Princes Drive,
Sandwich, Kent CT13 9QB
Office
+44 (0)1304 611 118Pro shop
+44 (0)1304 613 797Fax
+44 (0)1304 612 000Website
Visit websiteGolf pro
SeveralAcademy
The Links AcademyThe Course:
27 holes. Seaside links. Relatively flat terrain.
Surroundings:
Coastal duneland.
Designer:
Original course designed by Charles Hutchings & Percy Montagu Lucas (1906). Current 27-hole layout resulted from a significant post-war redesign by Sir Guy Campbell & John Morrison (1950).
Above distances are for the Shore-Dunes combination. At 3,201 yds from the back tees, the par-36 Himalayas-nine is slightly shorter than the other two nines.
51.295531
1.370941
17 miles N of Dover
From the centre of Sandwich (Bell Hotel) follow The Quay for 100 yds before turning sharp right, and after another 150 yds sharp left. Follow Guilford Road south out of Sandwich for 1.8 mi (going through toll gate). After toll turn left into Kings Ave, and then left again at sea front. Follow road a further 1 mile to Prince's golf.
Prince's Golf Club: Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.
The interwoven Shore and Dunes nines seem to fit together the best, although some would advocate Shore-Himalayas as the toughest test. Whichever combination you play, you'll be able to enjoy Prince's wonderful collection of par-3 holes, as well as many formidable par-4s and 5s. The general maintenance of tee-boxes and fairways may not quite match-up to its Royal neighbour, but make no mistake, all the essential ingredients of great seaside golf are here in abundance. The usually excellent greens are as good as you'll find on any top-quality links course, and the recently renovated bunkering is both impressive and stylish.
Views onto the English Channel and across to Pegwell Bay are complemented by the predominantly natural inland scenery of flat grazing land. In the distance, the cooling towers of a now disused power station and a pharmaceutical research centre provide the only 'blips' on this otherwise very natural landscape.
Pick of the holes: among many excellent holes, the doglegging par-4 1st on the Dunes course is a testing opener, while another excellent right-to-left doglegging hole awaits at the close of the Himalaya-nine. With many other challenging and memorable holes to play, try to fit in all 27-holes on your visit, if you have time.
Stay & Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available, see Where2Stay section below.
Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.
Must book in advance. Handicap required.
Credit cards accepted. Contact club for full details, day ticket rates, discounts, Stay&Play packages, etc. [Last updated: 2023].
Players generally walk this course. Golf carts available for hire (if pre-booked).
Good
One might be forgiven for thinking the Prince's name had royal connections, especially with Royal St George's right next door. In fact Prince's took its name from the Prince's Golf Club of Mitcham, South London. The original Prince's golf club, located on Mitcham Common, was an offshoot of the Prince's Racquets & Tennis Club, a club originally established in central London by two entrepeneurial brothers, James & George Prince. In the early-1900s, Sir Harry Mallaby-Deeley, a leading figure at the Mitcham-based golf club, decided with some friends to establish a new links course on the Kent coast. They could think on no better name than that of their original South London golfing base ... Prince's Golf Club.
Prince's was the venue for the 1932 Open Championship (won by Gene Sarazen) and the 1956 Curtis Cup, in which the women amateurs of GB&I defeated the USA by 5 points to 4.
Sitting cheek by jowl along this stretch of Kent coast are two other seaside links courses that have hosted The Open Championship, namely Royal St George's (several times since 1894) and Royal Cinque Ports (1909 and 1920). Only Royal St George's is on the current Open Championship roster.
England: 29th best course in England (Golf World, 2023).
GB&I: 68th best course in Britain & Ireland (Golf World, 2022).
Prince's Golf Club, Prince's Drive, Sandwich, Kent CT13 9QB
+44 (0)1304 611 118
Visit websiteFeaturing 38 bedrooms with en-suite facilities, lounge, bar, terrace and snooker room, The Lodge at Prince’s also offers modern, contemporary dining in The Brasserie on the Bay. Guests are provided with fantastic views of Prince’s Golf Club, Royal St Georges Golf Club and across Pegwell Bay to the White Cliffs at Ramsgate.
Prince's
Royal St George's; Royal Cinque Ports.
North Foreland; Walmer & Kingsdown.
Sandwich, Kent
+44 (0)1304 613 388
Visit websiteThe Bell Hotel has been welcoming guests to stay and dine in Sandwich since Tudor times. A Bell Inn has existed on The Quay, adjacent to the Barbican Gate and Toll, overlooking what would have been the harbour, now the River Stour, since about 1300. The present listed building is mainly 19th century. The hotel offers 37 ensuite bedrooms, a Georgian Regency room catering for up to 100 guests, the Old Dining Room restaurant and two bars.
No
Royal St Georges; Prince's.
Royal Cinque Ports; North Foreland.
Tournament of Champions: the PGA Tour’s calendar-year starts, as it has done since 1999, with this iconic event in Hawaii. The field is drawn from players who won a PGA Tour event in 2022, or were amongst the top 30 in last year’s FedEx Cup final standings (Jan 6-9).
Desert Swing: the European (DP World) Tour launches into 2023 with three events in its UAE “Desert Swing”. Up first is the Abu Dhabi Championship (Jan 19-22), followed by the Dubai Desert Classic (Jan 26-29) and the Ras Al Kaimah Championship (Feb 2-5).
Kathy Whitworth: the end of 2022 saw the passing of LPGA Tour legend Kathy Whitworth. Her 88 LPGA Tour victories is more than achieved by any other golfer on either the LPGA or PGA Tours. Amongst her victories were six major championship titles.
Barry Lane: the golfing world was also saddened by the passing of Barry Lane, one of the European Tour and European Senior Tours most popular players. Enjoying success on both Tours, Lane was know for his excellent ball-striking and amiable personality.
Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.
Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.
Costa’s "Cruise & Golf" allows golfers and their families to combine a unique golfing experience with the relaxation and fun of a cruise on board Costa Smeralda. Golf enthusiasts are offered a choice from 23 top-quality golf clubs; their chosen courses are played during the ship’s port calls in Italy, France and Spain. While the golfers are driving the fairways, accompanying non-golfers are able to enjoy the amenities and activities on-board, or explore wonderful places on day excursions organised by Costa. Read more ...
You can subscribe to the Where2Golf channel on YT if you like to see more video content. You'll find a "Subscribe" button on any of our YouTube videos. Or if you want a quick and direct access subscribe here. Once done, any new published videos will show up in your Subscriptions feed.
