Wentworth Club is a privately owned golf club and health resort in
Virginia WaterVirginia Water is an affluent village, a lake and, originally, a stream, the village being in the Runnymede Borough Council in Surrey and the bodies of water stretching over the borders of Runnymede, Old Windsor and Sunninghill and Ascot, England....
,
SurreySurrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
on the south western fringes of
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, not far from
Windsor CastleWindsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
. The club was founded in 1926.
History
The 19th century house the
"Wentworths" (now the club house for the club) was the home for the brother-in-law of the
Duke of WellingtonField Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
. It was purchased in 1850 by exiled Spanish count
Ramon CabreraRamon Cabrera y Griñó was a Carlist general of Spain.He was born at Tortosa, province of Tarragona, Spain. As his family had in their gift two chaplaincies, young Cabrera was sent to the seminary of Tortosa, where he made himself conspicuous as an unruly pupil, ever mixed up in disturbances and...
. After his death his wife bought up the surrounding lands to form what was to become the heart of the
Wentworth EstateThe Wentworth Estate is a 1920s development village of houses, shops and restaurants on an area of 700 hectares around the world famous Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...
.
In 1912, builder
W.G. TarrantWalter George Tarrant was a builder born in Brockhurst, near Gosport, Hampshire, England. He is best known as a Surrey master builder and developer of St George’s Hill and the Wentworth Estate in Surrey....
had started developing St George's Hill,
WeybridgeWeybridge is a town in the Elmbridge district of Surrey in South East England. It is bounded to the north by the River Thames at the mouth of the River Wey, from which it gets its name...
- a development of houses based on minimum 1 acres (4,046.9 m²) plots based around a golf course. In 1922 Tarrant acquired the development rights for the Wentworth Estate, getting Harry Colt to develop a golf course around
"Wentworth" house. Tarrant developed the large houses on the estate to a similar Surrey formula used at St George's Hill. Development of Wentworth Estate ground to a halt due to the
Great DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
in the late 1920s. In 1931 when the banks asked for repayment of a large debenture, Tarrant was forced to declare bankruptcy. The ownership of the land passed to Wentworth Estates Ltd, which came under the control of Sir Lindsay Parkinson & Co Ltd.
Today
Wentworth Club is best known for its associations with professional golf. It has three eighteen hole courses: the famous Harry Colt-designed West Course from 1926, the earlier yet lesser played East Course which was also designed by Colt in 1924, the recent Edinburgh Course designed by
John JacobsJohn R.M. Jacobs OBE is an English professional golfer, coach, entrepreneur, writer and administrator. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2000....
, and a nine hole par-3 Executive Course. The visitor's green fee for the West Course for Summer 2008 is £285. A few years earlier, when it was £210, it was the highest in Europe according to the British Golf Industry Association.
The headquarters of the
PGA European TourThe PGA European Tour is an organization which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...
are located at the club, and each year it hosts the Tour's BMW PGA Championship. It was the venue of the 1953
Ryder CupThe Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
and of the HSBC World Match Play Championship from 1964 until 2007.
The club is surrounded by and entwined with the
Wentworth EstateThe Wentworth Estate is a 1920s development village of houses, shops and restaurants on an area of 700 hectares around the world famous Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...
, one of the most expensive private estates in the London suburbs, which was built at the same time, where many top golfers and other celebrities have homes. One of them is
Ernie ElsTheodore Ernest "Ernie" Els is a South African professional golfer, who has been one of the top professional players in the world since the mid-1990s. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature along with his fluid, seemingly effortless golf swing...
, who became the club's "world-wide touring professional" in 2005. Over the winter of 2005-06 Els, who is developing a golf course design practice, made alterations to the West Course, lengthening it by 310 yards (283.5 m) and adding 30 bunkers.
Wentworth also boasts a Tennis & Health Club. The Wentworth Tennis and Health Club consists of a gymnasium, dance studio, health spa, ozone swimming pool and jacuzzi,
crèche facilitiesChild care or day care is care of a child during the day by a person other than the child's legal guardians, typically performed by someone outside the child's immediate family...
, changing rooms, and a café. The extensive facility was completed in 1997 for £9 million by Architects
Broadway MalyanBroadway Malyan is an international architecture, urbanism and design practice with fifteen offices worldwide. Established in 1958, the company has been ranked as one of the top 25 architectural practices in the world....
.
In 2004 the club was purchased by fashion industry entrepreneur
Richard CaringRichard Caring, is an English billionaire businessman of American, Italian and Jewish descent, who made his fortune in fashion, and latterly property and restaurants....
for £130 million.
West Course
- Opened: 1926
- Architect: Harry Colt (modernised/refined in 2005 & 2007 by Ernie Els
Theodore Ernest "Ernie" Els is a South African professional golfer, who has been one of the top professional players in the world since the mid-1990s. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature along with his fluid, seemingly effortless golf swing...
)
- Par: 72
- Length: 7308 yards (6,682.4 m)
- Course Record: 62, Robert Karlsson
Robert Karlsson is a Swedish professional golfer who plays on the European Tour and as of 2011 on the PGA Tour.-Career:...
- Key tournaments: HSBC World Match Play Championship
The Volvo World Match Play Championship is the current name of an annual match play men's professional golf tournament. From 2009 the event has been played at the Finca Cortesín Golf Club in Casares near Málaga, Spain, having previously been played at Wentworth Club near London...
, 1964 – 2007: BMW PGA Championship, 1984 – present: Ryder CupThe Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
, 1953: World Cup 1956
| Hole No. |
Metres |
Yards |
Par |
Hole No. |
Metres |
Yards |
Par |
| 1 |
432 |
473 |
4 |
10 |
168 |
184 |
3 |
| 2 |
141 |
154 |
3 |
11 |
380 |
416 |
4 |
| 3 |
425 |
465 |
4 |
12 |
486 |
521 |
5 |
| 4 |
505 |
552 |
5 |
13 |
430 |
470 |
4 |
| 5 |
194 |
212 |
3 |
14 |
164 |
179 |
3 |
| 6 |
382 |
418 |
4 |
15 |
436 |
477 |
4 |
| 7 |
362 |
396 |
4 |
16 |
350 |
383 |
4 |
| 8 |
367 |
401 |
4 |
17 |
558 |
610 |
5 |
| 9 |
410 |
449 |
4 |
18 |
492 |
538 |
5 |
| Front 9 |
3218 |
3520 |
35 |
Back 9 |
3464 |
3788 |
37 |
|
|
|
|
Total |
6682 |
7308 |
72 |
East Course
- Opened: 1924
- Architect: Harry Colt
- Par: 68
- Length: 6201 yards (5,670.2 m)
- Course Record: 62, Doug N Sewell
- Key tournaments: inaugural Curtis Cup
The Curtis Cup is the best known team trophy for women amateur golfers, awarded in the biennial Curtis Cup Match . It is co-organised by the United States Golf Association and the Ladies Golf Union and is contested by teams representing the United States and "Great Britain and Ireland"...
, 1932; friendly match between US and GB&I (forerunner to Ryder CupThe Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
) 1926.
East Course Scorecard
| Hole No. |
Metres |
Yards |
Par |
Hole No. |
Metres |
Yards |
Par |
| 1 |
351 |
384 |
4 |
10 |
175 |
191 |
3 |
| 2 |
385 |
421 |
4 |
11 |
422 |
462 |
4 |
| 3 |
304 |
332 |
4 |
12 |
145 |
159 |
3 |
| 4 |
178 |
195 |
3 |
13 |
369 |
403 |
4 |
| 5 |
299 |
327 |
4 |
14 |
295 |
323 |
4 |
| 6 |
324 |
354 |
4 |
15 |
303 |
331 |
4 |
| 7 |
207 |
226 |
3 |
16 |
420 |
459 |
4 |
| 8 |
417 |
456 |
4 |
17 |
197 |
215 |
3 |
| 9 |
481 |
526 |
5 |
18 |
400 |
437 |
4 |
| Front 9 |
2945 |
3221 |
35 |
Back 9 |
2725 |
2980 |
33 |
|
|
|
|
Total |
5670 |
6201 |
68 |
Edinburgh Course
- Opened: 1990
- Architect: John Jacobs
John R.M. Jacobs OBE is an English professional golfer, coach, entrepreneur, writer and administrator. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2000....
(with Gary PlayerGary Player DMS; OIG is a South African professional golfer. With his nine major championship victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Player has won 165 tournaments on six continents over six...
and Bernard GallacherBernard Gallacher, OBE is a Scottish professional golfer.Gallacher was born in Bathgate, Scotland. He took up golf at the age of eleven. In 1965 he won the Lothians Golf Assocation Boys Championship. He won the 1967 Scottish Amateur Open Stroke Play Championship and turned professional the same...
)
- Par: 72
- Length: 7004 yards (6,404.5 m)
- Course Record: 67, Gary Orr
Gary Hamish Orr is a Scottish professional golfer.Orr was born in Helensburgh, Scotland. He turned professional in 1988 and became a member of the European Tour in 1993. His two wins on the Tour both came in 2000, at the Algarve Portuguese Open and the Victor Chandler British Masters...
- Tournaments held: Wentworth Senior Masters
Wentworth Senior Masters is a men's professional golf tournament on the European Seniors Tour. It was first played in 1997, when it was won by one of golf's all time greats, Gary Player of South Africa. It is staged at the Wentworth Club on the western fringes of London, which is the location of...
Edinburgh Course Scorecard
| Hole No. |
Metres |
Yards |
Par |
Hole No. |
Metres |
Yards |
Par |
| 1 |
420 |
459 |
4 |
10 |
467 |
511 |
5 |
| 2 |
132 |
144 |
3 |
11 |
401 |
439 |
4 |
| 3 |
458 |
501 |
5 |
12 |
155 |
169 |
3 |
| 4 |
367 |
401 |
4 |
13 |
387 |
423 |
4 |
| 5 |
157 |
172 |
3 |
14 |
364 |
398 |
4 |
| 6 |
422 |
461 |
4 |
15 |
360 |
394 |
4 |
| 7 |
555 |
607 |
5 |
16 |
481 |
526 |
5 |
| 8 |
416 |
455 |
4 |
17 |
148 |
162 |
3 |
| 9 |
334 |
365 |
4 |
18 |
432 |
472 |
4 |
| Front 9 |
3260 |
3565 |
36 |
Back 9 |
3195 |
3494 |
36 |
|
|
|
|
Total |
6455 |
7059 |
72 |
External links