Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club

Golf Rd,

Deal, Kent CT14 6RF

  • Office

    +44 (0)1304 374 007
  • Pro shop

    +44 (0)1304 374 170
  • Fax

    +44 (0)1304 379 530
  • Golf pro

    Sam Smitherman (Head Professional)

About the course

  • The Course:

    18 holes. Seaside links. Gently undulating terrain - easy to walk.

  • Surroundings:

    Coastal duneland.

  • Designer:

    Original 9-holes laid out by Henry Hunter (1892), and extended to 18 (1896). Layout redesigned by James Braid (1919). Sir Guy Campbell restored the course after WWII, substantially retaining the earlier Hunter/Braid routing.

Back
tees
Club
tees
Front
tees
Yards
7023
6529
5670
Par
72
71
74
SSS or slope
73
72
73

Location

Latitude:

51.239576

Longitude:

1.396706

How to get there:

11 miles N of Dover

From centre of Deal: follow the coast road south to the end, bearing left into Godwyn Rd. After 200 yds at T-junction turn right into Golf Rd. After 100 yds where main road bears right, bear left into small access road (still Golf Rd). Golf is 200 yds on your left. | From the A258 (Sandwich-Deal road): head south through Sholden and at first roundabout turn left direction Deal Town Centre/Seafront. After 150 yds turn left into Middle Deal Rd. After o.8 miles turn left into Albert Rd, which becomes Golf Rd. Follow Golf Rd as indicated above.

Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.

Est. 1892

Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club: Facing out onto the North Sea, this stretch of the Kent coast is home to a triumvirate of superb seaside links golf courses. All three have at some time hosted the Open Championship. The southernmost of the three is Royal Cinque Ports, also known as "Deal."

As one of England's most authentic and natural links golf courses, Deal is a much revered gem. As you'll discover once you get into the course, the seemingly flattish terrain is in fact full of subtle mounds, bumps and hollows, creating plenty of interest on every hole, as well as a few blind and semi-blind tee and approach shots. Assuming wayward drives can be found, digging your way out of the fairway-lining rough is just one of the many challenges you'll face. Avoiding entrapment in the numerous steep-faced bunkers will also thoroughly test your course management and golfing skills.

Amongst many memorable holes, the par-5 3rd is played to a wonderful sunken green, while the short par-4 6th doglegs from left to right around the corner of a substantial sand hill. On this testing risk-reward hole you'll need an accurate, well-placed drive followed by a perfect pitch to hold the wickedly raised green.

After the heady excitement of holes 3 to 6, a flatter form of golfing sanity takes over for the next sequence of holes as you round the turn on this out-and-back layout. The long par-4 18th also deserves a special mention. It has turned many a match and substantially added to the scores of would-be champions. A closing hole to treat with great respect.

With sea-views on the front-nine, and plenty of undulation and greater length on the inward nine, "Deal" lays down a fabulous test for all links enthusiasts, although perhaps a tough one for higher-handicappers.

List of courses: England - South East

Visitors

Who can play and when?

Visitors welcome on weekdays (except Fridays). One and two ball play permitted on Tues and Weds afternoons. Three and four ball play permitted on Mon and Thur.

Must book in advance. Handicap required.

Green fees

Visitor fee, 18-holes in high season (April thru' Oct): £210.

Contact club for full details. [Last updated: 2023].

Other information

Players generally walk this course.

Practice facilities

Good

Did you know?

Sitting cheek by jowl along this stretch of Kent coast are three golf courses that have hosted The Open Championship: Royal St Georges (several times since 1894), Royal Cinque Ports (1909, 1920) and Prince's (1932). Only Royal St Georges is on the current Open championship rosta.

George V conferred the Royal prefix on Cinque Ports GC in 1910. By royal prerogative, 19 English golf clubs use the "Royal" title, namely: Ascot, Ashdown Forest, Birkdale, Blackheath, Cinque Ports, Cromer, Eastbourne, Epping Forest, Household (Windsor Castle), Liverpool (Hoylake), Lytham & St Annes, Mid-Surrey, North Devon (Westward Ho!), Norwich, St George's, West Norfolk (Brancaster), Wimbledon, Winchester, Worlington & Newmarket.

Published ranking

England's 10th best course (Golf World, 2023).
Britain & Ireland's 31st best course (Golf World, 2022).
World's 100th best course (GOLF Magazine, 2023/24) and 49th best public access course (Golf World, 2023).

Where2Stay

  • Kings Head Pub & Channel View Guest House3-star

    9 Beach St, Deal, Kent CT14 7AH

    +44 (0)1304 368 194

    Visit website

    Overlooking the sea and two minutes stroll from the town centre, the Kings Head Pub and next door Channel View Guest House offer an excellent opportunity for comfortable and affordable accommodation. At this historic and traditional English seaside Inn you can enjoy a high standard of bar food (including breakfast) and sample locally brewed beers on the sea-facing terrace. All fourteen guest rooms are en suite, several of them located in the quiet Guest House.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      No

    • Golf within 5 miles:

      Royal Cinque Ports; Walmer & Kingsdown.

    • Golf within 20 miles:

      Royal St Georges; Prince's; North Foreland.

  • The Blazing Donkey Country Hotel4-star

    Hay Hill, Ham, Sandwich, Kent CT14 0ED

    +44 (0)1304 617 362

    Visit website

    Based on a farm dwelling built in 1763, this inland country hotel is popular with golfers visiting the excellent courses around Sandwich and Deal.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      No

    • Golf within 5 miles:

      Royal Cinque Ports; Royal St George's; Princes

    • Golf within 20 miles:

      North Foreland

Find a course

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Tournaments

Ryder Cup: Rome plays host to the first ever Ryder Cup to be staged in Italy, with the USA defending golf’s greatest team trophy at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club (Sept 29-Oct 1).

Solheim Cup: also in September, also in southern Europe, the 18th Solheim Cup will be contested at Finca Cortesin on the Costa del Sol, with Europe defending after their surprise win in Toledo, Inverness Club (Ohio) in 2021 (Sept 22-24). 

Who's Who

Céline Boutier: with many successes as both an amateur and professional golfer, Boutier added a major championship title to her impressive résumé at this year’s Evian Championship.

Alex Cejka: buffeted by rain and high winds, especially on the high-scoring final day, Čejka prevailed over Pádraig Harrington in a playoff at Royal Porthcawl, to scoop the Senior Open Championship title.

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club

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.

Prince's Golf Club, Kent (UK)

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.

Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available

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