Wentworth Club

Home of the PGA European Tour and host of the BMW PGA Championship.

Wentworth Club is a privately owned golf club and country club in Virginia Water, Surrey, on the south western fringes of London, not far from Windsor Castle. The club was founded in 1922. Beijing-based Reignwood Group bought the club in September 2014 and implemented a new debenture membership structure, starting at £100,000. The debenture is now estimated at £200,000.

Quick Facts

Location: Virginia Water, Surrey, England
Established: 1922
Owner: Reignwood Group
Holes: 63
Tournaments: BMW PGA Championship

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 the death of Cabrera in 1877, his widow bought up the surrounding lands under The Cabrera Trust to safeguard the meadows, brooks and trees to form what has become the heart of the Wentworth Estate.

In 1912, builder W. G. Tarrant had 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. Tarrant erected large residences on the estate but development halted due to the Great Depression. In 1931, when the banks asked for repayment of a large debenture, Tarrant was forced to declare bankruptcy.

Ownership of the land passed to Wentworth Estates Ltd, which came under the control of Sir Lindsay Parkinson & Company. In 1988, Elliott Bernerd's property investment company Chelsfield bought Wentworth Golf Club for £17.7 million (also reported as £20 million). Bernerd sold 40% of the club to Japanese investors, raising £32 million, in 1989. In 2004, Chelsfield sold the remaining 60% share, as fashion industry entrepreneur Richard Caring bought the club for £130 million.

In 2014 Caring sold the club for £135m to Beijing-based Reignwood Investments, which raised the fees and cut the number of members. Current debentures cost £175,000 and the annual fees is £16,000.

Reader's Guide

Wentworth Club has three eighteen-hole courses: the West Course (opened 1926, architect Harry Colt, redesigned from 2005 to 2017 by Ernie Els, par 72, length 7284 yd, course record 62 by Robert Karlsson, Thomas Bjørn, Alex Norén), the East Course (opened 1924, architect Harry Colt, par 68, length 6201 yd, course record 62 by Doug N Sewell), the Edinburgh Course (opened 1990, architect John Jacobs with Gary Player and Bernard Gallacher, par 72, length 7004 yd, course record 67 by Gary Orr), and a nine-hole par-3 executive course (par 27, length 1902 yd).

Key tournaments on the West Course include the HSBC World Match Play Championship (1964–2007), BMW PGA Championship (1984–present), Ryder Cup (1953), and World Cup (1956). The East Course hosted the inaugural Curtis Cup (1932) and a friendly match between US and GB&I (forerunner to Ryder Cup) in 1926. The Edinburgh Course hosts the Wentworth Senior Masters. The club also has a tennis and health club, completed in 1999 for £9 million by architects Broadway Malyan, comprising a gymnasium, dance studio, health spa, ozone swimming pool and Jacuzzi, crèche facilities, changing rooms, and a café.