Sunningdale Golf Club

Sunningdale Golf Club and its two brilliant courses, The Old and The New, deserve much of the credit in luring golfers from the linksland of the coasts to the challenging heathland of Surrey and the surrounding sand belt.

Besides the two championship designs, Sunningdale oozes class and sophistication, without being stuffy. Even the halfway house uses real china on which to serve their famous bacon baps and roast chicken sandwiches.

On a pleasant summer’s evening, there is no better place to partake of a glass of claret than on the terrace, the epitome of London golf clubs.

It is why Sir Michael Bonallack, former secretary of the R&A and England’s most decorated amateur, said of the Club, “All that one would hope to find in the ideal golf club is in abundance at Sunningdale.”

The original Old Course was laid out by Scotsman Willie Park, Jr. Himself an excellent putter, the Old Course features fabulous large undulating green complexes. Blessed with dramatic elevation changes that he fully took advantage of, he also added visually intimidating features such as cross bunkers and ditches.

Having stood the test of time the Old Course is still consistently rated in Great Britain & Ireland’s Top 10 as the highest non-links design in England golf ratings.

When Harry Colt became the first full-time Secretary at Sunningdale for the princely annual sum of £150 he enhanced Park’s design before embarking on his original mark – The New Course in 1923.

The distinctive narrow winding fairways are lined with the beautiful, but treacherous purple heather that define the heathland courses. Usually scoring higher for members than the Old, The New is more rugged with less bunkering.

Leading to the early success of Sunningdale Golf Club was the invitation of M. Owens to join. Mr. Owens was then the GM of the railway which at the time did not stop at Sunningdale, on the way to Ascot. After accepting and becoming an important member, the train began a regular stop at the Sunningdale station.

The Club has played host to many prestigious competitions and legendary golfers, none more so than Bobby Jones in the qualifier for the 1926 Open at Royal Lytham that he won.

In the first round of 36 holes, he scored 66 in what was to become known as “the Perfect Round.” It consisted of an equal number of shots and putts. The next day he scored an equally impressive 68 and proclaimed, “I wish I could take this course home with me.” 

The Sunningdale Foursomes in early March signals the start of the golf season and has become one of the most difficult tournaments to gain entry to being oversubscribed each year. To qualify the team members must have the following handicaps or lower – men pros +1, women pros 2, Men amateurs 0, women amateurs 3.

The Club allows visitors to play Monday-Thursday. Be sure and allow time in your England golf tour for the full Sunningdale experience – 36 holes, lunch, a post-round libation in the 19^th hole or on the terrace, and a shopping spree in one of golf’s best-appointed pro shops.