Surrey, United Kingdom
The Leatherhead Club is an 18-hole parkland and woodland course founded in 1903 on land at Pachesham Manor, Leatherhead, Surrey. Originally established as Surrey Golf Club on land owned by F.C. Ramsey and Sir William Vincent, the course was laid out by Peter Paxton, a club and ball maker who also designed East Berkshire and Coventry Golf Clubs. The club adopted its current name in 1907–08. Nine holes were open by October 1903, with the full 18-hole layout subsequently completed to around 6,000 yards. The course today plays to a par of 71 over approximately 6,128 yards, set among ancient oak woodland close to Junction 9 of the M25.
The layout is characterised by mature oak-lined fairways that demand accuracy throughout, with the trees in play on the majority of holes. The front nine is longer than the back nine, though the inward half is considered the more demanding half in terms of precision and shot selection. The greens are subtly contoured and consistently cited as among the best in Surrey. The construction of the M25 in the late 1970s and early 1980s severed the southern tip of the original course, necessitating a significant redesign and the construction of a new clubhouse, opened in 1984 on the site known as North Gate.
The club has a notable historical connection to Open Championship golf: Alf Perry, who served as club professional at Leatherhead having previously been James Braid's assistant at Walton Heath, won the 1935 Open Championship at Muirfield. In September of that year the British Ryder Cup team, including Perry, used the course for practice rounds ahead of the match at Ridgewood, New Jersey. The club has hosted PGA events and is a regular Surrey County fixture venue. Among the more colourful moments in its history, an early professional match at the club featured James Braid, Harry Vardon and Abe Mitchell — the golfer on whom the Ryder Cup trophy figure is said to have been modelled — with former Prime Minister Arthur Balfour also in attendance.
