David Gold - Golf
Golf International
FINANCIAL SUCCESS certainly has its benefits - boys' toys like the private jet, a Bentley, chairmanship of a Premiership football club, the obligatory indoor swimming pool and floodlit tennis court. The 67-year-old David Gold has all this and more but he also has what is surely the ultimate toy - his very own golf course in the back garden of his Surrey mansion. To eschew convention, he has made it 19 holes to ensure that it ends up near his house. And the 560-yard 6th doubles up as a landing strip for his four-seater Cessna 182 Turbo jet, which he flies himself.
The course, built around his 19th-century mansion called The Chalet', just off the M25 at Caterham, is a testimony to Gold's extraordinary rise from humble beginnings in London's East End to become one of Britain's wealthiest businessmen. He and his younger brother, Ralph, are ranked at No. 79 in the Sunday Times Rich List with a fortune of £495million. 
The Gold empire embraces Ann Summers, the sexy lingerie group run by his daughter, Jacqeuline, which has a chain of more than 110 shops; a private charter-jet business called Gold Air International; and a publishing business which includes part ownership of the Sport newspaper with David Sullivan. Gold is also chairman of Birmingham City football club and owns half the company.
interests. Every hole bar one is named after one of his companies. The only one that isn't is named after his groundsman.
From almost the first day Gold bought the rundown mansion 12 years ago, a homeless, scruffy-looking man called Mark Parmenter knocked on his door, looking for work. It was just after £5,000 worth of tools had been stolen and Gold employed him as a security man. Parmenter slept in a caravan in the grounds for the next two and a half years and today he still works for Gold, doubling up as his driver and head groundsman. He has now been given an apartment within the house and Parmenter has attended night school to become quite an expert on maintaining golf courses.
On Gold's course, there are 10 greens in the 19 holes and the 5th tee, for example, is used for four different holes. Golf is a game that Gold has unexpectedly taken to. When he was renovating the house and restoring its huge grounds, for fun he decided to build a tiered putting green. Never one to do things by half,
