Golf was first played at Purley Downs in the early 1890s, when enthusiasts persuaded a tenant farmer to let them knock a ball among his sheep.

The golf club was then established in 1894, with the original course designed by J H Taylor. In the 1920s, Harry Colt designed a new layout, which is the course played today. The club received a video message from Jack Nicklaus in 2019 when it celebrated its 125-year anniversary.