golf.

The men of ’57, Americans, British and Irish, were motivated by more than just hitting a ball with a stick. They each built their own philosophy from golf and adapted it to all other areas of their lives.

However, the event has been all but forgotten in an era when continents rather than nations battle for that same trophy.

‘The Ryder Lions’ recaptures the ‘giant-killing’ spirit of ’57 that created, for a time, a feeling that there was everything to play for.

‘this book is a must-read for anyone interested in the Ryder Cup and its stunning history.’ - Golf Monthly


‘a comprehensive work to stand as fitting tribute to the heroics of Dai Rees's team of underdogs, with Ken Bousfield, Max Faulkner and Peter Alliss among their number’ - The Guardian


Brian Belton is the author of 'Bolton Born: The Early Years of Bolton FC', 'When magpies First Flew: Newcastle FC The Early Years' and numerous other sports books.

Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.