Blessed with many of the UK’s most revered links courses and dozens of pretty coastal towns and villages, the county of Kent is ready to host your next golfing break
Boasting beautiful countryside, charming coastal towns, captivating castles, unspoiled villages, vibrant vineyards and bursting with history and culture, Kent offers the perfect escape to any eager explorer.
Whether you’re searching to tantalise your taste buds with a new cuisine, spend some quality time on a fun-filled family break, laze around on a luxurious retreat, or tackle some of the UK’s most challenging links courses, Kent is sure to have something for you.
With great motorway links and only a 38-minute train journey from London, Kent is also home to the fastest domestic and international rail links in England.
Kent has a range of world-class golf courses across the county, including three Open championship hosts in White Cliffs Country – Royal St George’s, Royal Cinque Ports and Prince’s. The east Kent coast also offers incredible links experiences atop chalky white cliffs with views across the Channel.
By contrast, inland Kent with its rich, rolling countryside, is the perfect backdrop to its heathland and parkland courses. Golfers can also immerse themselves in the county’s rich history playing on the estates of both Leeds Castle and Hever Castle.
The Golf in Kent partnership, co-ordinated by Visit Kent, brings together 10 leading golf courses across the county, including both London Golf Club and Royal St George’s, to promote the county as one of the UK’s top golf destinations.
WHITE CLIFFS COUNTRY – THE HOME OF KENT’S GOLF COAST
Connecting the vibrant, world famous town of Dover and its iconic, ruggedly beautiful White Cliffs, with the quaint coastal dwelling and former smuggling haunt of Deal, and the perfectly preserved medieval Cinque Port of Sandwich, White Cliffs Country is a unique destination.
Here, striking coastline meets quintessential countryside, ancient history meets modern convenience, and peace and tranquillity meet action and adventure. Home to Kent’s Golf Coast, White Cliffs Country played proud host to The Open Championship for the 18th time last month, when golf fans were treated to four days of high-class action from the world’s best players over Royal St George’s revered fairways.
Easily reached from London by the Highspeed line, home to a major international cruise port, and offering the UK’s shortest ferry crossing from Europe, White Cliffs Country is one of Britain’s most accessible golfing destinations. It enjoys one of the warmest and driest climates in the UK.
1 / ROYAL ST GEORGE’S GOLF CLUB
The widely acclaimed Royal St Georges – regularly voted the number one course in England – has hosted The Open Championship 14 times and in 2021 once again staged golf’s oldest major. Sandwich, as it is also known, is not a traditional out-and-back links layout, with each nine set out in a loose figure of eight that blends beautifully into the surroundings of wildflowers, orchids, dune grasses and the sweet song of the sky lark with views over Pegwell Bay and the iconic White Cliffs.
2 / LONDON GOLF CLUB
As a European Tour Destination and part of the IMG Prestige network, London Golf Club provides an oasis of golfing tranquillity in 700 acres of idyllic Kent countryside, just 20 miles from London. The Heritage Course is a Jack Nicklaus Signature design that bears all the hallmarks of the 18-time Major Champion. Host to the 2008 and 2009 European Open, the course provides an exhilarating test for golfers of all abilities. The International course is pure downland and the quick undulating fairways force a links-style approach.
3 / PRINCE’S GOLF CLUB
Prince’s Golf Club boasts 27 holes of championship links in three 9-hole loops – The Shore, The Dunes and The Himalayas. Each loop has its own unique characteristics that have recently benefited from substantial investment and redevelopment which has seen the course start to rise up the Top 100 lists. An impressive array of 97 revetted bunkers, including the now-famous Sarazen Bunker, rolling greens and seaside breezes make for challenging golf. Prince’s also offers well-appointed apartment accommodation at The Lodge at Prince’s and a contemporary restaurant, Brasserie on the Bay, offering stunning views over Sandwich Bay, surrounding golf courses and beyond.
4 / ROYAL CINQUE PORTS GOLF CLUB
Royal Cinque Ports’ 18-hole Championship course is widely regarded as one of the finest links layouts in the world. The club also has excellent practice facilities, including a driving range, putting green, chipping green and pitching greens. The club has hosted many top-level events, no higher than the two Open Championships it staged back in 1909 and 1920.
For more details about booking a golf break to Kent, visit www.golfinkent.co.uk, www.visitkent.co.uk or www.whitecliffscountry.org.uk.
GOLF IN KENT 2021 MAGAZINE
Ready to start planning your next golf escape to the Garden of England? Golf in Kent magazine tells the story of the history of The Open in Kent, as well as sharing ideas of golf breaks in the county, highlighting places to play and stay, and 18 tips for other holiday activities. To view a digital version, visit https://bit.ly/36xFkYS.