London Golf Club
The London Golf Club is a privately owned [2] golf course located in the village of Ash, Kent, approximately 20 miles southeast of London.[4]
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Ash, Kent, England |
| Established | 1993[1] |
| Type | Semi-Private Members Club |
| Owned by | Bendinat Group[2][3] |
| Total holes | 36 |
| Tournaments hosted | European Open, Volvo World Match Play Championship, PGA Seniors Championship |
| Website | www |
| The Heritage Course | |
| Designed by | Jack Nicklaus |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 7,208 |
| Course record | 63 Ross Fisher (2008) |
| The International Course | |
| Designed by | Ron Kirby |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 7,005 |
| Course record | 63 Colin Montgomerie (2018) 63 Philip Golding (2018) |
History
The golf club was originally developed by the Japanese businessman Masao Nagahara ,[5] in response to a perceived need for a world class golf course in the vicinity of London[1] and purportedly at the behest of Margaret Thatcher.[5] Although the club was originally opened in September 1993 by Sir Denis Thatcher,[1] the official course opening was in July 1994 and was accompanied by a charity skins match between Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros and Tony Jacklin.[1] After the original owners experienced financial difficulties,[6] the course was purchased in 2003 by the Bendinat group (who also own the Royal Bendinat Golf Club in Mallorca [2]) for an undisclosed sum.[2][3] Since the purchase, the club has hosted numerous tournaments on both the European Senior Tour and the European Tour, including the 2014 Volvo World Match Play Championship and the 2018 and 2019 PGA Seniors Championship.
Courses
The Heritage Course
The Heritage Course was designed by Jack Nicklaus[7] one of only three courses in England under his name.[8]
| Tee | Rating/Slope | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | 74 / 113 | 398 | 412 | 194 | 384 | 541 | 454 | 187 | 563 | 448 | 3581 | 426 | 208 | 531 | 338 | 443 | 548 | 465 | 225 | 443 | 3627 | 7208 |
| White | 72 / 113 | 382 | 387 | 170 | 361 | 516 | 422 | 159 | 536 | 421 | 3354 | 408 | 175 | 502 | 311 | 424 | 523 | 440 | 210 | 424 | 3417 | 6771 |
| Yellow | 70 / 113 | 360 | 364 | 149 | 338 | 491 | 402 | 141 | 503 | 401 | 3149 | 380 | 157 | 468 | 280 | 408 | 496 | 406 | 191 | 398 | 3184 | 6333 |
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 72 | |
| Ladies' | 74 / 113 | 328 | 323 | 127 | 299 | 477 | 357 | 132 | 470 | 359 | 2872 | 332 | 138 | 454 | 249 | 358 | 472 | 377 | 152 | 355 | 2887 | 5759 |
| Par | Ladies' | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 72 |
The International Course
The International Course was designed by Ron Kirby under the banner of Nicklaus Design.[9] He has been quoted as describing the 13th hole as "the best par 5 hole I have ever created".[9]
| Tee | Rating/Slope | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | 74 / 113 | 568 | 373 | 449 | 197 | 406 | 592 | 367 | 201 | 463 | 3616 | 373 | 552 | 190 | 532 | 198 | 368 | 405 | 229 | 542 | 3389 | 7005 |
| White | 71 / 113 | 547 | 349 | 430 | 197 | 378 | 555 | 345 | 186 | 440 | 3427 | 357 | 527 | 177 | 501 | 173 | 340 | 376 | 207 | 509 | 3167 | 6594 |
| Yellow | 69 / 113 | 524 | 326 | 399 | 177 | 346 | 518 | 325 | 173 | 409 | 3197 | 333 | 495 | 161 | 475 | 155 | 309 | 350 | 184 | 482 | 2944 | 6141 |
| Par | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 36 | 72 | |
| Ladies' | 73 / 113 | 453 | 283 | 359 | 148 | 320 | 492 | 292 | 159 | 367 | 2873 | 297 | 446 | 136 | 423 | 132 | 273 | 327 | 159 | 428 | 2621 | 5494 |
| Par | Ladies' | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 36 | 72 |
Tournaments
European Open
The European Open was held over the Heritage course in 2008 and 2009.[10]
| Year | Winner | Country | Score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Christian Cévaër |  France | 281 | −7 | 1 stroke |  Gary Orr Álvaro Quirós Steve Webster |
| 2008 | Ross Fisher | England | 268 | −20 | 7 strokes | Sergio García |
Volvo World Matchplay Championship
The Volvo World Match Play Championship was held on the International course in 2014.[10]
| Year | Winner | Country | Score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Mikko Ilonen |  Finland | 3 & 1 |  Henrik Stenson |
PGA Seniors Championship
The PGA Seniors Championship, now under the name of the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship was held over the International Course in both 2018 and 2019.[10]
| Year | Winner | Country | Score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Phillip Price | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Wales | 271 (−17) | 2 strokes |  Michael Campbell James Kingston.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Peter Lonard |
| 2018 | Philip Golding | England | 270 (−18) | 2 strokes | Magnus Persson Atlevi |
London Seniors Masters
The London Seniors Masters was held over the Heritage Course in 1995 and 2005-2007[10]
| Year | Winner | Country | Score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Sam Torrance (2) | Scotland | 206(-10) | 1 stroke | José Rivero |
| 2006 | Giuseppe Calì |  Italy | 210(−6) | Playoff |  Delroy Cambridge |
| 2005 | Sam Torrance | Scotland | 201(-15) | 3 strokes | David J Russell |
| 1995 | John Bland | England | 210(-6) | 4 strokes | Tony Grubb Hugh Inggs John Morgan Bobby Verwey |
References
- "London Golf Club - Kent Golf - The History". www.londongolf.co.uk.
- "Bendinat buys London". GolfBusinessNews.com.
- "London Golf Club - Bendinat". www.londongolf.co.uk.
- "Play Golf". www.golfinkent.co.uk.
- "Golf: Golden Bear finds new cave in Garden of England: Jack Nicklaus". The Independent. May 15, 1993.
- Reece, Damian (February 2, 2003). "Japanese seeking buyer for the London Golf Club" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
- "The London Golf Club - The Heritage". Nicklaus Design.
- "Courses". Nicklaus Design.
- "London Golf Club (International) - Kent - Best In County Golf Course". www.top100golfcourses.com.
- "London Golf Club - Tournaments". www.londongolf.co.uk.