Sun, sea, sand, dunes and fescue – there’s nothing quite like it.
The subtle crunch of firm fairways beneath your feet, that idyllic puff of sand rising from a well struck iron, the harmonies of waves rolling to the shore and the setting sun bringing the rolling moonscape to life – you just can’t beat it. Links golf is the oldest form and constant soul of the game, where we lose ourselves in the humps, bumps and hollows and find ourselves with a glorious bump and run or a flighted six-iron, an often fickle game transformed into something far closer to a spiritual experience.
My love for links golf has unravelled rapidly over the last few years, pulling me to far flung dunescapes among towns boasting little more than a bustling pub and a corner shop in pursuit of golfing randomness where my balls fate is in the hands of nature and my mind drifts further and further from 21st century life. In a world where isolated golf destinations are booming, the opportunity to experience a trio of Open Championship venues over the course of a long weekend was a prospect which truly got my blood pumping but could the Kent coast, just over an hour’s train from London’s concrete jungle, really provide me with that feeling of escape?
Day 1: Prince’s Golf Club
The gorgeous Kent coast just looks like golf country. No sooner had the sea come into view as we cruised along the winding road toward Prince’s Golf Club, that I felt that sense of release, I was here, far away from the city and fully prepared to be absorbed by golf in its purest form for the coming days – absolute bliss. It never ceases to amaze me how my mood changes when I see proper linksland on the horizon, it flushes my mind and puts life into delightful perspective.
An essential pillar of any great golf trip is an ideal base and with Prince’s being flush up against Royal St George’s and 10 minutes from Royal Cinque Ports, its comfy rooms overlooking the course and the glassy, shimmering Sandwich Bay make for an ideal launching pad for a long weekend away, sticks in tow. There can be no questions as to the quality of the accommodation, given Collin Morikawa’s stay in 2021 en-route to winning the Open Championship.
Walking through the Prince’s pro-shop we got talking with owner and general manager Rob McGuirk, whose father purchased the 1932 Open Championship venue some 50 years ago. Rob spoke passionately on the qualities of each nine, shared stories of his home and explained much of the work which had been carried out on the course by Mackenzie & Ebert over the last ten years. I immediately sensed that Rob had lived an incredible life and in a setting like this it wasn’t hard to see why. What was also obvious from his passion, was Prince’s improvement over the past decade and its enduring quality is no accident. The McGuirk family’s commitment to this place and relentless drive to restore it to the heights of days gone by was palpable. The result of their work speaks for itself.
Princes’ Golf Club sits on an enormous piece of land, peppered with 27 holes in three distinct loops of nine holes; Himalayas, Dunes and Shore. Each of them is loaded with their own challenges and identity yet each retains Prince’s idyllic sense of place. Dunes and Himalayas are on the menu for us today, having played the Shore nine on our last visit.
The Dunes routing is extremely crafty, nine holes of proper and honest links golf which – at least from the clubhouse – don’t appear overly dramatic or tumultuous. However the subtle mounds, rippled fairways and dramatic run-offs around the greens combine to provide a compellingly subtle test of golf. The first hole bears all the hallmarks of Prince’s quality with a semi-blind tee shot to an angled fairway leaving a testing approach into its pushed up green flanked by deep swales. The second, a quality one-shotter over a sandscrape follows suit, and from there the Dunes meanders deeper into the stunning property presenting a wonderful par four at the fifth- it’s iconic sleeper-faced bunker guarding the left side and the undulating fairway of the sixth a true strategic test.
The Himalayas nine has been transformed having benefited from the work of Mackenzie & Ebert, evolving from what was perhaps viewed as the weak link of the property to what McGuirk described as “absolutely the members’ favourite”. The routing navigates two distinct areas, beginning and ending in true linksland, with a handful of holes weaving through the wetlands, most notably the risk-reward par-5 2nd which swoops around the marsh demanding three high quality heart-in-mouth shots to reach the green. Reaching the sea-facing short par-3 5th quickly became the most memorable moment of the day, perfectly encapsulating the beauty of the coastline and the challenge of links golf with a punched 8-iron straight into the wind! Overall, the Himalayas was the type of nine which you couldn’t help but smile playing – brilliantly balanced, stunningly beautiful and a bundle of fun.
Subtle, demanding, thought-provoking and stunningly beautiful, our day at Prince’s had left me with a feeling of deep satisfaction in my stomach but I wasn’t full. Prince’s felt like a place I wanted to stay for days on end, soaking up the holiday vibe and unravelling the secrets of its links. As the sun began to set over the Shore’s 9th green I felt what every visitor from London must feel – Prince’s and its wonderful sandy links, a golfing paradise was so easy to reach from Central London, yet so damned tough to leave. However, a peep over the fence at the dunes next door as we drove through the gates put me at ease, Royal St George’s awaited.
Day 2: Royal St George’s Golf Club
By reputation, Royal St George’s Golf Club is one of the world’s most wonderfully traditional destinations.
From the outside, it felt like I was en route to a club which embodied and celebrated long-established values and customs. Perhaps it was because of that, that my palms a little sweatier and heart rate a little higher than it might have been, as I drove along the beautiful Kent coast that morning, in my jacket and tie. For a kid who grew up walking the fairways alongside t-shirts and trackpants, I felt a long way from home. That sense of unease lasted all of two minutes. The friendly, warm welcome in the pro shop put me at ease immediately. I listened to stories about the club, the course and the famous lunches, there was plenty of razor sharp wit but there was real warmth too, and I felt a flush of comfort – the first moment of many that day – which laid to rest my trepidations and began an experience that genuinely made me feel more like a member for a day, than a guest.
Despite being a drive and pitch from Prince’s next door, the land at Royal St George’s is different again, with hulking dunes and choppy humps and hollows littered across the layout. Occupying an enormous property, it was the course’s scale which struck me on the 1st tee, but as we made our way around this incredible layout, each hole felt beautifully isolated from the next, its mystery and beauty only being revealed to you as you reached the next tee – one brilliant hole after another.
Having hosted the Open Championship on no less than 15 occasions, it came as no surprise when our caddy began telling a story of the greatest match ever played on the famed links. My mind immediately wandered; Tiger, Jack, Seve, Arnie? Perhaps a tale of Morikawa’s triumph in 2021? Wrong, wrong, so very wrong. A fictional 50-page, $10,000 duel between British spy James Bond and Auric Goldfinger tops the list in a novel authored by the great Ian Fleming, vice captain here when he died. One section reads: “The difference between a good golf shot and a bad one is the same difference between a beautiful and a plain woman – a matter of millimetres.” Much to my caddy’s dismay, today my ball was often to be found in the fescue by more than a few millimetres. Tales of tournaments, rounds and shots, both imagined and etched into history reverberate as the soul of Royal St Georges, the unseen furniture of the club which makes it feel so uniquely special to visit and chase the ghosts of golf gone by.
The brilliance of the layout at Royal St George’s is wrapped up in its ability to keep players off balance. Contrary to the majority of traditional out and back links, the routing zig zags around the property and with no two holes running parallel, which had us constantly chopping and changing directions as the wind whipped around us. Perfectly straddling the tightrope of an old school links’ joyful eccentricities and a championship layout which still befuddles the world’s best 130 years on from its inaugural hosting of The Open, Royal St George’s felt endlessly complex and mind-bendingly fun. It’s blind tee shots and approaches over and between towering dunes had me grinning ear to ear and constantly questioning the caddy’s lines – it’s a glorious way to play the game.
Foursomes, so often the format of choice at Sandwich, was the order of the day. In the morning, we were put firmly in our place by assistant secretary Robert Leigh and his colleague. In Robert’s company we heard anecdotes of royalty and delegates, sports stars and musicians gracing the links, as well as tales of overly social member lunches followed by 18 holes of very relaxed golf.
A wonderful lunch in the club garden, followed. A chance to bask in the June sunshine, meant we didn’t require the jacket and tie and actually our more relaxed break, was the perfect of encapsulation of Royal St George’s – on one side, a smartly dressed older couple discussed real estate prices and interest rates, while on the other, a much younger group debriefed their social life – a beautiful collision of worlds.
A pint or two over lunch meant we were a little looser on our second helping of magic – 18 holes backlit by the setting sun at the end of a day of golf that I will never forget. As my ball lay at the bottom of the day’s 36th hole I knew I had misjudged Royal St George’s. A golfer’s club to its core, and exuding an elegance and an old-world charm – the jacket and tie tradition is upheld, but a relaxed charisma seeps from its historic pores. I arrived through the gates of St George’s with a sense of trepidation at what lay ahead and how I would feel. And yet I left feeling as relaxed as you could wish to feel, perhaps helped by the kind of lunch great golf days are made of, my ribs sore from laughing and my soul stirred by what can only be described as one of the world’s great courses. Days in golf simply don’t get much more special than this.
Day 3: Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club
The more I think about the golf courses around the world which really stay with me, the ones I lie in bed thinking about, and the holes my mind wanders to from my desk, the more I realise they are the ones which induce a double take, dance on my eyes a little and then prompt an involuntary ear-to-ear grin. As courses are lengthened, toughened and simplified, golfers are robbed of the thrills, laughs, wonder and flat-out fun which underpinned our game for so long. That essence is what makes Royal Cinque Ports, 3 miles as the crow flies from the 1st tee at Royal St George’s, so beautifully enchanting and so brilliantly entrancing.
“Somewhere over that dune” Deal professional Sam Smitherman smirked as I stood disoriented and uncomfortable over my completely blind approach shot into the 3rd green at Deal, as it is known, a rare flushed iron shot appeared to straddle the line of suggestion, but like many iconic shots in links golf, who would know until we got up to the green? In golf, anticipation is a wonderful thing, that moment where your fate lies on a knife’s edge, in the lap of the golfing gods and there’s absolutely nothing that you can do about it. Like a good wine, anticipation dances on your palate just long enough to dream up a world of endless possibilities no matter how unlikely. I will never forget cresting the hill and getting my first glimpse of the famous sunken 3rd green and its rippling whirlpool of slopes, an elusive pin perched atop a steep slope, to find my ball no more than 12 feet away for eagle – giddy laughs followed. The art of anticipation is rife and mastered throughout Deal, its blind shots and sweeping slopes an exhilarating recipe for flat-out fun.
From what I knew going into the round I had a feeling I was going to love Royal Cinque Ports, but scaling the dune off the 3rd green the linksland revealed itself – picture perfect sand, sea and fescue stretching as far as the eye could see – a golfer’s playground. Not for the last time this round, I felt a flush of eagerness for the holes to come met only by a tinge of mourning for the holes gone by.
The spirit of adventure runs amok at Deal and as we climbed its wonderful dunes, strolled its valleys and reached its gorgeous seawall, tee boxes with waves crashing below and France dancing in the afternoon haze, I became utterly enthralled by its journey as it dragged us to all extremities of its property. With each hole that passed Deal’s tumbling, rumbling land became our best friend, worst enemy and our purest source of joy. Like any links course worth its salt, the rub of the green is Deal’s most elusive currency and as balls careened off mounds and were swallowed by swales, each moment of ecstasy as a ball kicked towards the flag was matched only by the heartbreak of a ball finding the other side of the mound – the emotional rollercoaster a perfect reflection of the land on which we walked.
Deal is a relentlessly brilliant links, each hole an exercise of strategy so wonderfully varied from the last and for the first few holes I figured there was no way its brilliance could be sustained. How wrong I was. The great Gary Player once said that the closing stretch at Deal were “the finest four consecutive holes on any course in the world” and the 16th with its tumbling ground, thrilling risk reward and breathtaking green complex, would stake its claim to be my favourite hole in golf.
As I rolled home the final five-footer on the 18th green I struggled to recall a round which engaged my mind, examined my game and stoked my golfing soul from start to finish in the way Deal had. To me it stands for everything I love about the game and links golf- captivating, unique golf shots across the most natural of terrain. For people who play the game in search of fairness and predictability, Deal may not be for you, but it’s not concerned about that and never has been.
What Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club does, it look after those who want to feel the thrill of a golf ball riding a tumbling slope at the mercy of nature’s curves, the magic of a rollercoaster seaside stroll and the unadulterated, hair-raising anticipation of hitting shots into the unknown. Deal is a natural work of art which invigorates the open-minded golfer, and leaves you with memories which will live rent free in my head for years to come – reliving its joys and plotting my return sooner rather than later!
KENT LINKS AN EXPERIENCE FOR THE AGES
You can travel the world as much as you like and try as I may, I question whether I will find a purer links experience than these three days climbing the dunes and crunching the fescue of the iconic trifecta of links laid out along England’s Kent Coast. Truth be told, each of these spellbinding links could stand alone and be more than worth the pilgrimage, however the fact that they line up side by side, in my mind, makes Kent one of the most magical corners of the golf world. For three days basking in the sunshine, apparently the UK’s rarest commodity, I remained under its trance, three beautifully different clubs, layouts and experiences each setting my golfing soul alight and leaving me with an insatiable appetite to return.
GOLF COURSES IN KENT MAP
PRINCE’S GOLF CLUB SCORECARD
ROYAL ST GEORGE’S GOLF CLUB SCORECARD
ROYAL CINQUE PORTS GOLF CLUB SCORECARD
GOLF COURSES IN KENT: KEY FACTS
The three golf courses—Royal St George’s, Royal Cinque Ports, and Prince’s Golf Club—are all located in close proximity along the Kent coast. Here’s a breakdown of the distances.
1. Distance Between the Courses
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Royal St George’s to Prince’s Golf Club:
- Distance: Approximately 2 miles
- Travel Time: About 5 minutes by car or a 30-minute walk.
- Fact: These two courses are so close that they share a boundary. In fact, the entrance to Prince’s is just a short drive from Royal St George’s, making it convenient for golfers to play both on the same day.
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Royal St George’s to Royal Cinque Ports:
- Distance: Approximately 5 miles
- Travel Time: About 15 minutes by car.
- Fact: The two courses are connected by a coastal road, with views of the English Channel. The drive between the two offers a scenic journey along the coast, and both courses are easily accessible from the historic town of Deal.
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Royal Cinque Ports to Prince’s Golf Club:
- Distance: Approximately 7 miles
- Travel Time: About 20 minutes by car.
- Fact: Although the longest distance between the three, it’s still quite close, making it feasible to play all three courses during a short stay in the area.
- Convenience for Golfers: The close proximity of these three world-class links courses makes the Kent coast an ideal destination for a golf trip.
- Base Locations: Sandwich and Deal are the two primary towns near these courses, offering accommodation, dining, and other amenities. Sandwich is closest to Royal St George’s and Prince’s, while Deal is closer to Royal Cinque Ports.
- Travel Tips: A car is the most convenient way to travel between the courses, though cycling could be an option for those looking to enjoy the scenic coastal routes.
1. Royal St George’s Golf Club
- Location: Sandwich, Kent, England
- Founded: 1887
- Open Championships Hosted: 15 times (as of 2023)
- Notable Moments:
- First Open: Hosted in 1894, it was the first course outside Scotland to host The Open Championship.
- Most Recent Open: Held in 2021, won by Collin Morikawa.
- Famous Winners: Includes legends like Harry Vardon, Walter Hagen, and Greg Norman.
- Course Layout: Known for its challenging terrain with undulating fairways, deep bunkers, and unpredictable winds. The 4th hole (“The Himalayas”) is particularly famous for its massive bunker.
- Unique Features: The course is renowned for its natural beauty and the difficulty posed by its coastal winds. It is considered one of the toughest links courses in the world.
2. Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club
- Location: Deal, Kent, England
- Founded: 1892
- Open Championships Hosted: 2 times (1909 and 1920)
- Notable Moments:
- First Open: Hosted in 1909, won by J.H. Taylor.
- Last Open: The 1920 Open was won by George Duncan.
- Course Layout: This course is also renowned for its natural links characteristics, including fast-running fairways, deep bunkers, and challenging winds. The back nine is particularly known for being tough.
- Challenges: Royal Cinque Ports was originally scheduled to host additional Opens, but severe weather conditions led to some Opens being moved to other locations.
- Legacy: Though it hasn’t hosted The Open since 1920, it remains a highly respected venue and continues to host other significant tournaments.
3. Prince’s Golf Club
- Location: Sandwich Bay, Kent, England
- Founded: 1906
- Open Championships Hosted: 1 time (1932)
- Notable Moments:
- The 1932 Open: Won by Gene Sarazen, who famously debuted his invention of the modern sand wedge at this event.
- Course Layout: Originally, the course featured 18 holes, but it now boasts 27, divided into three loops of nine: Shore, Dunes, and Himalayas. It is a classic links course with rolling fairways, deep bunkers, and coastal winds.
- Reconstruction: The course suffered damage during World War II but was later restored and restructured into the 27-hole layout that exists today.
- Modern Play: Prince’s Golf Club is celebrated for its history and remains a favourite for golfers seeking a true links experience in Kent.
- Nowhere in the world will you find three courses all of which have hosted The Open Championship, in such close proximity. Royal St George’s, Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club and and Prince’s stand head and shoulders above the rest of what you will find on offer in Kent, but that should come as no surprise given their quality and reputation extends worldwide.
