Everywhere you go there are the ads with Paddy looking serious for O2 or Paul looking joyous for Allianz. (Am sure that sponsor is breathing a big sigh of relief that Paul qualified at the weekend.) The event is being hyped and today’s Irish Times says that the figures predicted for revenue intake were inflated.
My tickets arrived on Thursday night via DHL and a contracted courier. The most prized possessions were accompanied by a spectators guide. There is a lot of talk about the security for the event. The guide states that the following items are prohibited.

PROHIBITED ITEMS

NO bags/rucksacks/back-packs/carryalls greater than 8″x 8″, mobile phones, cameras, ladders, picnic baskets/boxes, briefcases, radios (excluding Ryder Cup Official Radios), portable televisions, push chairs, bicycles, lawn chairs, audible pagers, signs will be permitted beyond ticket and security checkpoints, onto the Park & Ride scheme or into the grounds. Only guide dogs will be permitted into the grounds.

Please note the above is not an exhaustive list of prohibited items. Also, please be advised that if guests choose to bring a bag smaller than 8″x 8″, the bags will be subject to search which might lengthen the amount of time it takes to pass through ticket and security checkpoints.

A Ryder Cup Official Radio – ah go on tell me that our little radios are banned incase we are Al Qaeda operatives with mini explosives and it’s not a money making exercise? And will the batteries in these radios @ €10 a pop last for 3 days of play?

So I won’t be bringing my laptop to liveblog the event unfortunately – all other attempts at contacting organisers for permission have so far failed.

What should I bring in my 8″ by 8″ bag? What items could fluster security? It’s clear that they don’t want us to bring grub in with us either! Suggestions in the comments please!
More information on the blogosphere from Ryder Cup Diary and Fiona who will be watching it in Atlanta and who assigned great nicknames to the European Team.