Wentworth golf club to charge new members £125,000

Nestling in the Surrey countryside, its exquisitely manicured greens and fairways have long played host to elite golfers from all over the world, as well as a steady stream of millionaires – and billionaires – with a passion for the sport. Now, Wentworth is about to get even more exclusive.

New members of the historic club, which was founded in 1926 and is commonly regarded as the birthplace of the Ryder Cup, will now have to pay £125,000 for the privilege of playing on its hallowed courses under a shake-up ordered by its Chinese owners.

Wentworth’s existing members have also been told that they will have to pay £100,000 or face losing the right to play at the club, which was purchased for £135m by the Beijing-based Reignwood Group in September last year. Currently, the club’s 4,000 members pay a comparatively modest £8,000 a year plus a £15,000 joining fee.

Golfers who attended a meeting at the club on Tuesday evening were said to be “completely shocked” by the price hike, which will take effect from April 2017. Wentworth’s annual membership fee will also double to £16,000 as its owners set about upgrading its facilities, investing £20m over two years.

James Wyatt, one of the club’s current members, said there was confusion over whether the £100,000 fee was a one-off payment or a debenture which could be resold. “There was some doubt as to whether we’re looking at what we all think a debenture to be, or if it is really just a payment to the owners to fund their purchase and improvements in the club,” he told the BBC.

He continued: “People were completely shocked. Money needs to be put into the club, and the money needs to come from somewhere. Last night we found out that the money is coming from members’ pockets.”

Wentworth, which has three championship courses and is the headquarters of the PGA European tour, was owned by restaurateur Richard Caring until being bought by Chinese conglomerate Reignwood. The firm is headed by Chanchai Ruayrungruang, who has a fortune of around $10.2bn (£6.6bn), making him the 10th richest person in China.

According to some reports, the new fees are an attempt by the club’s owners to reduce the number of existing members, allowing an influx of even wealthier individuals who can afford to pay six figure sums to play at Wentworth. Sir Michael Parkinson, a long time member of the club, has previously described the “barmy” policy as a “cull”.

Peter Alliss, the BBC golf commentator and honorary Wentworth member, said the debenture plan was “an extraordinary step”, adding: “there are very few people who have £100,000 to piddle away on their pleasures”.

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In a statement, Wentworth said the current membership system was being replaced with a “family-based” structure but that pricing was a private matter. “We will be discussing our new membership categories, including prices, directly with our members,” it added.

Sky high joining fees have been introduced in the past by other golf clubs keen to attract only the finest clientele. Queenwood, which is also in Surrey and was founded in 1974, earned the title of “the most expensive golf club in Britain” by charging new members upwards of £100,000 to join, on top of an annual fee of £7,000. Catherine Zeta-Jones and her husband Michael Douglas are said to play there.