Is This The Most Unique Golf Artwork You Will Find? Sunningdale Heath's New 'Banksy-esque' Paintings Offer A Striking Contrast To 'Stuffy' Clubhouses

Despite knowing that it's coming around every year, I never fail to be caught out by the odd April Fool's prank... but this year an iconic English golf club went one step further.

On Monday 1st April 2024, Sunningdale Heath Golf Club released a well-timed social media post intended to hoodwink viewers into believing there had been a break-in at their Ascot-based clubhouse.

Staged CCTV footage saw three masked figures force their way into the building, swiftly followed by an apparent vandalism spree involving spray-paint and the clubhouse wall.

The club went on to ease the minds of the golfing public, and of course their paying members, by admitting this was a planned event, but their intention was not simply to have a little fun.

The club explained: "Nearly a year ago Sunningdale Heath were introduced to renowned graffiti artists Troika paint, to explore how they could collaborate to bring something unique to the Golf Club."

By trying something outside of the box, Sunningdale have started a much needed conversation about inclusivity in golf, doing so through the introduction of a modern art installation that aims to make the clubhouse less intimidating and more enticing for new golfers.

"All of the hard work has clearly paid off, Troika have created something that achieves all that was set out and more. Sunningdale Heath is always striving to create an inclusive and fun atmosphere at the club, what better way to do this than through art. Fair to say this has never been done at a golf club before."

The collaboration with Troika, an influential art collective made up of three talented artists, has received plenty of positive feedback and could even encourage other golf clubs to follow suit in considering their own approach to inclusivity.

"Troika have designed a fun piece of art that is full of inclusive images, inspirational people, amusing illustrations and colour in abundance.

"From the start everybody involved knew how challenging this would be, something that had never been done before and that would really challenge. The vision was to create something that would showcase the clubs beliefs and at the same time put a smile on people’s faces, for children and adults to take inspiration from."

In the video documenting the journey of this project, Co-Owner at Sunningdale Heath, Kristian Baker, described how the club gave Troika 'full artistic license' and kept the installation a secret until the launch.

At approximately nine months in the making, the concept aimed to bring 'something fun to the golf club' that also exemplifies the message of being an inclusive, fun and enjoyable place to be.

Many new golfers will tell you that the clubhouse can be an intimidating place, with a code of conduct that beginners can find confusing. The perception of these 'stuffy', often outdated environments that can feel slightly behind the times tend to immediately put prospective members and visitors off a prolonged stay, but that doesn't have to be the case.

The intent behind this project clearly aims to break down some of those barriers, and welcome golfers of all ages and abilities into their community.

While this is just one step towards achieving the inclusivity goal that most golf clubs strive for, Sunningdale Heath have certainly moved the issue further into the spotlight and, in my opinion, they should be commended for doing so.