The Home of the BMW PGA Championship Is a Worthy Addition to an England Itinerary
SURREY, England — As you watch the BMW PGA Championship the realization must hit you that if you make the trip to England, the West course at Wentworth can be one of your stops.
One of the best things about golf is that you can play those same courses that you see on television and are the home of different tournaments.
Wentworth Club has hosted 102 European Tour events, with this week’s 2023 BMW PGA Championship added to the list.
The West course, which was designed by Harry Colt and redesigned in modern times by four-time major winner Ernie Els, is complemented by three more world-class layouts: the East course, Edinburgh course and the nine-hole Executive course. The rich history of the club and 19th-century clubhouse is currently being celebrated by a five-year Centenary Celebration.
Playing from the fairway is crucial at Wentworth's West course, home to many pro events.
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But it’s the West everyone wants to talk about and play, even the pros look forward to this week in September.
“I love it. I love it,” 2021 BMW champion Billy Horschel said. “I've loved it from the first day I played a practice round, I'd loved it from the time I watched it on TV. I just think it's a beautiful golf course.”
Horschel went on to talk about the requirement of playing the championship layout: putting the ball in the fairway, which allows you to be a little more aggressive into the greens and then the added requirement of shaping the ball around the trees.
A traditional heathland course, the amount and placement of heather makes Wentworth an idyllic venue and one which all players like to play.
“I think the move to September has really helped to get a lot of the warm summer months of growth, uses to be end of May, and it was it was tough to get it in great shape,” Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald said. “But since moving to September, it certainly got improved a lot.”
When Wentworth plays hard and fast, as the hope is when the tournament moved to the fall, the experience is exemplary.
“Great place, they really have revamped it over the years,” Padraig Harrington said. “It always was one of the biggest events obviously in Europe, but the golf course has turned itself into a great championship course. I find it tough in the swirling winds but the actual course itself is fabulous.”
If you take the time to visit and play Wentworth, you have to take the time for lunch or dinner in the newly upgraded Burma Bar and if you don’t try the homemade focaccia bread, which is better than what comes out of Italy.