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Polesden Lacey Golf Course, Great Bookham, Dorking, Surrey. (1900s - 1940s)
A National Trust Property that had a golf course laid out on the estate, some evidence of the former course can still be seen.
The course existed from the early 1900s to WW2.
It was the home of Mrs Ronald Greville who invited the great and powerful of her day including royalty to be her guests. It was her country retreat from 1906 to her death in 1942.
There is a photograph of George VI and the Queen Mother on the course when they spent their honeymoon there in April 1923.
Illustrated London News Saturday 28 April 1923. Images © Illustrated London News Group. Image © Illustrated London News Group.
We would like to thank the Bookham Community Association (Polesden Lacey History) for allowing us to use the following information regarding the golf course. The impressive article was written by the late Martin Warwick.
“On the drive up to Polesden Lacey from the Dorking Road there is a large field on the left hand side. Today it is used as pasture land for cattle or sheep or for many owners to exercise their dog. The dive takes a slight left turn and passes through the archway where National Trust identity cards used to be checked and goes on towards the house and the present day car park. In Mrs Greville’s day the field was laid out as a nine-hole golf course. Very few records remain of this course – to many dog walkers it is known as the golf field.
How can we connect this field with its use as a golf course? From the picture of Prince Albert and Elizabeth playing from the bunker it can be seen that this took place on a golf hole in the field which is rough grass today parallel to the pathway known as Admiral’s Walk. Behind the bunker the old drive can be see stretching from the front of the house across the lawns and over a bridge across Connicut Lane and away towards West Humble and Box Hill. In the heyday of Polesden Lacey this area was laid out as the ninth-hole leading back to the final green close to the house. An examination of the contours shows the outline of the bunker in the existing grass (see the photo and as it would have looked with sand). You can stand in the very same bunker from which George V1 played his shot to the ninth green! A further examination of the grass towards the house shows clearly the position of the green together with the not so obvious remains of a bunker which surrounded the final green. This would have allowed the ninth-hole to be just over 200 yards in length.
What of the large field that accommodated the first eight holes? There is very little evidence surviving of its once use but one distinguishing feature remains. If you examine the contours of the ground parallel to the fence nearest the entrance drive you will find the remains of yet another bunker in the field not far from the archway and lodge. This is featured in the photo. It could be assumed that this formed part of the first hole of the course as it is reasonable that the first tee would be as you enter the golf course from the house and that it would run parallel to the drive providing a hole of 400 yards plus to start the round. The bunker in the photo would form a nicely placed hazard. The field allows plenty of space for the remaining seven holes but it is not obvious how they were placed. Perhaps in time more evidence will emerge with others noticing from the contours of the land where the tees, holes and bunkers used to be.”
Ordnance Survey Map showing Polesden Lacey (Lacy) at the time of WW1. Connicut Lane is to the east.
O.S. Map Revised 1912 © Crown Copyright {year of publication 1919}.
The Google Map below pinpoints the location of the golf course.