Everything you need to know about the Sunningdale Foursomes

You may have heard of the Sunningdale Foursomes – but what is it, when is it played, and how do you enter? Let’s dive in…

It’s Sunningdale Foursomes week – which means the golf season is here! So, what do you want to know?

What is the Sunningdale Foursomes?

The prestigious Sunningdale Foursomes is an annual golf tournament which takes place over four days each March at Sunningdale Golf Club.

Other than a handful of cancelations, including eight in a row due to World War II, it has been held every year since 1934.

It is an open tournament for pairs featuring any combination of male or female, professional or amateur golfers – and each player is handicapped as such.

While the handicapping has varied during the competition’s history, they are currently as follows:

• Male professionals: +1
• Male amateurs: 0
• Female professionals: 2
• Female amateurs: 3

All players play from the same tees and to the same par.

Where is the Sunningdale Foursomes played?

The clue’s in the name here.

The stunning Sunningdale Golf Club, around 25 miles from London in Berkshire, hosts the annual Sunningdale Foursomes.

Both the Old and New courses at the superlative Berkshire heathland are used for the opening two days, with just the Old used for the third and fourth days following the halfway cut.

• Where did Sunningdale rank in our Top 100 Golf Courses in the World list?

What is the Sunningdale Foursomes format?

Again, they’re giving away quite a lot in the name, but it is a foursomes competition – that’s alternate shot to the layman – which is played as a straight match play knockout.

How do you enter the Sunningdale Foursomes?

Unfortunately, it’s not just a case of coughing up an entry fee and rocking up at Sunningdale.

The first Sunningdale Foursomes, in 1934, featured just 46 pairs. These days, 128 teams will enter, while applications far exceed that – with entrants required to include supporting material outlining their recent golfing achievements.

This year’s field includes a number of tour stars, including Charley Hull and Georgia Hall, as well as big names from other sports, such as soccer legend Gareth Bale.

Who’s won the Sunningdale Foursomes?

The winners’ circle includes a number of legends of the game, including major champions and Ryder Cup stars such as Dai Rees, Alf Padgham, Max Faulkner, Brian Huggett, Peter Alliss, Neil Coles, Peter Oosterhuis, Clive Clark, Sam Torrance, and Luke Donald.

More recently, it’s been dominated by female players, including big names from the LPGA and LET, including Linn Grant, Maja Stark, Annabel Dimmock, and World No.1 amateur Lottie Woad.

Here’s the full list of Sunningdale Foursomes winners:

You’ll have no doubt noticed some missing years in that list. That’s because the Sunningdale Foursomes was not played between 1940 and 1947 due to World War II, or in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, while the tournaments of 1975, 2018 and 2023 were all abandoned due to snow.

Want more – including the full draw for the 2025 Sunningdale Foursomes? You can find it on the Sunningdale website.