Wentworth Golf Club has recently opened the doors to its brand new clubhouse, following an investment by the club’s owners, Reignwood. Founded in 1922, Wentworth is best known globally for its associations with professional golf, being the headquarters of the European Tour.
It has three eighteen-hole courses: the famous Harry Colt-designed West Course from 1926, the earlier yet lesser played East Course, which was also designed by Colt in 1924 and the recent Edinburgh Course, designed by John Jacobs as well as a nine-hole par-3 executive course. It was the venue of the 1953 Ryder Cup and of the HSBC World Match Play Championship from 1964 until 2007. Each year it hosts the prestigious BMW PGA Championship.
In order to fulfil the continued requirements to be a world-class clubhouse facility, the iconic 19th century clubhouse underwent a complete renovation. Design commenced in 2015, with the on-site work starting in late 2017. With an internal ground floor area of 3,500m2 and including a ballroom, kitchens, bar and lounge area, the works included a full strip-out and refurbishment, with new lighting, flooring, ventilation and extensive layout realignment.
The rpa:group’s Project Management and Architectural divisions were commissioned to develop and manage the design implementation on site, providing production information, construction detailing and on-site support. Their responsibility on the scheme subsequently grew to cover Full Project Management, including Quality Assurance, on-site construction management, supervision of the project teams (both consultants & contractors) and managing the snagging and completion process.
Associate Project Manager at rpa:group, James Williams said: “We essentially had to strip out the whole site and start from the bottom up. It was a challenging to maintain the heritage of the space, whilst enhancing it with a newer and fresher feel.”
Italian marble has been used across the bars and bathrooms, with carpets carefully crafted in China. The men’s and ladies’ locker rooms have received particular attention with new sauna and steam rooms and a complete style overhaul. The new Pro Shop is a departure from traditional club shops with a boutique style experience, showcasing collections curated with leading equipment and apparent retailers. A new Hall of Fame houses the club’s vast collection of historical memorabilia.
Enhanced dining options include The Dining Room, in a grand and elegant style, The Club Lounge, an elegantly designed space for morning coffee, afternoon tea and post-dinner drinks, The Club Bar – an ‘Art Deco’ inspired bar at the end of the Club Lounge, The Burma Bar, which forms the heart of the Club’s social scene for its members and The Conservatory, offering all-day dining in a brassiere style space.
Members can also enjoy two new private dining rooms – the East Room and the West Room. Both rooms are modern in design and provide members with complete privacy.
An enhanced health and fitness offering has also been undertaken as part of the development and includes a state-of-the-art gym and fully integrated approach to wellness through a spa offering.
James adds: “One of the main challenges of the project was the intensity and speed of the programme that we were delivering and the high-end level of quality and expectation from the client. We always had a set deadline, which was one of the primary reasons why we had a consistently focussed and heavy presence on site, throughout the scheme.”
In spite of significant time pressures, the project was successfully completed to critical acclaim from its members and in time for the 2018 BMW Championship. Concludes James “This project has been a fantastic and prestigious one for us as a company. Wentworth is known the world over for its esteemed golfing heritage, so it is wonderful to be able to say that we have been a key driving force to its successful refurbishment.”
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