Sunningdale contrasts

Catriona Matthew on the 18th at Sunningdale

By BBC Sport's Kitrina Douglas

It is not often that I go to golf clubs outside the West country and find my name on the honours boards.

But that is exactly what I found here at Sunningdale, venue for the Women's 2001 British Open.

There in the lounge is a list of winners of the Critchley Salver - the ladies 36 hole scratch event.

It is right alongside honours boards boasting the names of the club and national event winners that have been staged here over years.

Unfortunately my mention was as long ago as 1983!

Sunningdale is one of the few courses in the country to have a long history of both amateur and professional, ladies and men's tournaments.

The Sunningdale Foursomes, played early in the golfing year, is so attractive and has such a great golfing ethos that many tour professionals make a point of taking part.

Eccentricities

It is a credit to the Sunningdale golf club that this event remains a highlight of the golfing calendar.

Unfortunately, Sunningdale's great traditions are accompanied by some of strange golfing practices.

Sometimes these eccentricities are funny, but sometimes a little sad.

More practice for stars such as Sorenstam?

One of the humorous idiosyncrasies I remember is the treatment the urinals receive in preparation for women's events.

During women's competitions the men's locker rooms are turned over to the ladies. This leaves the problem of what to do with the now unnecessary urinals.

The Sunningdale club's answer: cover them with a curtain. Not quite as nice as the flowers I've seen in the urinals at other courses!

More serious is the way that some lesser-know English pros are denied equal pre-tournament practice privileges compared to the provision the better-known players receive.

This obviously creates an extremely unfair situation in terms of opportunity for tournament preparation.

Exclusivity

Sunningdale is also notorious as one of the most expensive golf clubs at which to play - this factor greatly influences access for many aspiring champions.

The Sunningdale exclusivity is light-heartedly reflected by the Champagne and Pimms tents being the closest tents to the practice ground!

Now that certainly says something about the kind of club that is hosting this week's event!

A pleasant result of Sunningdale's high-brow tastes and preferences is that the 2001 Open has different feel to most Open competitions.

In fact this year's Women's Open is taking place in an extremely civilised, quintessentially "British" atmosphere that feels more like sporting events such as the Henley Regatta and Royal Ascot.