The London Golf Club is a privately owned

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...

located in the village of Ash, Kent, approximately 20 miles southeast of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

History

The golf club was originally developed by the Japanese businessman Masao Nagahara , in response to a perceived need for a world class golf course in the vicinity of London and purportedly at the behest of

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

. Although the club was originally opened in September 1993 by Sir Denis Thatcher, the official course opening was in July 1994 and was accompanied by a charity skins match between Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros and Tony Jacklin. After the original owners experienced financial difficulties, the course was purchased in 2003 by the Bendinat group (who also own the Royal Bendinat Golf Club in Mallorca ) for an undisclosed sum. Since the purchase, the club has hosted numerous tournaments on both the

European Senior Tour The Legends Tour is the current branding of the European Senior Tour, a professional tour for male golfers aged 50 and over, run by the PGA European Tour. The tour was branded as the Staysure Tour for the 2018 and 2019 seasons after UK-based insu ...

and the

European Tour The European Tour (currently known as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons), legally the PGA European Tour is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European Senior Tour (for players aged fi ...

, including the 2014

Volvo World Match Play Championship The Volvo World Match Play Championship was an annual match play men's professional golf tournament which was staged from 1964 to 2014. The World Match Play Championship was a limited field event, originally contested by just eight players before ...

and the 2018 and 2019

PGA Seniors Championship The PGA Seniors Championship is a European Senior Tour golf tournament for men aged fifty and above. It was founded in 1957 and became part of the European Senior Tour on its founding in 1992. It was not held in 2016 or 2017 but returned in 2018 ...

Courses

The Heritage Course

The Heritage Course was designed by Jack Nicklaus one of only three courses in England under his name.

The International Course

The International Course was designed by Ron Kirby under the banner of Nicklaus Design. He has been quoted as describing the 13th hole as "the best par 5 hole I have ever created".

Tournaments

European Open

The European Open was held over the Heritage course in 2008 and 2009.

Volvo World Matchplay Championship

The

was held on the International course in 2014.

PGA Seniors Championship

The

, now under the name of the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship was held over the International Course in both 2018 and 2019.

London Seniors Masters

The

London Seniors Masters The Bendinat London Seniors Masters was a men's professional golf tournament for players aged 50 and above as part of the European Seniors Tour. It was played in 1995 and then from 2005 to 2007. The event was played at the London Golf Club, Ash, ...

was held over the Heritage Course in 1995 and 2005-2007

References

External links

Official Website
{{coord, 51.3460, 0.2886, format=dms, type:landmark_region:GB_dim:3000, display=title Golf clubs and courses in Kent