Walton Heath Golf Club

Walton Heath Golf Club is a golf club in England, near Walton-on-the-Hill in Surrey, southwest of London. Founded in 1903, the club comprises two 18-hole golf courses, both of which are well known for having heather covering many of the areas of rough.[1]

Club information
Coordinates51.278°N 0.244°W / 51.278; -0.244
LocationSurrey, England
Established1903 (1903)
TypePrivate
Total holes36
Tournaments hostedU.S. Open Qualifying,
Ryder Cup (1981),
European Open (1978–91),
Senior Open Championship (2011)
Websitewww.waltonheath.com
Old Course
Designed byHerbert Fowler
Par72
Length7,462 yd (6,823 m)
New Course
Designed byHerbert Fowler
Par72
Length7,026 yd (6,425 m)

The Old Course opened in 1904, and (as of 2009) has a championship length of 7,462 yards (6,823 m). The New Course opened as a 9-hole course in 1907 and was extended to 18 holes in 1913; its championship length in 2009 was 7,026 yards (6,425 m). Both were designed by Herbert Fowler, who later designed numerous courses in the United Kingdom and United States.

Walton Heath has had a long association with royalty and politics, with Edward, Prince of Wales having been the club's first captain in 1935, and former United Kingdom Prime Ministers David Lloyd George, Winston Churchill, Bonar Law and Arthur Balfour all having been members. The club has also only ever had four club professionals, including five time British Open champion James Braid who held the post from 1904 until 1950.[1]

Both courses at Walton Heath have been consistently rated in the UK's top 100 courses, with the Old Course also being rated as one of the top 100 in the world.[2]

Tournaments

Walton Heath has been the venue of a number of national amateur tournaments and championships. It has also hosted several high profile professional events including the 1981 Ryder Cup, when it stepped in as a replacement venue after construction at The Belfry had not been completed in time.[3] The club also hosted five editions of the European Open, a European Tour event, between 1978 and 1991.[4]

Since 2005, Walton Heath has been the venue for the U.S. Open European qualifying tournament.[5] In the first year, New Zealander Michael Campbell qualified at Walton Heath, and went on to win the Open at Pinehurst.[6]

Walton Heath hosted The Senior Open Championship, one of the five majors recognised by the Champions Tour, the world's dominant tour for golfers 50 and older, from 21–24 July 2011. The event was eventually won by Russ Cochran

It hosted the British Masters on the European Tour in October 2018, won by Eddie Pepperell.

It is scheduled to host Women's British Open in 2023.

References
  1. Farrell, Andy (17 December 2003). "Walton Heath's history reveals treasure trove of characters". The Independent. London. Retrieved 7 April 2009.
  2. "Europeans fight for US Open spots". BBC Sport. 5 June 2005. Retrieved 7 April 2009.
  3. "Ryder Cup history: 1981". BBC Sport. 14 September 2006. Retrieved 7 April 2009.
  4. "European Open – Past Winners". PGA European Tour. Archived from the original on 6 October 2009. Retrieved 7 April 2009.
  5. "England to hold US Open qualifier". BBC Sport. 14 February 2005. Retrieved 7 April 2009.
  6. "Hard graft pays off for Campbell". BBC Sport. 20 June 2005. Retrieved 7 April 2009.

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