Sunningdale vs Wentworth: Which to Play
Two giants of the Surrey and Berkshire heathland sit fifteen minutes apart, and golfers planning a London golf trip ask the same question every time. Sunningdale is the connoisseur's heathland walk, open to visitors and steeped in a century of golf. Wentworth is the tournament address, home of the BMW PGA Championship, glamorous and famous but a private club. Here is the honest head to head, with our verdict up front and the access reality made plain.
Photograph: Sunningdale Golf Club, Mark Glithero, via Google
The verdict
For the traveling golfer who simply wants to play one of them, Sunningdale wins, and the reason is access as much as architecture. The Old Course, a Willie Park Junior design from 1901 routed through heather, pine and silver birch, is one of the greatest inland courses in the world, and it welcomes visitors on weekdays with a handicap certificate. You can plan a trip around it.
Wentworth is the more famous name, its West Course the long time home of the BMW PGA Championship and the European Tour, a Harry Colt design from 1926 since toughened by Ernie Els. But it is a private members club, and outside play is restricted to a member's guest, so for most visitors it is far harder to arrange than to admire on television. Pick Sunningdale for the purest heathland round you can actually book. Pick Wentworth only if you have a member to host you and want to walk a tournament course. Many will play Sunningdale on this trip and save Wentworth for when the door opens.
Head to head
| Sunningdale (Old) | Wentworth (West) | |
|---|---|---|
| Designer and year | Willie Park Junior, opened 1901, with the New Course by Harry Colt from 1923 | Harry Colt, opened 1926, remodeled in recent decades by Ernie Els |
| Type and setting | Classic heathland of heather, pine and birch at Sunningdale in Berkshire | Tree lined parkland and heathland at Virginia Water in Surrey |
| Par and length | Par 70, around 6,600 yards, a strategic walk rather than a brute | Par 72, around 7,280 yards, a long modern championship test |
| Claim to fame | Perennial top ten inland course in Britain, Bobby Jones's famous 1926 qualifying round | Home of the BMW PGA Championship and the European Tour headquarters |
| Visitor access | Open to visitors on weekdays with a handicap certificate, a members club | Private members club; outside play restricted to a member's guest |
| Indicative green fee | Around 395 pounds in the 2026 high season for the Old, New a little less | Members and guests only; indicative guest fees from around 195 to 360 pounds with caddie |
| Who it suits | Heathland lovers and history seekers who want a round they can book | Tournament fans with a member host who want to walk a famous course |
Course facts and indicative fee ranges verified June 2026; fees and access move with season and demand, and Wentworth play depends on a member, so always confirm directly before booking. Check tee time availability.
Who should pick which
Pick Sunningdale if
You want to play, not just look. You love the strategic, walkable heathland golf that Willie Park and Harry Colt perfected, the heather framed fairways and the famous tree on the eighteenth, and you value a course you can plan a trip around. Sunningdale gives you two great courses at one address, a proper members club welcome on weekdays, and the deepest history in English inland golf.
Pick Wentworth if
You have a member to host you, or access through a corporate or charity day, and you want to walk the West Course you have watched at the BMW PGA Championship. You are drawn to the glamour and the modern championship length, the dramatic par 5 finishers and the European Tour history, and you accept that the round depends on the right invitation rather than a public tee sheet.
Plan your Surrey heathland golf trip
Sunningdale, Wentworth, The Berkshire, Swinley Forest, St George's Hill and Walton Heath sit within a short drive south west of London. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling, and one concierge builds the tee times around the access we can secure, and costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Sunningdale vs Wentworth questions
Is Sunningdale or Wentworth better to play?
For a visiting golfer who wants to actually book a tee time, Sunningdale wins. Its Old Course, a Willie Park Junior heathland masterpiece from 1901, is open to visitors on weekdays and ranks among the finest inland courses in the world. Wentworth's West Course, the home of the BMW PGA Championship, is a famous and demanding test but a private members club where outside play is restricted to a member's guest, so it is far harder to arrange. Choose Sunningdale for the classic heathland experience you can plan around, Wentworth for the tournament pedigree if you have a member to host you.
Can you play Wentworth as a visitor?
Wentworth is a private members club at Virginia Water in Surrey, and the West Course is generally only available to members and their guests rather than on a public green fee. Guest play, when arranged through a member, has carried indicative fees from around 195 pounds in winter toward 360 pounds in summer including a caddie. Casual visitor tee times are not normally on sale, so a round usually needs a member or a special package. Always confirm access and fees directly before booking.
How much does it cost to play Sunningdale and Wentworth?
Indicative 2026 high season visitor green fees on the Sunningdale Old Course are around 395 pounds, with the New Course a little less and combined days available, all on a members club weekday basis with a handicap certificate. Wentworth's West Course, being members and guests only, has shown indicative guest fees from around 195 pounds in winter to 360 pounds in summer with a caddie. Both move with season and access, so always confirm current fees directly before booking.
Can you play both Sunningdale and Wentworth on one trip?
Yes, and they sit barely fifteen minutes apart in the Surrey and Berkshire heathland belt south west of London, so a single base covers both along with The Berkshire, Swinley Forest, St George's Hill and Walton Heath. Sunningdale is the simpler to book, while Wentworth depends on a member or package. We build heathland itineraries around the access you can secure.
Related
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts and indicative fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.