Sunningdale

UNIVERSAL RECOGNITION
“Some of the American players have not had
chance to play courses like Sunningdale before,
and I tell them it is how golf should be. It is
unique and it brings out the child in you.”
Tom Watson
A Club steeped in history since 1900, Sunningdale is the quintessential British golfing experience.
Originally 18 holes designed for the aristocracy in London to travel to for recreation, the popularity
of the Club boomed following the introduction of the nearby railway line and motorised cars, with a
further 18 holes, the New Course added in 1923.
With both courses ranked inside the World Top 100 and the two highest ranked inland courses in the
UK, worldwide recognition is unsurprising.

EXCELLENCE IN
AMENITIES AND
FACILITIES
A Club for true golfers, the focal points at Sunningdale are the two
magnificent golf courses. The Old Course, designed by Willie Park
Jnr in 1900 sits alongside The New Course, designed by Harry Colt
in 1923. Both courses sit inside the World’s Top 100 rankings and are
rarely surpassed in England.
Our traditional Edwardian Clubhouse proudly overlooks the estate to
create one of the most iconic scenes in the game.
A comfortable, yet World Class food offering of traditional British
fare awaits either before or after a round, with the Halfway House
famed for its offering at the turn.
The Pro Shop offers a range of top brands sourced from around the
globe to suit all Members and visitors and has the latest technology in
the Swing Room to cater for every golfer’s needs.
Our passion to be at the cutting edge of golf extends to our practice
facilities with the innovative Toptracer technology providing ball
flight data to enhance the experience.

EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE STANDARDS
Sunningdale approaches recruitment with a real focus on attitude. With a high level of investment, both financially and in coaching time,
we see staff retained, promoted, or moving on to high level roles on a regular basis.
Our commitment to improvement is realised through structured training programmes from industry leading coaches, memberships to
organisations such as the Club Managers’ Association and PGA and individual development programmes.
Sunningdale is highly regarded by Investors in People, an independent assessor on what employers deliver for their staff. We are currently
Gold standard, which places the Club in the top 17% of employers in the UK and are confident to be upgraded on next assessment in July
to their new Platinum designation, the highest endorsement of employment.

A RESPECTED
MEMBERSHIP
With a commitment to retaining traditions and values, Sunningdale’s
membership is both like minded and socially diverse. A commitment to
retaining a “broad church”, we endeavour to make the Club accessible
yet exclusive.
Candidates can expect to be involved in a very thorough process to
include rounds of golf with Committee Members having supplied a
biography via their proposer and seconder. From this point a process
of support letters will be required over a period of time before they are
quantified and qualified.
Successful applicants can be satisfied that they have been able to gain
access to one of the most coveted and revered memberships in the
world of golf.
Currently waiting lists are extensive and the Club will not be granting
access based on time, instead choosing a qualitative approach.
A commitment towards the Royal & Ancient led Women in Golf
Charter will ensure equality in the membership and there is an acute
consciousness of the golfing ability of all candidates when considering
offering a very rare space at the Club.

MANAGEMENT AND
OPERATIONS
Under the supervision of three Trustees, a General Committee serves as the decision-making facility
within the Club. An appointed Club Chairman facilitates these meetings with fifteen Members on the
Committee. With a reduction in numbers on the Committee in progress, as is the global trend, over a
three-year period we will have reduced from eighteen to twelve Members. There will also be a reduction
in the same period of Committees themselves, moving from sixteen historically to a final number of six.
Other Committees at the Club who currently report to the General Committee include: -
• Executive
• Compliance
• Green
• Rules
• Membership
• Nominations
• Operations
• Wine
• Property & Estates
In each of the above, Members will be selected based on their skills and expertise to create truly
productive environments for decision making and recommendations.
All major decisions within the Club go to an Annual General Meeting of the Members and Officials are
voted for and adjudicated by a third-party ballot company.
With the clear governance structure in place as above, the Club have employed a forward thinking,
passionate and suitably qualified executive management team lead by the Managing Director and
General Manager, both of whom are Certified Club Managers (CCM).

Technological advancements from four new operating systems were planned
in advance of the pandemic and executed successfully with the purpose of
creating a more efficient Club, where people could spend more time performing
interpersonal services, as opposed to administration.
Extensive refurbishment of the Clubhouse was carried out with energy saving
LED lighting upgrades, sympathetic re-decoration of the Edwardian Clubhouse
interior and extensive works to the practice facilities.
COVID-19 did dictate certain stylistic changes, particularly in service.
Transformational technology was embraced to introduce tee times (something
uncommon in UK elite private golf clubs), as well as the move to offering table
service exclusively throughout.
ADAPTING TO
CHANGING TIMES
Planned and imposed changes have been in abundance over the past year at
Sunningdale. A 36-hole installation of cutting edge irrigation equipment was
completed over a two year period at a cost of £1.75m, the benefits of which
extend to the environment with a water usage reduction of 40%, as well as
the quality uplift of all playing surfaces.
Investment in outdoor dining areas was essential due to the pandemic laws in the
UK and our £20,000 tent provided some much-needed relief for our Members. It
has become a popular fixture and is now one of our most enjoyed spaces.
Interaction changed entirely. Meetings both with Members and Staff moved into
a format that we had not widely used before, the online videocall. Engagement
became the key focus for all the Club’s stakeholders and communication style
and levels had to be analysed and delivered perfectly. We truly feel that nobody
felt left alone during this testing time, be it Members or Staff.

OVERALL EXPERIENCE
The experience of being a Member at Sunningdale is truly unique. An indescribable aura awaits those that come through the front gate
knowing some of the famous names that have set foot before them. A first-class welcome, experience on the golf courses and delightful
post-round relaxation awaits. A Member calendar with an abundance of events, both golfing and social presents itself to a diverse group
who all share the key fundamentals of our Club with each other. As the great Bobby Jones once said of the Club - “I wish I could take
this golf course home with me”.