Three Courses, One Legendary Address
Wentworth is the closest thing English golf has to Augusta National – a private estate where the game's elite gather each September for the BMW PGA Championship, the DP World Tour's flagship event. The club sits on 1,750 acres of former Crown land in Virginia Water, purchased in 1922 by developer W.G. Tarrant. Harry Colt laid out the East Course first, opening it in 1924, followed by the West Course in 1927.
The West Course is the one that matters. Its 7,302 yards wind through pine, birch, and rhododendron, finishing with the 502-yard par-5 18th – a hole that has produced more television drama than any other in European golf. Ernie Els oversaw a £6 million redesign in 2010, rebuilding every green to USGA specification and reshaping the bunkering. The result divided opinion among touring professionals, but few dispute the quality of the playing surfaces.
A Third Course and a Troubled Ownership
The Edinburgh Course arrived in 1990, designed by John Jacobs, Gary Player, and Bernard Gallacher, and opened by the Duke of Edinburgh. It runs shorter and tighter than the West, threading through more mature woodland. Many members prefer it as a day-to-day course.
Beijing-based Reignwood Group bought Wentworth in 2014 for £135 million and invested heavily in the clubhouse and facilities. The changes came with significant fee increases – debenture membership is understood to start from six figures, with annual subscriptions running to five – and relations between the ownership and longer-standing members have been strained at times.
Tournament History
Wentworth hosted the Ryder Cup as early as 1953 and was home to the World Match Play Championship from 1964 to 2007, a tournament that saw Seve Ballesteros lift the trophy five times and Ernie Els a record seven. The BMW PGA has been played on the West Course annually since 1984, with BMW as title sponsor from 2005. The DP World Tour maintains its headquarters at the club – a relationship that keeps Wentworth at the centre of European professional golf.
