Two leading pros take over Sunningdale Heath Golf Club

A published golf author and a golf radio host have taken over Sunningdale Heath Golf Club in Berkshire – the club that once had the Queen Mother as its captain.

The club has changed hands after a consortium led by PGA professionals Kristian Baker and Tom Reid put a takeover proposal to the membership – and won a landslide victory in the subsequent vote.

Their plans are designed to attract younger golfers from both sexes to a club which, for nearly 100 years, only admitted female members.

The new owners have immediately set about implementing their plans, including a new all-inclusive family membership and more focus on the social side of life at the club.

The club’s new head chef, Greg Lewis – who has worked at multiple 3 Michelin Star restaurants – aims to turn the club into a popular destination for fine dining as well as for golf, matching the new owners’ drive to provide a more premium-quality experience.

The club features, at its heart, an 18-hole golf course designed by Harry Colt, one of the sport’s most illustrious course architects.

Laid out on picturesque Surrey heathland, Sunningdale Heath’s 14 par threes and four par fours form a short but memorable test of accuracy for all golfers. Despite its compact size the course is acknowledged as being a true test of golf. No hole is shorter than 138 yards, and – unusually in golf – both men and women play from the same tees.

Its non-intimidating length also makes Sunningdale Heath the perfect starter golf course for beginners and children – as well as offering one of the quickest-possible 18-hole rounds of golf for people in a hurry.

Architects have already visited the club to discuss plans for upgrading the golf course, and an agronomist starts work this month to assist head greenkeeper Peter Tedder and his team in their goal to produce the club’s best-ever playing surfaces by summer 2020.

The club also plans to create an international-class outdoor golf academy with a special focus on junior golf. The new facility will complement the club’s Ultimate Golf Studio indoor golf academy.

Reid and Baker are a formidable team, recognised as two of the sport’s most celebrated coaches. Kristian Baker is a published author on the golf swing and frequent contributor to the UK’s top golf magazines. His pupils have earnt over 6 million euros on tour. Tom Reid is recognised as one of world’s top 50 junior golf coaches, and has trained under golf instruction superstar David Leadbetter. He hosts a golf radio show and is part of Sky Sports’ golf coaching team.

They met while working at The Wentworth Club.

“Our target is to become known as the epitome of how golf clubs need to be in the future, with the best short golf course in the world,” said Tom Reid, who was senior teaching professional at five-star venue Stoke Park immediately prior to his arrival at Sunningdale Heath.

“But we also aim to carve a reputation as being one of golf’s most inclusive places, as well as being known for our amazing training facilities,” he said. “People can play here whether or not they are a member, and as soon as we took over we lost no time in taking steps to boost the number of youngsters who play here. Sunningdale Heath is already well-established as one of the UK’s key venues for Schools golf.”

Co-owner Kristian Baker said: “Because of the nature of our golf course, you can start a company golf day at Sunningdale Heath at 4pm, have a full event, and still be home by 10pm. You can still do a day’s work, and have a golf day too.

“We are the only true 18-hole venue in the UK which can say that.”

The club began as Sunningdale Ladies in 1902, when the captain of neighbouring Sunningdale Golf Club created a short course for lady golfers – his wife amongst them – on the beautiful heathland adjacent to the world-famous 36-hole club, home to many top tournaments.

At first, only lady members’ husbands could join, and in 1932 the Queen Mother became the third female member of the royal family to become captain of the club. After World War Two the club relaxed its rules a little, allowing men to join as associate members before admitting them as full members in 2010.

Although nowadays Sunningdale Heath is as popular among men as it is with women, the club is still proud to have one of the UK’s strongest female memberships.

“As we improve Sunningdale Heath Golf Club we also plan to carry on leading the charge for women’s golf, which is enjoying rapid growth across the world,” said Tom Reid.

On the golf course’s relative lack of length, Kristian Baker said: “People are always against the clock these days, so our unique golf course means that Sunningdale Heath becomes more relevant as each year goes by.

“In fact, even though we are approaching our 120^th anniversary, I would say that we are unusually well-placed to cater for how people live today.”

A number of people are congratulating Kristian and Tom on LinkedIn here.