Royal St George's Golf Club, championship links and dunes at Sandwich, Kent
Ranked · England's golf garden

The Best Golf Courses in Kent

One short stretch of coast between Sandwich and Deal holds three Open Championship links, and behind it the garden of England hides Nicklaus designs, a Faldo original and clifftop golf above the Channel. This is our ranked verdict on the eight courses that matter most in Kent, with verified 2026 fees, who gets on and how, and the smartest way to build them into a trip.

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By the GolfForKings editorial desk · Editorial policy · Last reviewed June 2026

Photograph: Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich, via Google

How we chose them

Kent is unique in English golf: nowhere else do three Open venues, past and present, sit within ten minutes of each other. Our ranking leads with the championship links of Sandwich Bay and Deal because they are the reason traveling golfers cross oceans for this county, and we weigh architecture, atmosphere and the quality of the walk above conditioning or clubhouse polish. Every fee below was verified in June 2026 against club listings and the National Club Golfer summer 2026 green fee survey, and every fee is indicative, so always confirm directly before booking.

We also ranked for the trip as a whole. The Sandwich trio is the spine of any Kent itinerary, but the supporting cast matters: a true links at Littlestone on Romney Marsh, the Nicklaus courses at the London Golf Club for a soft opening day off the plane, and Faldo's Chart Hills inland among the orchards. Courses we have profiled in full are linked from each entry.

The ranking

01

Royal St George's

W. Laidlaw Purves, 1887 · Sandwich · 15 Opens · indicative 2026 fee 400 pounds

The first English course to host The Open and still its southern home, Royal St George's is the grandest links in the south of England: huge dunes, blind shots, the deepest bunker in championship golf on the 4th, and a closing run through Duncan's Hollow that has decided 15 Opens, most recently Collin Morikawa's in 2021. The 2026 peak fee of 400 pounds includes the famous dining room lunch, and the winter Tuesday rate of around 215 pounds with lunch is the best value bucket list day in English golf. Weekday visitors, handicap limits apply, book months ahead.

How to get a tee time at Royal St George's

02

Royal Cinque Ports

Founded 1892 · Deal · Opens of 1909 and 1920 · indicative 2026 fee 285 pounds

Deal, as everyone calls it, hosted The Open in 1909 and 1920 and remains one of the purest tests of links golf in the world. The front nine slips out quietly along the shingle, then the course turns at the far end and the famous back nine plays home into the prevailing wind over crumpled, fast running ground, a stretch many fine judges rate the hardest finish in England. Less celebrated than its neighbor at Sandwich and loved all the more for it. Visitors Monday to Thursday at an indicative 285 pounds in summer 2026.

Plan a Kent links trip

03

Prince's

27 holes · Sandwich Bay · Open of 1932 · indicative 2026 fee 215 pounds

Sharing the same magnificent sweep of Sandwich Bay as Royal St George's, Prince's staged the 1932 Open, won by Gene Sarazen with his newly invented sand wedge in the bag. Today it is a modern 27 hole links of three loops, Himalayas, Shore and Dunes, sharpened by a long program of upgrades and anchored by the Lodge at Prince's, whose rooms sit a short walk from the first tee. The most relaxed and accessible of the Sandwich courses, open to visitors seven days a week at an indicative 215 pounds in 2026, it turns the bay into a genuine 45 hole weekend.

Plan a Kent links trip

04

Littlestone

Founded 1888 · Romney Marsh · championship links · confirm fees directly

Out on the lonely shingle of Romney Marsh, half an hour from the Sandwich coast, Littlestone is the connoisseur's fourth course in Kent: a championship links founded in 1888, ranked among the top 100 courses in England and used for Open final qualifying in the past. The land is gentler than at Sandwich but the wind is not, and the last four holes, played back toward the clubhouse and the water tower, are as strong a finish as any on this coast. Visitors are welcome seven days a week; the club publishes seasonal rates, so confirm directly before booking.

Plan a Kent links trip

05

London Golf Club, International Course

Jack Nicklaus design · Ash, near Brands Hatch · resort golf · confirm fees directly

Twenty five minutes from the M25 yet deep in the North Downs countryside, the London Golf Club brings modern resort golf to a county dominated by classic links. Jack Nicklaus oversaw the design of both courses here; the Heritage is reserved for members and their guests, while the International is open to visitors and green fee players year round on USGA spec greens. The club has hosted European Tour events on the Heritage, and the pairing of big practice facilities, buggies and an easy run from London makes it the natural first or last day of a Kent golf trip.

Plan a Kent golf trip

06

Chart Hills

Nick Faldo, 1993 · Biddenden, the Weald · parkland · confirm fees directly

Nick Faldo's first signature design, opened in 1993 in the orchard country of the Weald, Chart Hills was hailed on arrival as one of the finest modern courses in England and has been revived in recent years by new ownership and a sustained restoration. The bunkering is the signature, more than a hundred shapes including the vast Anaconda complex snaking down the 5th, and the closing holes around water give it a championship feel no other inland Kent course can match. A warm welcome for visitors and societies; rates are seasonal, so confirm directly.

Plan a Kent golf trip

07

Walmer and Kingsdown

Founded 1909 · clifftop above Deal · downland · confirm fees directly

On the white cliffs between Deal and Dover, Walmer and Kingsdown is the view course of Kent golf: a century old downland layout where the Channel fills the horizon from almost every hole and, on a clear day, France lines the far side of the water. The turf is springy chalk downland rather than true links, the golf honest and breezy, and the green fee a fraction of the championship courses ten minutes below. As a half day round between rounds at Deal and Sandwich, or a pure holiday walk, it earns its place on this list.

Plan a Kent golf trip

08

North Foreland

Fowler and Simpson · Broadstairs · clifftop downland · confirm fees directly

On the chalk headland above Broadstairs at the island tip of Thanet, North Foreland is a Herbert Fowler and Tom Simpson design from the early twentieth century with sea views from its high ground, a charming short course alongside the main 18, and a welcoming visitor policy. The golf is breezy clifftop downland, fast draining and open year round, and it pairs naturally with the seaside towns of Broadstairs and Margate for the nongolfing half of a traveling party. The most relaxed day on this list, and a fine one.

Plan a Kent golf trip

Fees verified indicatively in June 2026 from club listings and the National Club Golfer summer 2026 survey; they change with season and day, so always confirm directly before booking. Check tee time availability.

Building the trip

The classic Kent itinerary is simple and superb: base in Sandwich or Deal for three or four nights, play Royal St George's, Royal Cinque Ports and Prince's on consecutive days, and add Littlestone or Walmer and Kingsdown as the fourth round. The Lodge at Prince's and the small hotels of Sandwich and Deal keep every first tee within fifteen minutes, and London is under two hours away by car or high speed train, which makes Kent the easiest world class links trip on earth for anyone landing at Heathrow or Gatwick. Our 4 day Kent coast links itinerary maps it day by day, and our Kent green fee guide covers what every course in the county charges.

Timing is the lever. Summer brings the fastest turf and the fees above; April, May, September and October bring the same golf for less, and the winter Tuesday package at Royal St George's, with that lunch, is the single best deal in English championship golf. For how the county fits into the bigger picture, see our guides to golf in England and the best courses in England, or read how to plan golf in Kent from scratch.

Plan your Kent golf trip

Three Open links in ten minutes of coast, plus the tee times, the lodge rooms and the winter lunch deals that make them work. Tell us roughly when and who is traveling, and one concierge builds the Sandwich and Deal trip around your dates, with no obligation.

Kent golf questions

What is the best golf course in Kent?

Royal St George's at Sandwich is the best golf course in Kent and one of the finest links in the world. Laid out by W. Laidlaw Purves in 1887, it has hosted The Open 15 times, most recently in 2021 when Collin Morikawa won. Royal Cinque Ports at Deal and Prince's at Sandwich Bay complete a remarkable stretch of championship links on the same few miles of coast.

How much does it cost to play Royal St George's?

The peak summer green fee at Royal St George's is 400 pounds in 2026, with all green fees including the club's celebrated dining room lunch. In winter the club offers a Tuesday rate of around 215 pounds, lunch included, which is one of the great value plays in championship golf. Always confirm current rates and availability directly with the club before booking.

Can visitors play the Sandwich links?

Yes. Royal St George's welcomes visitors on weekdays with handicap limits and advance booking, Royal Cinque Ports takes visitors Monday to Thursday, and Prince's is open to visitors seven days a week across its 27 holes, with the Lodge at Prince's providing rooms a short walk from the first tee. Book months ahead for summer dates on all three.

When is the best time for a Kent golf trip?

May to September gives the best weather and the fastest links turf, and also the highest fees and busiest tee sheets. April and October are excellent value shoulders, and the winter months bring remarkable deals, including Royal St George's Tuesday winter rate with lunch included. The links drain superbly, so Kent golf is genuinely a year round proposition.

Related

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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts and indicative fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.