Famous Golfers & their Home Courses

With some of the world’s biggest golfing celebs descending on Pebble Beach early next month for the AT&T National Pro-Am, we thought we’d look at some famous footsteps, from past and present, which you can follow on lush fairways from around the world.

Winston Churchill

The legendary wartime leader, politician, orator, writer and painter was a regular at Walton Heath Golf Club before World War One, and a frequent playing companion of then-Prime Minister H.H. Asquith. Apparently, discussion of serious matters on the course would often put Churchill off his game – much to Asquith’s delight. Churchill also played on his travels to Europe, with Cannes-Mandelieu in France being a particular favourite.

Bing Crosby

The legendary crooner was a fanatical low single-figure golfer, winning the club championship at celebrity-rich Lakeside Golf Club in Los Angeles five times, and he once made a hole-in-one on the legendary 16th at Cypress Point. Crosby also played in the U.S. Amateur championship and joined Bob Hope in competing in the 1949 British Amateur Championship at Portmarnock. Crosby started an annual golf pro-am in his name, the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am Tournament, now the AT&T National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach, and in view of his love for the game it’s perhaps fitting that he died walking off the 18th green at La Moraleja Golf Club in Madrid with his last words being: “That was a great game of golf, fellas.”

Sir Sean Connery

Despite being Scottish, the best known James Bond actor didn’t pick up a golf club until he was 32, at Stoke Park, near Pinewood Studios – the golf course that featured in the classic third Bond film, “Goldfinger.” Connery became well and truly bitten by the golf bug during filming and he travelled up to Royal Dornoch in the north-east Highlands of Scotland to develop his skills, becoming a firm fan of the famous rugged links course there. “Ever since then I have been drawn to links golf and its enduring challenges,” he said. Connery later became an R&A member and says that winning the club’s Silver Jubilee event at St. Andrews in 1977 is still one of his crowning achievements.

Ant and Dec

Ant and Dec host their own annual charity golf tournament at Slaley Hall, and it’s one of their favourite venues in their native North East England. “We love it,” said Dec. “Any day in the diary we see is free, there’s only one thing on our minds. We just look at each other and don’t have to say anything. If we can get 18 in, brilliant.”
“We do try to play golf a lot, but it’s usually a case of enjoying the taking part,” added Ant… understandable sentiment perhaps considering Ant plays off 24 and Dec has a handicap of 28!

Clint Eastwood

*Please note the above photo was taken by Joan Doast.

To celebrate an old friend’s return from the Korean War, Clint Eastwood took him for their first-ever round at Pebble Beach. Nearly five decades later, Eastwood and a group of friends, including Arnold Palmer, bought the famous venue for $820 million. “We just felt that an American resort like Pebble Beach should be owned by Americans,” he said. The five-time Academy Award-winner also plays regularly at Tehama, the course he owns in Carmel, California.

Clark Gable

The one-time King of Hollywood, best known for his portrayal of Rhett Butler in “Gone with the Wind,” started playing golf as a struggling actor on the public courses around Los Angeles. After active service in World War II, Gable joined Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, where he once made an ace at the 13th hole. His regular caddie at Bel-Air was Robert Wagner, who one day told Gable of his desire to be in the movies, so Gable introduced him to executives at MGM. During the making of his penultimate film, “It Started in Naples,” with Sophia Loren, Gable spent three weeks at the famous Villa d’Este hotel near Italy’s Lake Como – and he found time to play golf every single day!

Bill Gates

The co-founder of Microsoft and the world’s second richest man according to Forbes, Gates has belonged to Augusta National Golf Club – home of The Masters – since 2002, where he regularly plays with close friend Warren Buffett, the third-richest man in the world. One can only wonder what sort of stakes are played for! “$1 billion for the front nine, $1 billion for the back and $billion for the match yeh!?”

Sir Bruce Forsyth

He plays off a very handy 10 apparently – didn’t he do well! – Brucie is a regular at Wentworth where he has a sumptuous home overlooking the famous club’s fairways. He plays regularly with Strictly Dancing pro Anton du Beke and old friend Ronnie Corbett. Brucie’s other favourite venue is Dorado Beach in Puerto Rico, where he has a holiday home. The resort has four legendary championship golf courses, including the famous East and West Golf Courses, originally designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The creator of Sherlock Holmes was a single-digit handicapper who played all over the world, but his favourite venue for a weekend golf trip was Royal Cromer, on England’s east coast and Sheringham Golf Club, where there was a member named C. Moriarty! Conan Doyle later became the club captain at Crowborough Beacon and was one of the founders of Hindhead Golf Club in Surrey. A firm believer in spiritualism and the afterlife, he made a deal with his son, Kingsley, who was leaving to fight in World War I, that if anything should happen to him they would meet again on the club’s 4th green. Kingsley died in battle and for years afterward, the lonely figure of Conan Doyle could be seen sitting at the 4th, waiting forlornly for his son.

Tim Henman

Along with Hugh Grant, the British tennis star Tim Henman is a member at Sunningdale. Since retiring from tennis, Henman plays golf most weekdays and has managed to reduce his handicap to scratch. Impressive, but in fact he’s been a lifelong golfer who was treated to playing some of Europe’s finest courses as a youngster. “We used to go on holiday to Portugal regularly when I was growing up,” he says, “and even though I knew that tennis was what I wanted to do, I found over there that I played more golf. We would play around Vale do Lobo and San Lorenzo as well.” Not a bad place to hone your swing, is it?

For information on UK golf breaks and USA golf holidays please visit www.yourgolftravel.com or call 0800 043 6644.