Walton Heath Golf Club - Old Course

About the club

Walton Heath – a Golf Club with something for everyone In an English county blessed with numerous wonderful golf courses, there are few finer and more internationally acclaimed than Walton Heath Golf Club in Surrey. Tucked away in the heart of the London commuter belt and close to major transport hubs, this exquisite and colourful expanse of glorious heathland with its plentiful heather, gorse and bracken has been home to the Club since its inception in 1903. With two world renown heathland courses full of charm and character – the Old and New - an historic, traditional clubhouse, a reputation for fine dining and an incomparable warm welcome, Walton Heath is a Golf Club with something for everyone. As well as providing a testing but enjoyable challenge for amateur golfers of all levels, Walton Heath has a reputation as one of golf’s finest championship venues. Tournament golf has been integral to the Club’s illustrious history, most notably in the staging of the 1981 Ryder Cup and more recently the 2018 British Masters. Without doubt, a visit to Walton Heath has the capacity to lift the spirits simply by walking the fairways in the footsteps of many giants of the game - legendary figures such as five-time Open Champion James Braid, who spent 46 ½ years as Club Professional, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson from the USA’s incomparable Ryder Cup team of 1981 and England’s own Justin Rose, who hosted the recent British Masters, won by Eddie Pepperell. Walton Heath has also staged five European Opens between 1978 and 1991 and The Senior Open in 2011. For the past 15 years, the Club has been a popular host to the only European Qualifier for the U.S. Open Championship and a leading tournament for elite amateurs, the Walton Heath Trophy which was won in 2007 by a future Masters Champion in Danny Willett. Located in Walton-on-the-Hill near Tadworth, Walton Heath has attracted an eclectic Membership which has included royalty and prominent politicians of the age. King Edward VIII took office as Club Captain in 1935 while Winston Churchill was one of four Prime Ministers in membership, the others being Lloyd George, Bonar Law and Arthur Balfour. While Members can enjoy a feeling of relaxation, escaping from the strains and stresses of everyday life, Visitors to the Club are made very welcome. They can also enjoy the challenge of both courses and are encouraged to select the test which best suits their game by playing off the tees of their choice. The James Braid Museum affords a fascinating glimpse into the life of Walton Heath’s most celebrated professional while the terrace overlooks a wonderful and neatly manicured putting green, adjacent to the well-stocked professional’s shop. Walton Heath prides itself on the quality and variety of food and beverages on offer in the spacious dining room and bar areas, where Members and Visitors can relax and enjoy breakfast, lunch or a wide choice of snacks from the bar menu. From the world class professional to the weekend golfer, Walton Heath is unmistakably a Club with something for everyone. The Old Course here is the senior but only by a three or four years, yet has always been the one they have chosen on which to hold tournaments and championships. And there have been plenty. For a long spell in the middle of the last century Walton Heath was owned by the Carr family, proprietors of the News of the World, and for many years they sponsored the professional match play championship. That came to an end when the World Match Play Championship started at Wentworth in the mid 1960s. The European Open was started here in 1978 and a few times afterwards and in 1981 America brought probably their strongest team ever for the Ryder Cup and had the last of their resounding, one sided triumphs. All theses events and sundry English and county championships were played on the Old Course. Despite that there is little to chose between the two courses; they are similar length, style and make up. In truth the New has been altered less than the Old, which lost its 8th green and 9th hole entirely when the M25 was built. Certainly give yourself the chance to play both when in this part of the world.