The Old and New Courses
Sunningdale sits on Chobham Common, technically in Berkshire but claimed by Surrey golfers on both sides of the county line. Willie Park Jr – twice Open Champion – designed the Old Course, which opened in September 1901 on land leased from St John's College, Cambridge. The New Course followed in 1923, designed by the club's first secretary, Harry Colt, who had spent two decades studying the terrain before putting pencil to paper.
The Old is the more famous, with a routing that climbs and drops through silver birch, heather, and pine. But serious golfers often rate the New just as highly – its bunkering is sharper, the green complexes more varied, and the closing stretch from the 15th demands accuracy that the Old rarely insists upon. Together, the 36 holes represent the finest pair of heathland courses in England.
Bobby Jones and the Perfect Round
In 1926, Bobby Jones played the Old Course in a qualifying round for the Open Championship and recorded a 66 – every shot accounted for in figures of 33 out and 33 back, with 33 putts and 33 other shots. Bernard Darwin called it "incredible and indecent." It remains the most celebrated single round in pre-war English golf.
Modern Competition
Sunningdale has hosted the Senior Open Championship four times – most recently in 2025 – and staged the Women's British Open in 1997, 2001, 2004, and 2008. The Curtis Cup came to the Old Course in 2024. The annual Sunningdale Foursomes, held each March, is one of amateur golf's most prestigious mixed events, drawing scratch players from across Britain and Ireland.
Membership is by invitation, with a waiting list that stretches years. Specific fees are not disclosed. For those who make it through, the reward is 36 holes of heathland golf that set the standard everyone else tries to match.
