Inside the Halfway Hut at Sunningdale | Halfway Houses | Golf Digest

Inside the Halfway Hut at Sunningdale | Halfway Houses | Golf Digest

there’s a couple of crackers there look at these two if you get a camera on them boys that’s why they’re the best sausages in the land well Sunningdale Golf Club here we are this is a course I have been to in the past so I have got a little bit of an idea what we’re in store for today however it’s great to be back and this place is famous for a particular kind of sandwich there’s a Prestige around a club like this it’s way over 100 years old so loads of history and tradition and you sense that as soon as you come through the gates something that you kind of you know you stand a bit taller and you act a bit more mature what a day for it oh any golf club that allows dogs sign me up and sunningdale’s one of them you see the dogs as soon as you come in water bowls everywhere they’re welcome and they’re very well behaved yes perhaps sausages has got something to do with it and that’s you know perhaps the reward for these well-behaved dogs it’s one of those places that you really look forward to coming to you also need to make sure you’re on your best behavior at golf club like this and I can remember getting in trouble here a couple of times for you know not sticking to the rules you’ve got to make sure you’re ready to play by the rules [Music] good morning how are you excellent I believe I’ve got some above average company today in Sam Torrance I met him at the Scottish open and I I couldn’t stop calling him Mr Torrance and he was like I don’t know you don’t have to call me Mr Florence you know that’s my dad but with someone of that Prestige you kind of feel like you can’t just Bowl in with all right Sam yeah he’s a legend but I hope he leads us to the halfway house because ultimately that’s what we’re here to say and it’s all about you know the journey to get there is the first step so good company on the course today and a cracking venue yeah okay many shops you give me absolutely none I play all six I play off about 26. you know I was assistant here yay 1971. I love this place lots of great memories I’m very happy to be here and it’s success straight down there yeah please that’s very kind thank you good hit that’s fine leave it left I’m sorry foreign strike all right we’re off and running we are off and running that’s a cracker so you probably know a little bit about what we’ve been up to we’ve been on a kind of Adventure to find and uncover some of the greatest halfway houses in the world the world in the world not Brit no you’ve been all over the place let me tell you we’ve been to Mexico we ‘ve been to Las Vegas we’ve been to the very north of Scotland and now here we are at Sunningdale it’s all about kind of you know not just the halfway house itself the building and what goes on there but that’s kind of I guess what we’re trying to understand here at Sunningdale is you know where does it sit in the club everyone stops uh it’s just the great place to sit down and the view looking back down the Townsville is lovely and whoever’s up pays for lunch is that right and there’s some sneaky ones here you know the one down on purpose and then we’ll be ordering bottles of whiskey and sandwiches nice nice great read about the other day hey got it feels good birdie always feels good there’s nothing really has changed with this place it’s exactly the same as it was all those years ago it’s just it’s friendly it’s a comfortable course to play the hair that is evil but beautiful and it’s just a great golf course it’s a great playing course it’s not it’s not a slog it’s not impossible and we halfway Hut to beat them all right we’ll see I am get hungry I’m not gonna lie I’ve there’s been a lot of build up to this sausage sandwich and I’m well we’ll just keep walking just to give you your first view of it yeah we’ll Augusta isn’t it it’s absolutely percent and the art is appearing now see a buggy outside so I guess for the time it’s calming isn’t it you just look at it and just ah yeah it feels like you know because you feel like you’re quite close to home now the halfway home we’re doing all right today but if it has been a tough yes it’s nice when you’re one up isn’t it but remember Iona who pays for the heart so that this Hall’s very important yes you make the two up and now my guaranteed lungs oh delicious delicious that’s very close oh there you go two up okay big trouble let’s go and get some sausages it’s like the screen we’re nearly there working off a bit of an appetite what would you say is your regular order what you’re thinking about about now I would generally have a sausage uh sometimes no bread sometimes bread and possibly even though we use libation of red wine which is very nice just to ease the wrists and hands for the back nine quite right you could spend as much time as you want there but if another group comes up you you should vacate and grow so you’ll get 15 minutes you certainly don’t feel like you’re half an hour away from London do you no you don’t how lucky I’m hungry come on come on let’s go you’re buying I’ve got Scottish pounds do they take that here [Laughter] there she is the best Swiss Family there’s a lot of Swiss Charlie huh we better sort of a wee bit Hansel and Gretel yeah a little stunning it is stunning I like that it’s understood yes there’s a there’s a scale about it that’s not overbearing no probably quite fitting with this club actually in the ethos have kind of you know subtlety and yes there’s no not many gold trimmings and no there’s a lovely lady here I believe Rita Rita Rita’s yeah Rita’s wonderful if you’re met with a smiley face and someone that you know is looking forward to seeing you it can really make or break a place yeah where is she where’s she gone where the hell have you gone yeah and one down it’s the perfect result at the hut you did see it didn’t you I didn’t see it so it doesn’t count well it’s coming at the hall [Music] come on Ariana come on then hey Rita this is the boss he’s the boss Hello nice to meet you I got Versace it’s got to be the sausage sandwich please brain please just one size one sausage or uh gosh um yes one slice one sausage yep that sounds like the thing to do like a well done one yeah that looks that looks absolutely spot-on thank you as bump as you’ve got in there please I can’t leave you on your own no bread no bread no bread I’ll have a white wine as well then please so there’s a couple of crackers there look at these two you should get the camera on them boys that’s why they’re the best sausages in the land for the members like them well done yeah it’s everybody does something a bit of a peely Wally sausage Jesus thanks Cheers Cheers all we’ve got plenty okay the runner are nothing here it’s great do the workers no you’re not allowed to the sausage beer or something sausage I’m sure we do cheers there we go do you keep the sausage sandwiches going all year round sausages are always on but we do sell more sausages in the winter quite clearly yeah you do addition of the day as well we do a dish of the day at the weekend so that they can come in and either have a curry or a shepherd’s pie Curry chili whoa so yes I wear it real yeah and we make all of our cakes and our Flapjacks as well so that’s all homemade as well so it’s amazing we like to look after all around our visitors are you aware of the sort of pivotal role that you have for the members and and visitors that come to play at Sunningdale Rita when I started I just thought it’s going to be this little heart in the middle of the woods and they’re going to have like 10 minutes a day to sit on the deck chair have a little rest and it quickly became apparent that this was a big deal yeah a big big deal and you know some of the members say to me they can go around the world and they always say about the halfway house at Sunningdale and the Sausages you know so I you know over the years it’s become aware that I am flying the flag for Sunningdale and that you know we have to give them that experience when they come here because they’ve heard all about it from from their friends and everything you know so I think it is important okay brown or white bread no bread is that one okay yeah there’s course records at these two fabulous golf courses but there is also a record where we’re sitting okay and I spoke to the person concerned last night with sir Darren Clark the Ryder Cup captain winner of the opener winner of the seniors open and Glenn Eagles very recently and I’d heard a rumor that he had a record of 17 sausages so I sent him a message last night is it true I’m doing a piece that halfway out tomorrow and I just want to know is it true down and he accused me of a heinous act accusing him of this having 17 sausages the nanny said but I will say I did have 12 once it was bread as well well he has a record of 12. well well quite good I’ll tell you I’ve got one down the hatch that’s just 11 to go that’s your second you’re such a liar he said now I had two and she said that’s my first no I’m not gonna have another one I don’t know why we’re telling this about all our secrets anyway there’ll be hordes of people trying to come in here everything is a star thank you so much for giving us even more Hospitality all right but thank you for showcasing the halfway house at Sunny out of it so um the more people that can see it the better [Music] it’s time to leave at nasty the weather which as unfortunately on the Scottish as well because that’s normally an advantage for me when it starts raining but now I’m up against it again which is younger fitter helper everyone up I’m a fair weather golf but she doesn’t get cold you’re one up yeah fun you’ve been absolutely wonderful company real a real gent thank you well thank you for that and it’s been a treat to see you Sunningdale halfway house which is of course why we came it’s beautiful though isn’t it it’s a very special the stories are true it’s a great halfway huh yeah lovely Rita how nice is Rita oh this is wonderful and they look after you they really do they know what people like they know well they’re taking the tea while they’re taking the coffee it’s not like you have to reorder every time you remember well that’s good I’m playing with a Ryder Cup Legend and I feel like I’m planning to win the Ryder Cup here but I own it oh if you don’t get it stiff I’m not giving you the next one so what is rattle the end uh even my glove couldn’t have put yours my movement is thank you sleep well I’m glad that bowl it was motoring oh what a joy that was thank you so much for your company and for showing us the halfway house yeah I hope you enjoyed the halfway house as much as the members do it really is a special place yeah it is a club that is is rich in history and it’s over 120 years old I believe the halfway house first arrived in 1903. on the Sunningdale Golf Club website there is a little line that is quite fitting it says tradition says that everybody stops and imbibes but speedily and it touches on a lot of things there first of all the tradition one of the most important aspects of this club and it tells you that everybody should stop the use of the word imbibe instead of consume or drink is very stunning deal it of course implies drinking of some variety and then lastly enjoy your game enjoy a drink but do it speedily we don’t want a four hour Round Here there is an English piece to it that’s very contrasting to what you find in Scotland which is like in Scotland there’s bragging rights of how quickly you get around the golf course you know I went out this morning and me and my friend and you know we didn’t take three hours to get around and it’s almost like you win a medal for that you don’t get the same sort of pace here it’s slightly more leisurely and I feel like it’s that it is a pretty nice happy medium of that 15 minute slot so it’s not a grab and go and it’s not what we had in Mexico or perhaps Las Vegas where you can basically take up to an hour and you can just let grips go you know I don’t see anyone giving up their spot in a hurry they want to keep their spot so it’s a 15-minute slot but that is quite a significant amount of time to relax you can certainly have something to eat and digest it a little bit before you have to head to the 11th tea in this scenario and there’s something nice about that I feel because you’re past the halfway point so I feel like they’ve got a pretty good thing going on here at Sunningdale and they find a nice balance between taking time enough time not too much but you’re not rushing either here there is a leisureliness to it um that feels very civilized this is another example of a halfway house reflecting the overall body of the club and the ethos and the personality of what the club represents in a miniature way it’s quite comforting and traditional and I think if you look at what they’re serving there in a way it’s almost like what you’d get from your mum the sausages are something that you hear far and wide about Sunningdale Golf Club the sausage sandwich it did not disappoint and it’s probably for both humans and dogs the magic ingredient oh God oh God oh God

Built in 1903, the historic halfway hut at Sunningdale Golf Club is famous for its hospitality, dogs and sausages. Iona Stephen gets a tour from honorary member Sam Torrance to experience it firsthand.

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