Mass exodus at Wentworth over rise in annual fees to £20,000
‘Founding’ members vow to leave after golf club sets its sights on attracting the global super rich
WENTWORTH golf club is facing an exodus of its “founding” members after its owners announced a 50 per cent rise in fees to £20,000 a year.
Some members had already decided to quit and look for new clubs and will not wait for the rise in fees to kick in at the start of next year.
One Wentworth stalwart, who has been playing at the club since 1963, and a former pilot, who joined 42 years ago, said they were sad to be leaving but could no longer justify the cost as they played their final round last week
The furore over the increase in fees is the latest row to engulf the club since it was sold to the Reignwood Group in 2014 for £135 million.
The Chinese-owned investment company is owned by Dr Chanchai Ruayrungruang, who made his fortune making and selling the Red Bull energy drink in his homeland.
Wentworth’s owners want members to move to a new scheme which requires them to pay £150,000 for a debenture and an annual fee on top.
They plan to transform the Surrey course into one of the world’s most exclusive golf clubs and had hoped to sell 888 debentures. The number is considered particularly lucky in China.
It is thought the club is about halfway to its target as it tries to attract the super rich to the course.
Sir Michael Parkinson, one of Wentworth’s most famous members, warned in 2016 that “a lot of members will go elsewhere” and wondered if that was the reason for the fee increase.
“Maybe they will get their car park full of Lamborghinis,” he said.
When the club first tried to force members to switch to debentures, a threat of legal action and a mass revolt prompted Wentworth to backtrack.
About 200 so-called “founding” members were allowed to stay on at the club with annual fees limited to inflationlinked rises for five years. Those five years are up in 2022.
In a statement circulated last week by Neil Coulson, Wentworth’s general manager, he said: “Further to communications sent by the club on Nov 27 2020, I wish to update you on the board’s decision for non-debenture member subscriptions for 2022. The board now wishes to confirm that from Jan 1 2022, the annual subscriptions for non-debenture categories tennis and health, golf and full membership will increase by 50 per cent. For the above non-debenture categories there will be a debenture membership opportunity.”
Mr Coulson concluded: “Wishing you continued good health and safety.”
One departing member, a retired pilot who has been playing at the club for more than 40 years, said: “I will miss the fact it’s a great place to play golf but it’s substantially different with the clientele they have now. Things change and not necessarily for the better.”
Another, who was first taken to Wentworth by his parents in 1963 at the age of five and has been playing ever since, said: ‘It is very sad to be going after all these years. It has lost the club feel to it.”
One member, who has been at the club for almost 25 years, said: “I am pretty well off and I have some good friends there but there is a new clique of nouveau riche clientele and I don’t know if I really want to stay on.”
Membership fees have already risen since Reignwood bought the club from Richard Caring, a restaurateur.
In 2017, they were about £10,000 a year but will be somewhere between £18,000 and £22,000 by the start of next year. Famous members include Kevin Pietersen, a former England cricket captain and Anton Du Beke, a professional ballroom dancer.
The club said: “Wentworth has a long-standing business strategy to retain and build on its status as one of the most prestigious golf and country clubs in the world. This is a matter for Wentworth and its members.”