Golf on the Kent coast: A short distance north of the White Cliffs of Dover you’ll find three close neighbours that have all hosted the Open Championship. Royal St George’s (still on the Open roster), Royal Cinque Ports and Prince’s sit cheek by jowl on a dune-filled stretch of Kent coast between the towns of Sandwich and Deal.
Royal Cinque Ports and Royal St George’s are two of nineteen English golf clubs with a Royal prefix conferred by the sovereign. The oldest of England’s “Royals” is Royal Blackheath near London. Established in 1608 it lays claim to being the world’s oldest golf club, while Royal North Devon in Westward Ho! is England’s oldest golf course. All three courses are standard bearers for English links golf.
Make the most out of your golf trip to the Kent Coast. Look up the location of the golf courses on the map; it will help you with your planning to play the best during your holidays. To each golf course visited we have applied a rating. The scale, 5 (highest) to 2 (lowest), attempts to provide an indication of the golfing experience you can expect at each rated course. Hover your on-screen mouse pointer above the rating key hereafter to read our definitions.
Visitors welcome
Dover
Current design by English course architect Harry Colt (1927).
Visitors welcome
Dover
Nick Faldo & Steve Smyers
Visitors welcome
Crawley
Original designer unknown. Dr Alister MacKenzie was commissioned to make design improvements in the 1920s.
Visitors welcome
Brighton
The Dale Hill course (also known as the "Old course") dates from 1976. The "Woosnam course" was designed by Ian Woosnam (1997).
Visitors welcome
Brighton
American course architect Robert E. "Bob" Cupp designed the East and West courses.
Visitors welcome
Brighton
American course architect Robert E. "Bob" Cupp designed the East and West courses.
Rsrt guests only
Brighton
James Braid
Visitors welcome
Brighton
Donald Steel
Visitors welcome
Crawley
Peter Nicholson
Visitors welcome
Guildford
J.H. Taylor
Visitors welcome
Dover
Original design by Dr Laidlaw Purves (1888); later revisions by James Braid and Dr Alister MacKenzie (1924).
Rsrt guests only
Crawley
David Williams
Visitors welcome
Dover
Herbert Fowler & Tom Simpson (1913).
Visitors welcome
Brighton
Original design by Royal Ashdown GC professional Jack Rowe (1904). Later revisions by J.H. Taylor, Frank Pennink and club member Philip Russell-Vick.
Visitors welcome
Dover
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).
Visitors welcome
Crawley
Original design by brothers and founding members William R. and Francis A. Lee; some input from the two other founding members: Robert Birch and Rev A.T. "Archdeacon" Scott. Later modifications made by Harry Hunter and longstanding Ashdown professional Jack Rowe (1897); final significant changes made by Jack Rowe (1922).
Visitors welcome
Dover
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.
Visitors welcome
Brighton
Original nine-hole course designed by Horace G. Hutchinson and Charles Mayhewe (1887). Later extended and modified by unknown others.
Weekdays only
Dover
Original design by Dr Laidlaw Purves (1887); later revisions by Dr Alister MacKenzie (1924).
On application
Dover
Original design by English course architect Harry Colt and Scottish professional Douglas Rolland. Later revisions by Tom Simpson (1932), Sir Guy Campbell (1938), Major H.C. "Charles" Tippet (1947).
Visitors welcome
Brighton
Course designed by J.H. Taylor in 1907, when the club moved to its current Blatchington location.
Visitors welcome
Dover
Original design by James Braid. Restored and re-opened in 1948 after WWII (when the course was covered in barbed wire and defensive positions). Extended and improved by John Lawrie (1960s).
Wkends restrictd
Brighton
Original design by the firm Ferigna (Cecil K. Hutchison, Sir Guy Campbell & Col. Stafford V. Hotchkin).
Tournaments:
European Tour: 2021 marks the 50th and last season of the world renowned European Tour, launched in April 1972 at the Spanish Open. From 2022 the Tour will be sponsored by Dubai-based global supply chain and ports operator DP World, and will be known as the DP World Tour.
South African Open: December 2021 events in South Africa have again been impacted by the Covid pandemic. The South African Open (Dec 2-5) will no longer be played as a DP World Tour event, and the Alfred Dunhill Championship (Dec 9-12) has been cancelled.
Who's Who:
Bernhard Langer: at age 64, Langer collected a record sixth Charles Schwab Cup, the only player to have won the season-long points chase more than twice. He also topped the PGA Tour Champions money-list for the 11th time out of a possible 13 since 2008.
Carlota Ciganda: the five-time Solheim Cup star was delighted to record a fourth Ladies European Tour win in her home national championship, the Ladies Spanish Open.
Lee Elder: Trailblazer, Ryder Cup player, four-time PGA Tour winner and eight-time Senior PGA Tour winner, Lee Elder died on November 28, aged 87. In 1975 he became the first African American golfer to play in the Masters tournament, and in so doing provided one of the pivotal moments in the history of professional golf.
Golf World Top 100: Best Golf Courses in Europe. From France to Spain to the Netherlands and Norway, the Golf World Top 100 panel reveals the places you have to play (published 20 October 2021).
New 27-hole golf complex to be built in southern Belgium
A new golf complex in southern Belgium, close to the border with Luxembourg, will start construction in June 2021.
Marco Simone Golf & Country Club "makes its tournament debut with the hosting of the Italian Open on the European Tour" by Richard Humphreys
Gamble Sands opens short course:
David McLay Kidd’s 14-hole QuickSands short course has opened for play at Gamble Sands in Brewster, Washington.
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