Sunningdale (Thompson)

J. Gordon Thompson acquired the property for the Sunningdale course in 1932 when he purchased a 100-acre farm to the north of the old London city boundary. Within two years, a 9-hole course – designed by the famous course architect Stanley Thompson – was in use and a full 18-hole layout was ready for play the year after that.

When the Sunningdale Golf & Country Club decided to develop their 400-acre property with the addition of another 18 holes in the 1970s, C.E. “Robbie” Robinson, one of the late Stanley Thompson’s closest associates, was tasked with the construction of a complementary new West course and the original layout became known as the East. Today, the West is called the "Robinson" and the East is known as the "Thompson".

Medway Creek features on the opening holes, especially at the 4th where water crosses the fairway twice. The hole is short for a par five at 472 yards but not many golfers will go for the green in two here because of the water that snakes round the front of the green.

Typical of Thompson, he configured the front nine in non-conventional style with three par threes (at holes 3, 5 and 9) and back-to-back par fives at the 7th and 8th holes.

The three par four holes on the back nine between the 13th and 15th are called the “fence holes” as they skirt the edge of the property with out of bounds down the left hand side of each fairway. This trio precedes a fine finish to the round at hole 18 where a small pond protects the front right hand side of the home green.

Gordon R. Thompson, grandson of the founder, has been instrumental in more recent times in re-establishing Sunningdale as one of the top golfing venues in the south west of Ontario. He has overseen the club as it installed new irrigation systems, remodeled bunkers with imported Ohio sand, expanded the number of teeing areas and constructed a new, traditional-style clubhouse.

Doug Carrick – who has been providing design services to the club since 1985 – laid out six new holes for the Thompson Course during the second half of 2017, with a view to the new layout being brought into play by the end of 2018. The new holes have been constructed to reflect the design philosophy and style of Stanley Thompson.