Wentworth Golf Club loyalists to sue Chinese owners over plans to reduce membership
They claim Reignwood Group is riding roughshod over members’ legal rights as they try to make the club a haven for the mega-rich
Rebellious golfers in the UK are to mount a legal challenge against their club’s Chinese owners.
Members of the famous Wentworth course have employed a top London law firm to challenge Beijing-based property development conglomerate, Reignwood Group, over its plans to slash membership numbers and dramatically hike joining fees.
A month-long consultation ended in acrimonious stalemate at the weekend, the SCMP can reveal. “Reignwood hasn’t listened and is simply trying to ride roughshod over the Wentworth community,” said Nigel Moss, a long-term Wentwoeth golfer and resident of the exclusive leafy estate in a London stock market belt.
“Every key principle for a more inclusive membership scheme that we proposed was ignored,” added Moss, who participated in the negotiations.
Reignwood hasn’t listened and is simply trying to ride roughshod over the Wentworth community. Every key principle for a more inclusive membership scheme that we proposed was ignored
The club, which is the birthplace of the Ryder Cup, was bought by Reignwood founder, Chinese-Thai entrepreneur Chanchai Ruayrungruang, for £135m (HK$1.5 billion) in 2014.