Entrepreneur, Sports Enthusiast. He was the founder of the Ryder Cup, which is awarded at a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. Ryder was a businessman, who had built a successful mail order business selling seeds and herbs. He became a member of the Royal Horticultural Society. The business of Ryders Seeds became an international source of seeds, making him wealthy. After a spell of ill health, his doctor recommended that he take more outdoor physical exercise. He began to play golf, receiving coaching from Abe Mitchell, an English professional golfer. He quickly became a keen player and competitor. Although there had been several unofficial matches played between golf professionals representing the United States and Great Britain in the early 1920s, Ryder made the competition an official event. He suggested a biennial match between the United States and Great Britain, with each country taking turns in hosting the tournament. He donated the Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup trophy is made of gold, weighs four pounds, and is 17 inches tall and measures nine inches from handle to handle. When the trophy was originally made it was worth $400, but in the 21st century, it is worth at least $6,000. The trophy was topped with a sculpture of his colleague Mitchell. No prize money is awarded for the event as the teams play only for the glory of victory and the Ryder Cup. Ryder presented the trophy to the victorious captains in the competitions held in Great Britain in 1929 and 1933. The first formal competition for the Ryder Cup took place at Worcester, Massachusetts in 1927 with the United States being victorious. With the United States dominating the Ryder Cup in the post-World War II period, the competition waned in public interest. From 1979 however, the organizers expanded the Great Britain and Ireland team to include players from other European countries. The result was a much closer competition and as a consequence it became a hugely popular event. As a young man, Ryder studied to be a teacher at Manchester University, but did not graduate due to his illness. Politically, Ryder was elected as mayor and later, to the St Albans town council in 1903, as a Liberal. He was a community philanthropist and was very active in his church, which was a Wesleyan Methodist. Upon his death, he was buried with his favorite "mashie golf club." His oil-on-canvas portrait adorns a wall in Verulam Golf Club in St. Albans overlooking the 18th hole, which was named in honor of him. The local school named for 17th century philosopher Francis Bacon was renamed the Samuel Ryder Academy.