History

Laleham golf Club stands on a picturesque and historic bank of the River Thames between Laleham and Chertsey. In 1903, a group of Chertsey gentlemen decided to construct a golf course and negotiated a sum with the 4th Earl of Lucan for renting the Laleham Burway.

In the 7th century the monks of Chertsey Abbey owned the land and constructed a system of drainage ditches known as the Burway. The Club still benefits from their work, as the Course often remains dry when others are forced to close during wet weather. One rectangular shaped enclosure can still be seen on the Course and is an English Heritage protected monument. The Third Earl of Lucan had previously purchased all the land on the Burway of which he financed with money earned by his part in the debacle of the Charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimean War.

Despite the fact that the only original access from Laleham was across the Thames via the old Ferry and from Chertsey a long walk down Ferry Lane, Jack White, Open Champion in 1904, designed the Course and by August of 1904, the Chertsey Golf Club was up and running. The 4th Earl of Lucan was invited to be the Club President, his eldest son, Lord Bingham, the first Captain.

1974 saw a loss to the members of a very generous President and landlord when the 7th Earl of Lucan disappeared to fuel Britain’s most celebrated and documented mystery. In 2003 Laleham Golf Club held it’s Centenary and the 8th Earl of Lucan came to Laleham to meet with the membership.

The refurbished Clubhouse which still preserves the timbers and character of a Victorian cricket pavilion, is still a welcoming venue to either enjoy a post round drink, a pot of tea and onsite freshly baked scones or to sit down for a sumptuous lunch.

But Laleham’s history turned another corner in 2008, when the club was sold to Thorney Park Golf Ltd whose company also owns Thorney Park Golf Club nearby in Iver, Bucks. Although the club now functions as a Propriety Members’ Club; it still fully upholds the traditions of Laleham Golf Club and all that it stands for.