Sunningdale (Old)

The Sunningdale (Old) golf course is among the well known courses in England and is located at West Berkshire, near London .

History of the course

The course was opened for play in 1901 after Willie Parker Jones designed the Old Course at Sunningdale. It is very interesting to note that the entire land was barren and the entire course was laid on soil brought from outside with barren hands. The course is a wonderful place to play as the fairways are lined with birch, oak and pine trees. The course has an astounding number of sand bunkers which amount to 103.

Harry Colt was responsible for the planting of the hundreds of pine trees that line the course. In the 1920s he redesigned the course and while doing so oversaw the planting of the trees.

The club also has one more course called the New Course which was opened in 1923. It was designed by Harry Colt.

Course Trivia

• The fifth hole at the Old Course is considered as the toughest at the Sunningdale Golf Club . You have to drive the ball over a pond and the direction is downhill.
• The club's emblem is an oak tree which is modeled on a large tree besides the 18 th green.
• The club first came into prominence in 1926 when Bobby Jones shot the first and only "perfect round of golf" during qualifying for the Open Championship in 1926.

The Sunningdale (Old) is the 18 th best golf course outside the US according to Golf Digest magazine. As we continue on this tour we will learn about the other top-100 golf courses in the world.