Wentworth Club

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Lore & Background

A 19th-century house named the 'Wentworths' (now the clubhouse for Wentworth Club) was the residence of the brother-in-law of the 1st Duke of Wellington. It was purchased in 1850 by an exiled Spanish Carlist military commander, Ramón Cabrera, 1st Count of Morella and 1st Marquis of Ter, and his heiress wife. After Cabrera's death in 1877, his widow bought up the surrounding lands under The Cabrera Trust. In 1912, builder W. G. Tarrant started developing St George's Hill in Weybridge. In 1922, Tarrant acquired the development rights for the Wentworth Estate, getting Harry Colt to design a golf course around the 'Wentworths' house. Development halted due to the Great Depression, and in 1931 Tarrant declared bankruptcy. Ownership passed to Wentworth Estates Ltd, under Sir Lindsay Parkinson & Company. In 1988, Elliott Bernerd's Chelsfield bought Wentworth Golf Club for £17.7 million (also reported as £20 million). Bernerd sold 40% to Japanese investors in 1989. In 2004, Chelsfield sold the remaining 60% to Richard Caring for £130 million. In 2014 Caring sold the club for £135m to Beijing-based Reignwood Investments.

In Their Own Story

The rain fell softly on the 18th green as the final putt rolled toward the cup. Spectators held their breath behind the ropes, umbrellas bobbing like a sea of black dots against the grey Surrey sky. It was the kind of moment that defined careers at Wentworth, where history is written not just in scores, but in the silence before the roar.

Reader's Guide

Wentworth Club is best known for its associations with professional golf. It has three eighteen-hole courses: the Harry Colt-designed West Course from 1926, the East Course also designed by Colt in 1924, the Edinburgh Course designed by John Jacobs, and a nine-hole par-3 executive course. The headquarters of the PGA European Tour is located at the club, and each year it hosts the Tour's PGA Championship. It was the venue of the 1953 Ryder Cup and of the World Match Play Championship from 1964 until 2007. The club is surrounded by the Wentworth Estate. Ernie Els became the club's 'world-wide touring professional' in 2005. Over the winter of 2005-06 Els made alterations to the West Course, lengthening it by 310 yards and adding 30 bunkers. Wentworth also has a tennis and health club, completed in 1999 for £9 million.

Did You Know?

• The West Course course record is 62, set by Robert Karlsson, Thomas Bjørn, and Alex Norén on separate occasions.
• The East Course course record is 62, set by Doug Sewell.
• The Edinburgh Course course record is 67, set by Gary Orr.
• The Executive Course is a 9-hole par-3 course of 1,902 yards.

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