London, England: Stoke Park – featured in two James Bond movies and revered as one of Britain’s most historic golfing venues – has been bought by Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani for £57 million.

The luxury hotel, spa, golf and country club, located in Buckinghamshire, seven miles from Heathrow, was purchased by a subsidiary of Ambani’s company, Reliance Industries.

Purported to be Asia’s richest man, Ambani has built up a fortune of more than US$70 billion through energy and telecoms businesses after inheriting the company from his father in 2002.

For the past 33 years, Stoke Park has been in the hands of the King family, owners of healthcare company International Hospitals Group. In that time, more than £40 million has been invested in the estate, including a major renovation of the Harry Colt-designed 27-hole golf course.

The estate was put up for sale in 2018 and was originally expected to sell for more than £100 million. Although there was interest from buyers from China and the Middle East, Ambani’s bid was successful despite being almost half that value.

A spokesperson for Reliance Industrial Investments and Holdings Ltd (RIIHL) said that Stoke Park would remain a members’ club. “RIIHL will look to enhance the sports and leisure facilities at this heritage site, while fully complying with the planning guidelines and local regulations,” Reliance said.

In a report in Golf Business News, Chester King, Managing Director of Stoke Park, said: “It has been a great honour for my family to have been the owners and custodians of Stoke Park over the past 33 years.

“I am delighted that the new owners share the same respect for the club’s incredible heritage, its values and longer-term vision and I look forward to working closely with them. As soon as we met with Reliance it was clear that this represents business as usual for our members, customers, and the local community.”

In addition to the 27-hole course, facilities at the 300-acre estate include a 49-room five-star hotel, a spa and leisure centre, three restaurants, bars and lounges, 13 tennis courts and 14 acres of private gardens.

Created in 1908 by eminent golf architect Colt, the Stoke Park course has been the inspiration for many of the world’s most famous holes, including Augusta’s par-three 16th.

Among many notable milestones, the course staged the first PGA Match Play tournament in 1910 and James Bond’s epic golfing duel in the 1964 classic 007 movie Goldfinger. Another Bond movie, Tomorrow Never Dies, was also filmed at Stoke Park.

The acquisition of Stoke Park is part of a wider move to transform Reliance from an industrial group centred on oil refining in Asia to a more consumer-facing business with a global presence.

Ambani, aged 64, recently expanded his portfolio in leisure and retail after buying equity in Oberoi Hotels in India and the recent purchase of Britain’s Hamleys toy store.