I'm a celebrity, get me in here: Sunningdale members cut up rough over queue-jumpers

With its dress codes and reluctance to let women in certain parts of the clubhouse, the world of golf can be a conservative place.

Now established members at a notable English club have been left incredulous over recent developments. Rumours abound at Sunningdale, in Berkshire, among the best inland courses in England, that celebrities' applications are being fast-tracked past regular amateurs who wait years to join. The latest stars to be accused of jumping the queue are Tim Henman and the singer Bryn Terfel.

"We are up in arms," said one member, who declined to be named for fear of being expelled. "A letter went around a bit over three months ago saying Henman and Bryn were being proposed - and suddenly they're in. It took me three years to get through, and I was lucky."

He complained that Sunningdale was becoming "increasingly celebrity-driven", adding: "Quite a few of the normal people aren't happy about it. We pay a lot of money and don't want a starry establishment. Some of them aren't good enough to be here."

Another amateur said membership disputes at big clubs could evolve into "life or death issues" owing to golfers' "obsessive" nature.

Other celebrities free to wear Sunningdale's sludge-and-blue stripes - many of whom are excellent golfers - are the actors Hugh Grant and Sir Sean Connery, the television presenter Gary Lineker, the motorsport manager Eddie Jordan and the cricket broadcaster Mark Nicholas. The late Sir Denis Thatcher was a member and the courses are regularly used by the European Ryder Cup players Sam Torrance, Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke.

Stephen Toon, the club secretary, denied there was preferential treatment for stars and said that Henman deserved to join. "There are strict procedures in place for membership and they are applied equally to everyone," he said. "If they are good enough golfers, it doesn't matter who they are."

Despite the contention surrounding Henman's arrival, it is unlikely he will suffer anything but envious glances once he is out on the fairway. An accomplished golfer with a four handicap, he will be welcomed for his quietly competitive nature.

The down-to-earth Welshman Terfel may find the going less hospitable: the bass-baritone plays off 16 and is regularly thrashed by his friend Roger Waters, losing £10 a round in bets to the former Pink Floyd bass guitarist. Membership is normally limited to those with a handicap of 14 or under, to exclude golfers who will end up thrashing about in Sunningdale's banks of heather.

Prospective members need support from half a dozen existing members and have to play a round with a committee golfer before their names are proposed to the wider membership. These are said to number about 750 and can blackball unsuitables. The footballer Kevin Keegan's application ended in failure after members expressed concern that the clubhouse would be full of "people wearing white socks and shiny tracksuit bottoms".

One thing is for sure: anyone playing but not up to the required standard will pay through the nose for their lack of skill. Sunningdale is well known for its fierce gambling culture, and losers can lose big. Backgammon is played in an upstairs room in the clubhouse but the serious money is wagered outdoors: it is not unheard of for someone to return from the course £10,000 poorer after a dismal round.

Tim Southwell, editor of GolfPunk - a lads' mag-style monthly targeting younger players with banter, advice and women modelling nine-irons - said exclusive clubs were looking to glamorise. "Posher clubs want a more exciting dimension and so the institutional barriers at places like Sunningdale and Stoke Park are coming down," he said. "Despite what they say about how applying is the same for everyone, there is a separate red-carpet entrance open."

Mr Southwell added that the problem at many traditional clubs was "a diehard vanguard of older members who stand at the bar and scowl at anyone not from the in-crowd," and were reluctant to accept change.

"Sunningdale is just contemporising like anyone else. We are talking about Tim Henman here, not Keith Moon."

Clubs of the famous

STOKE PARK Buckinghamshire, Founded 1908

Joining fees £2,000-£8,000, with annual fees up to £5,000. Large white stone clubhouse, a lake, a health club and tennis courts. The club has starred in two James Bond films: Goldfinger and Tomorrow Never Dies. Robbie Williams and DJ Spoony are members.

QUEENWOOD Surrey, Founded 1974

Most expensive club in Britain: members pay upwards of £100,000 to join and an annual fee of £7,000. Has fast-emerged as the most talked-about preserve of super-rich golfers. A palatial clubhouse, hand-cut greens, dapper caddies and supreme exclusivity are said to have attracted Catherine Zeta-Jones and husband Michael Douglas.

LOCH LOMOND Scotland, Founded 1992

Membership costs £55,000 with annual fees of £2,000. Stunning setting on the shore of the loch with a plush 18th-century clubhouse. Five-star dining, parking valets and shoe polishers all to hand. Members include the Duke of York, Sir Jackie Stewart and Sir Sean Connery.