Sunningdale Golf Club (Old)

Overview: The Sunningdale Golf Club (Old) profile records 6627 yards and par 70 for this heathland routing. Pine, heather and gorse frame fairways that rise and fall gently through the Surrey heath, while the large, naturally shaped greens are the course's most influential architectural feature. The holes do not depend on a seaside horizon: instead, the interest comes from changing angles, blind crests, short strategic par fours and the need to read the land before choosing a line. The Old is polished without losing its rugged heathland origin, and the mature trees never fully hide the openness of the underlying ground.

History: The land originally belonged to St John's College, Cambridge and was mainly heather, gorse and pine. Willie Park Junior was asked to create a course for £3,000, and Sunningdale Old opened for play on 23 September 1901. At the time, many golfers doubted whether strong turf could be produced on inland ground, but the course quickly disproved that assumption. The development of the Haskell ball also helped the new layout feel less excessively long to its early players. Later generations adjusted tees, bunkers and greens, yet the Old Course remains recognisably Park's design, with its natural topography and undulating putting surfaces doing much of the strategic work.

Did You Know? Sunningdale Old was among the early successful inland courses that helped change the belief that the best golf had to be beside the sea. Its greens were shaped to use the natural ground, so a seemingly safe approach can still finish on a slope or fall away from the intended line.