The event was scheduled for The Belfry, but its construction had not been completed in time and Walton Heath was arranged as a late replacement.
Not that the change of venue could be considered to have had much impact on the result.
The 1981 American Ryder Cup team is considered to be one of the best line-ups ever seen in the tournament - between them, the players had won 36 Major championships.
Seve Ballesteros was a controversial omission, as it was argued he had played too much golf on the American Tour. His absence did not prove critical however, as the American players were at the peak of form.
After winning all his previous matches in 1979, Larry Nelson continued his winning streak with four more victories and Jack Nicklaus equalled this, assisted in no small measure by his playing partner Tom Watson.
Germany's Bernhard Langer and Spaniards Jose Maria Canizares and Manuel Pinero made their Ryder Cup debuts, but the Americans were in a different class… again.