Sunningdale Golf Club

Sunningdale Golf Club is a golf club welll known to Agatha Christie located in Sunningdale, Berkshire, England, some 30 miles (50 km) west-southwest of London. Founded in 1900, the club has two eighteen hole golf courses: the Old Course, and the New Course, which opened in 1923. The club has hosted many prestigious events in golf, and also has the original "Dormy House" which later became a popular name in other clubs used to designate a building which provides accomodation for members.

Agatha Christie and Sunningdale Golf Club
Agatha and Archie Christie moved to Sunningdale in the 1920s. They first rented an apartment in a large Victorian building named Scotswood. Later, in 1925, they bought a house nearby which they named "Styles House" after the building in Christie's first novel. Archie was elected to the Sunningdale Golf Club and soon became a keen golfer, with an enthusiasm bordering on religious fervour. As a result, Agatha got to know the golf course and the area very well.

Sunningdale Golf Club in the works of Christie
Sunningdale Golf Club is the setting for The Sunningdale Mystery. The murder victim Captain Sessle was a member and played there regularly, always wearing a bright blue jacket. He was later found murdered at the seventh tee. Tommy Beresford who, with his wife Tuppence, investigated Sessle's death is likely also to have been a member as he had played there often and used his knowledge of the layout of the course to solve the mystery.

Christie used her local knowledge to great advantage and many of the features of the golf club are faithfully described in the story. She mentions for example, a public footpath which runs crosses the links and that was in fact where the witnesses saw Captain Sessle talking with a tall woman. She also mentioned a "slip" after the 8th green leading to the Windlesham road. Captain Sessle left the course on one of these slips. In the story she mentions the Dormy House, a building used by the club as accomodation for members. Mr Hollaby spent the night there after golfing with Captain Sessle. This building is exists and is now used as a nursing home. In the story, Tommy posits that Sessle's murderer left the course using one of the "slips" and made his way to Woking about 5-6 miles away to catch a train. This is also geographically accurate.