The club was founded in 1890 by Ladies and was called Sutton Ladies Golf Club. The men soon began to join and in 1904 the name was changed to Banstead Downs Golf Club. The course was originally only 12 holes on land to the west of the Brighton Road but in 1904 a lengthened 18 hole course was opened with 6 holes to the east of the road. The architect was J H Taylor
The lengthened 18 hole course was opened on 15th October 1904. The new course is undoubtedly unusual inasmuch as it has five short holes all running from north to south.
In 1932 the club became concerned about the public straying over the course on 
weekends and wrote to the Lord of the Manor requesting permission to make alterations to the course. When this was granted the second member of The Great Triumvirate was commissioned to make alterations to the 7th,8th,9th and 10th Holes.
James Braid was an excellent course designer. He used his farming background to ensure that courses were well laid out and well drained.
Harry Vardon, J.H. Taylor and James Braid took the golfing world by storm. From 1894 to 1914 they won the Open 16 times. Braid and Taylor had five victories each and Vardon remains the only man to have claimed the title six times. One of only five other men to win the Open during this period of dominance was Frenchman Arnaud Massey, the first overseas champion.
As the game continued to expand outside Scotland, so the challenge to the domination of players from the Home of Golf increased and the decades either side of the turn of the century produced a wonderful rivalry between an Englishman, a Channel islander and a Scot who became known as The Great Triumvirate.