Club life at a glance and hole-by-hole guide to the DP World Tour BMW PGA Championship

VIRGINIA WATER, England – The famous Wentworth Club means different things to different people.

For the lucky club members, it’s their home away from home, where they can play golf on three different courses (plus a short course), play tennis and pickleball, use the fitness center, dine, and even relax in the fabulous spa.

For DP World Tour, it is the headquarters, the place where business is done, just like TPC Sawgrass Home to the PGA Tour, hosting potential clients in the 1920s castle-style clubhouse over a round of golf and a delicious meal can help seal important partnerships and deals.

For Europe's best players, and the occasional American player who flies across the Atlantic to compete, such as Will Zalatoris, Wentworth is home to one of their most important tournaments of the year. The BMW PGA Championship is the signature event of the Rolex Series and has been held annually at Wentworth West since 1984.

For golf fans around the world, Wentworth is the birthplace of the Ryder Cup. The club hosted an international tournament in 1926, the precursor to the Ryder Cup, before hosting the real tournament in 1953. It is no surprise, then, that nearly every European Ryder Cup hero of the past four decades has won here – Langer (1987, 1993), Woosnam (1988, 1997), Faldo (1989), Seve (1991), Olazabal (1994), Montgomerie (1998-2000), Rory (2014), Francesco Molinari (2018) and many more. It is arguably the premier tournament host outside of the major British venues.

The Wentworth Club, which will celebrate its centennial in 2022, will host the 2024 BMW PGA Championship this week, marking the club’s 44th time hosting the event (it also hosted the event from 1972 to 1974). Be sure to tune in to Golf Channel for live coverage.

Els has tweaked the 7,247-yard West Course several times over the past eight years, striving to perfect its details. SubAir technology, the first installed in Europe, keeps greens firm and fast for year-round playing conditions. Harry Colt's original design was a par 73 for members, with the first 473-yard hole listed as a par 5 but a par 4 for the pros. The course follows a circular route through an upscale neighborhood in the hilly, forested suburbs of London. Rory McIlroy, who owns a mansion on the course, will be the star of this year's tournament.

Wentworth West is not a true wasteland course like some of its more famous neighbours in Surrey. Xiangyang and walton heathbut it is still a special treat to experience it in person. I stayed at Westworth for two days last fall, and from the Trackman driving range to the comfort of the club's executive suite, it was world-class.

In 2014, the Wentworth Club was sold to new Chinese owners, a change that attracted a lot of negative press from disgruntled members, many of whom left the club. Club director Stuart Boyle said the Wentworth Club had emerged on the other side of the controversy as it had never been before, thanks to continued investment in the club's facilities. The photos below give a glimpse into life at the club, from amenities to dining and other courses.

The club's East and Edinburgh courses were fun and complemented the wonderful West Course. At the end of the tournament, I hit consecutive par 5s on the West Course, which made me feel like a champion…even though I didn't win the official prize money.

Here is a detailed guide to Wentworth West:

The game starts from an elevated tee box next to the statue, which faces a winding fairway with a fairway bunker on the right. For members, this hole is a par 5, but for professionals, it is a par 4. The uphill fairway is more difficult because there may be downhill or side slope lies and four greenside bunkers must be cleared.

The first par 3 again climbs to an elevated green that is surrounded by three bunkers to the front, left and back. As the shortest par 3 on the course, this is an early birdie opportunity.

Trees and bunkers on either side of the fairway create problems for players who don't hit the ball straight. This is one of the tougher par 4s on the course, so players may want to play conservatively, hitting the ball into the fairway off the tee and getting to the green within regulation to avoid early pressure.

The fourth hole slopes blindly to the left, and if players can find the speed groove, the ball will be kicked farther into the fairway. A creek crosses the fairway at 350 yards, so long hitters must be careful. Bunkers are located on both sides of the green. As the easiest hole on the course, this is a good opportunity for eagle. Anything worse than birdie will make most shots fail.

Over the years, the tee area of ​​this par 3 has been expanded, with new back tees added to force players to hit longer irons. There are four bunkers around the green, with the slope of the bunkers sending the ball from left to right.

There is a bunker on each side of the fairway to catch errant balls. Like most greens at Wentworth West, the sixth hole has three bunkers for strong defense.

The seventh hole is the most interesting section of the course. This short par 4 requires players to make smart decisions on the tee shot to avoid being swept away by the stream that runs through the fairway at 290 yards. Most will lean back to avoid the dense heather and long rough, leaving a wedge-shaped fairway leading to an elevated two-tiered green surrounded by two steep bunkers in front. Trees will block the approach from the right.

For amateurs, the flooded eighth hole is terrifying. About 260 yards from the tee, the fairway becomes a bottleneck. Even the pros don’t want to play over water. With greenside baffles and ponds filled with fountains, Wentworth has a very TPC Sawgrass vibe, which is highly unconventional (but appealing) for a British club.

The ninth hole is the opposite direction of the eighth hole and is the only parallel fairway in the west. There is a bunker on the left side of the fairway 270 yards away, but there is another bunker 60 yards further on the right side, which only a few players will encounter trouble. The greenside bunker guards the left side of the green, and the right side extends outward, so even if the tee shot is good, you still need to worry about bogey.

The 10th is the most interesting par 3 on the West Side, with a heather field leading to a narrow corridor that leads through or around a peculiar tree on the left to the green. The bunker in front is very lively.

Four steep fairway bunkers sandwich the landing area of ​​this beautiful hole, which curves left and slopes with the terrain. A well-controlled tee shot for a right-hander will give him a perfect approach to a green that's swaying away from the ball and has bunkers on both sides.

This drive needs to fly past three trees on the right side of the dogleg fairway on the left. It takes 280 yards to reach the two fairway bunkers on that side. Unless a big shot hits a tree or the shot is mishit, the ditch across the fairway in front of the green should not be considered valid. Landing in the three greenside bunkers is a more likely mistake. The first of three par 5s in the final seven holes makes the back nine score 37, which is very rare.

The 13th is a par 4 version of the same hole – a dogleg left with a ditch running diagonally across the green. Since it also has three greenside bunkers – two on the right and one on the left, the only difference seems to be the fairway bunker on the left that can stop tee shots. It's best to play on the right side of the fairway for the best angle into the green.

The 14th hole has a steeper slope than any other hole. There are bunkers on the front right, back left and right sides, and the cloverleaf-shaped green is divided into different areas. If you hit the tee shot correctly, the ball will go into the hole, but if you miss, you will face the difficulty of two putts.

Handicap No. 1 plays similarly, even for power hitters. While there are no fairway bunkers, the short grass stretches out to 320 yards with out-of-bounds areas on either side. After jumping over more ditches and two greenside bunkers, the green slopes from right to left to prevent par, creating good positions for some pin positions.

The 16th hole has been adjusted several times, but it is still relatively simple overall. Two fairway bunkers on the right side force players to either tie or stay on the left side. Two bunkers on the edge of the green limit the approach route.

Sunday’s rounds are usually won or lost here: two consecutive par 5s, each offering a different challenge. The 17th turns sharply left and curves the entire way, with not a bunker in sight. Awkward angles, a sloping fairway and thick rough make it hard to keep your balance. The right side of the green drops sharply into sticky rough, while the left side is marked out of bounds by a thick hedge. Many will play in two shots, but not for birdie.

Forget 18 days Pebble Beach – This is the best par 5 in championship golf. It flies to the right, in the opposite direction from the 17th. To make a hole-in-two, players need to find a small strip of fairway about 300 yards from the tee and close to the ditch – either by hitting the ball over the trees on the right line or around the corner. Mistakes will bounce into the dogleg rough, the ditch or the two fairway bunkers. The penal lie will force many players to stop in front of the water hazard, which winds across the fairway and along the left side of the green. Others will feel obligated to try against their better judgment. This is the hole with the greatest risk-reward, providing a great stage for fans and spectators.