Goldfinger Golf Course

[RC_Stanfield (Guest)]

I was watching Bond and noticed the golf course scenes....cant place the golf house but the bag room/caddy shack looked like Sunningdales although so many over there are similar....what course is it and was the clubhouse added in to make it look like a different place.

[jeff_lewis (Guest)]

stoke poges?

[Craig_Rokke]

But, of course, Moneypenny, Jeff's right.

[John_D._Bernhardt]

I think we went through this last year but sunningdale or wentworth seems like the answer.

[Tom Doak]

The clubhouse is definitely Stoke Poges but I'm not sure if the golf course is or not ... haven't seen it in a long time.

In the book Fleming describes a thinly veiled Royal St. George's.  I guess he wasn't interested in golf architecture enough to make up his own design.

[TomL]

Its stoke poges and the course scenes were filmed there as well apparently or so I have been told and I am playing it in 13 days

Thank god for corporate golf !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Brian_Ewen]

Are you sure its Stoke Poges?
Isnt it Stoke Park ? , or are they the same ?

[Daniel Wexler]

Tom D:

You might well be right about Fleming's level of interest, but he was also a longtime member of Royal St. George's...and Huntercombe...and several others.  The man definitely had taste....

DW

[TEPaul]

Why don't we just call up the real Bond (007)--Sean Connery that is (the rest of them are just poor to moderate imposters) and ask him? The man is absolutely addicted to golf--and I remember how addicted he was to golf during the filming of Thunderball. He couldn't wait to get away from that film's sex goddess and go play the Lyford Cay G.C.

[ForkaB]

Brian

It was Stoke Poges at the time of "Goldfinger", and is now Stoke Park.

[TEPaul]

Whatever "Poges" meant or means, I think they should change the name back to it! To me it sounds like some ancient arcane process of boiling eggs or something and that's far more interesting than your everyday "Park"!

[Paul_Turner]

I believe the golf club is still called Stoke Poges (the name of the local village) but the mansion and grounds... is (and always has been) called Stoke Park.

The club has had a big injection of cash in recent years and they've added 9 holes which are supposed to along Colt's original plans (it didn't look very inspiring to my quick look).  

The club also did some bunker renovation which looked good (it was half done when I was there).  But they ruined the back 9 by destroying the original 15th and 16th and building two poor replacement holes.   I think this was probably done because the original 15th crossed the entrance road, nevermind that it worked fine for almost 100 years!  As the home of the Colt Association, you'd have thought they'd have done better!

They also have Merion style baskets.  I thought this was a gimmick at first, but looking at old photos of Stoke Poges I saw baskets instead of flags.

[Mike_Cirba]

Weren't the Poges an Irish punk-rock band?  

I recall the lead singer just sort of mumbled incoherently...probably would have made a great Bondian character!!

[Robert Kimball]

I watched it last night as well.  My favorite Bond movie by a mile.  It has the best exchange:

Goldfinger: "The reason for our first 2 meetings is now obvious to me.  I do not intend to have a third, good day Mr. Bond."

Bond (on the lazer machine): "So, Goldfinger, do you expect me to talk?"

GF: "Nooooo Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!"  

I laugh everytime I see it.  I wonder if Mr. Connery is a GCA lurker???  

[Mike Vegis @ Kiawah]

Here's a good piece of trivia for all you Bond fans.  In addition to all of the James Bond novels, Ian Fleming is also the author of the children's book, "Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang!"  Yikes!

Dick Van Dyke also packs a Walther PPK...

[TEPaul]

Goldfinger was a GREAT movie! Sean Connery was THE BEST!

Among other things nobody on earth could possibly say Pussy Galore half as well as he could----POOUUUSEY!

[Dan Kelly]

Goldfinger was a GREAT movie! Sean Connery was THE BEST!

Among other things nobody on earth good possibly say Pussy Galore half as well as he could----POOUUUSEY!

Tom I (et al.) --

My tip for the day, week, month, year:

While you type away there, open up a second Internet connection to http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/radioscotland/ . Listen, particularly, to the Brian Morton show (it's on now) -- and you will hear a guy who could rival Connery's Pussy. Wait till you hear him say "book" -- a more likely event, it occurs to me, than his saying "Pussy," Galore or otherwise.

[TEPaul]

Dan:

Could that guy say 'book' To Pussy (Honor Blackman--how's that for trivia?) and get the same reaction out of that man-hating siren that SC could get out of her by saying 'book', not to mention saying "POOUUUSEY"?

[Dan Kelly]

Tom I --

Listen for yourself!

You just missed a wonderful "Ave Maria."

And even as I typed that sentence, Brian said "Book."

Be still, my heart!

[TEPaul]

Dan:

OHMyGod!

Wha, wha, wha, what's this?

Do you and Pussy Galore have something in common?

[Dan Kelly]

Dan:

OHMyGod!

Wha, wha, wha, what's this?

Do you and Pussy Galore have something in common?

Yes, we do.

We're both major characters in Ian Fleming novels.

I was the inspiration for the James Bond character. Didn't you know that about me?