History

West Surrey Golf Club was founded in 1910 as a commercial venture by a prominent local landowner and businessman, John Eastwood, together with a small consortium of associates.

The chosen site was on farmland belonging to Eastwood’s Enton Hall estate. The undulating woodland course was built on a mixture of clay and sandy soil. The designers incorporated ancient oak trees and noteworthy scenic views to full advantage.

The highest standards were set for the course and clubhouse. Following initial design by the noted golf professional, J.H. Taylor, the playing area was planned and laid out by W.H. Fowler, a leading course architect. Fowler’s main previous achievement was the construction of the course at Walton Heath, where he was Board Chairman. During his career he had a hand in the design of some 40 courses in the U.K. and the U.S.A. The clubhouse was designed by Albert Messer, a noted architect who already had the clubhouse at Woking to his credit. Traditional building materials from barns on the Estate were used to ensure the character of the clubhouse, the charm of which is still evident today.

Ten years after its foundation,  the club was bought by the membership, and a limited company was formed. By 1921, there were 400 members, of which 144 were ladies.

Exhibition Match at Grand Opening - 9th June, 1910

 ‘Colourful Characters’

The Club has numbered many highly skilled golfers and  colourful characters among its membership and staff. The first Club Professional, Fred Robson, was four times placed in the top ten in the Open Championship, and played in the first three Ryder Cup matches.  He was succeeded by Albert Howlett, who filled the post for 25 years (1912-37). Both he and his successor Bob French (1937-72) were popular club professionals and skilled clubmakers. It was thought that Bob French, who won the Surrey Open Championship while in office at West Surrey, could have reached the highest levels of the game but for the intervention of the second world war. Peter Alliss described him as “definitely the kind of opponent you did not wish to be drawn against in the News of the World Matchplay Championship”.

During his time as West Surrey’s Professional, John Hoskison qualified for the Open at Royal Birkdale in 1991. He also won the Surrey Open and the Club Professionals’ Championship. He appeared twice in the PGA Cup, a biennial battle between club pros from Britain and the United States.

Competitive Members

The famous Wethered family were early members of West Surrey; Roger was runner-up in the Open in 1921, and became Amateur Champion in 1923. He appeared in five Walker Cup matches, and was Captain of the R & A in 1946. His sister Joyce won the British Ladies’ Amateur Championship four times and went on to captain the Curtis Cup team against the USA. Joyce was described as the finest lady golfer of her generation.

West Surrey’s younger members have recently produced a qualifier for both Men’s and Ladies’ European Tours from their number, and a 12-year old winner of the Surrey Girls’ Championship.

The War and Post-war Years

During the Second World War, the clubhouse was requisitioned as a billet for Canadian troops. Vegetables were planted on land covering four fairways. The full course was not re-instated until 1949. In the immediate post-war period membership shrunk below 200, and financial losses mounted. There were some uncomfortable meetings with the Club’s bankers to discuss the overdraft arrangements. Much-needed revenue was raised by the sale of Christmas trees and hay grown on the course. Some land was sold for housing.  At various times there were proposals to sell the Club, but they were narrowly rejected.

Brighter Days

By dint of hard work, a pro-active recruitment drive, and prudent financial management the corner was turned, and by the mid-1960’s the Club was in a healthy financial state. A Tennis Section was added to the Club in 1959, and today boasts three hard courts and a splendid pavilion.

In the 1990’s the clubhouse was renovated and expanded, and more recently an ambitious programme was undertaken to replace the drainage on all the greens and to install fairway watering. Several fairways were lengthened; the length of the course was extended to just under 6,500 yards.

John Edmund Eastwood
Founder

W. Herbert Fowler
Course Designer

Joyce Wethered
‘Finest Lady Golfer’