How is Motorola Solutions helping to secure the Ryder Cup?

Neil Thomas, Corporate Vice President, Enterprise Sales, Motorola Solutions explains how the company is helping to protect golf’s premier global event.

Large-scale sporting events present some of the most dynamic safety challenges in the world.

From crowd management in open-air environments to maintaining seamless communication between multiple stakeholders, ensuring security at a high-profile international event is a multifaceted effort.

Effective event security is no longer just about boots on the ground; these gatherings are large in physical scale, logistically intricate and operationally intense.

It’s about integrating people, process and technology to enable smarter, more proactive decision-making.

Spotlight on the Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup is a prime example.

Held every two years, it is one of the most prestigious international golf competitions in the world, pitting the top 12 professionals from Europe against their counterparts from the US.

The event alternates between European and US host sites and attracts hundreds of thousands of fans on-site, along with millions of broadcast viewers globally.

With its international structure and rotation, each event requires unique coordination across government agencies, private security providers, emergency services and local organisers.

The 2025 tournament will be held from 26-28 September at the Bethpage Black Course on Long Island in New York; a course known for its steep terrain, passionate crowds and iconic stature in the world of golf.

With an anticipated attendance of more than 250,000 people from over 100 countries, the tournament requires an integrated safety strategy that is scalable, resilient and real-time.

Motorola Solutions is proud to serve as the Official Safety Technology Provider of the Ryder Cup through 2027.

Our role will go far beyond technology – we’re combining our depth of knowledge and decades of experience in public safety and enterprise security to help create a seamless experience for players, spectators, security personnel and emergency services.

A global platform for innovation

The Ryder Cup is more than a championship – it’s a proving ground for advanced public safety and enterprise security technology, offering an opportunity to showcase how next-generation security tools can adapt to dynamic environments in real-time.

Motorola Solutions has earned a reputation for helping to ensure the largest indoor and outdoor sports and entertainment events across the globe remain secure without compromising the players’ or fans’ experience.

From helping keep stadium security and local law enforcement connected through integrated technology on American football’s biggest stage, to real-time event alerts on gameday during professional baseball games and large concerts, this legacy of trust informs our approach to the Ryder Cup.

Why large-scale golf events pose unique challenges

Unlike traditional stadium sports, golf competitions unfold across hundreds of acres with natural, unbounded terrain.

Spectators are spread across walking paths, viewing hills, temporary seating structures, hospitality tents, merchandise centres and transport hubs, creating a dynamic security environment that differs from traditional crowd control models.

These challenges multiply at an event like the Ryder Cup. High-profile attendees and a global media presence make event security a matter of multinational planning, precision execution and proactive threat detection and management.

Public-private collaboration at scale

Safety and security start with everyone being on the same page.

Our approach is rooted in designing resilient, interoperable and user-friendly safety solutions that empower event staff, law enforcement and emergency services to collaborate and respond with clarity and speed.

Large global events demand tight coordination across multiple public and private stakeholders.

Motorola Solutions technology will be keeping the PGA of America’s Championship Operations team in direct communication with numerous agencies, including federal, state and local law enforcement, private security contractors and EMS personnel.

Our command centre software – which is used across multiple onsite command centres – brings together radio, video and incident data into a single shared dashboard.

Decision-makers gain a comprehensive, real-time view of what’s happening, whether on-site, in mobile units or remote.

This shared operational picture enhances situational awareness, accelerates responses and improves coordination, which is essential in emergencies, when every second matters.

Building a comprehensive safety solution

At this year’s Ryder Cup, our ecosystem of safety and security technologies will include:

Voice communications

Two-way radios will serve as the primary communication backbone across the venue, linking security personnel, marshals, volunteers, logistics crews and operations staff with resilient and reliable voice coverage. These ruggedised devices are easy to use and purpose-built for loud and weather-affected environments. Custom-encrypted radios will also be provided to US Team and Team Europe captains and Vice Captains, supporting strategic on-course communication without the risk of external interference.

Video security with built-in intelligence

AI-powered video cameras will be deployed strategically throughout the grounds to provide real-time intelligence related to public zones, restricted areas and access control points. These systems detect unusual objects or activity, sending alerts that enable a faster response to firearms, unauthorised entry or unusual crowd behaviour. Virtual perimeters can assist in securing sensitive player and VIP areas, while analytics that search by appearance can be used to help find children separated from their families in the large outdoor crowds. Our radio and video systems are designed to work together to help detect, coordinate and de-escalate incidents before they impact the larger event experience – whether related to medical needs, crowd movement or safety checks.

Licence plate readers

Licence plate reader (LPR) technology deployed at entry points, parking areas and key roadways can serve as a crucial layer of intelligence given the numerous entry and exit points through a variety of modes of transportation such as cars and buses. Security teams are able to manage and control access efficiently by using LPR technology to cross-reference vehicle traffic against watchlists and by flagging potential threats discreetly. This allows personnel to intervene quickly to not only help increase safety but to help keep traffic disruptions to a minimum for an improved operational experience.

Beyond the fairway: A vision for safer events

For Motorola Solutions, protecting an event of this scale goes beyond preventing disruptions. It is about creating an environment where players can focus on their game, fans can enjoy the experience and staff can perform their roles with confidence and clarity.

True safety and security blends into the background. It is trusted, seamless and ever-present. It empowers people to be fully engaged in the moment, knowing that every layer of safety is working behind the scenes.

The insights we gain from global events like the 2025 Ryder Cup directly inform the innovations we deliver next. We look forward to continuing to provide top-level safety and security measures to the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in Limerick, Ireland.

In the end, the most memorable moments on the field – or in this case, on the fairway – happen when everything behind the scenes runs smoothly, securely and without distraction.