Buggies, Caddies and Etiquette in Kent
Kent's championship coast is walking country by conviction. Royal St George's hires buggies only on production of a medical certificate, Royal Cinque Ports asks for a doctor's note, and the proper way around an Open venue here is on foot, ideally with a caddie who has seen your shot a thousand times before you hit it. Here is how to book the help, what the clubs allow, and how to carry yourself on England's oldest Open links.
Photograph: Royal St George's Golf Club, via Google
Caddies: the best money you will spend in Sandwich
At Royal St George's caddies are arranged through the club's Caddiemaster, by phone or email, and the system is run with championship seriousness: book when you book the tee time, especially for summer mornings, and note the 24 hour cancellation policy that applies to every caddie booking. A St George's caddie earns the fee on the 4th tee the first time the line over the dune makes no sense to you, and the stories from Open weeks are included free. Agree the fee and the tip custom when you book rather than on the first tee.
Down the coast at Royal Cinque Ports, the Professional's Shop is the single desk for everything: caddies, buggies, trolleys and hire clubs are all booked and paid for there. At Prince's, the most relaxed of the Sandwich Bay trio, the Pro Shop in the clubhouse handles caddie requests, and the flatter, more open layout is also the one where a confident visitor manages most happily without one. Our how to play Royal St George's guide covers the tee time side of the same planning.
Buggies: medical certificates, not preferences
Be clear eyed about this before promising a riding round to anyone in your group. Royal St George's hires buggies only on production of a medical certificate and they must be booked in advance; visitor reports confirm Royal Cinque Ports likewise requires a doctor's certificate. This is not stuffiness, it is turf and terrain: these are firm, ancient dunescapes that buggies damage and that buggies struggle to traverse safely. The working assumption for a Kent links trip is that everybody walks, with push or powered trolleys the standard equipment, subject to winter weather restrictions.
Caddie and buggy policy by club
| Club | Caddies | Buggies and trolleys |
|---|---|---|
| Royal St George's | Via the Caddiemaster, by phone or email; 24 hour cancellation policy on all caddie bookings; book well ahead in summer | Buggies on production of a medical certificate only, booked in advance; trolleys standard |
| Royal Cinque Ports | Booked and paid through the Professional's Shop | Buggies require a doctor's certificate; trolleys and hire clubs through the Professional's Shop |
| Prince's | Caddie requests through the Pro Shop in the clubhouse | The most flexible of the three; confirm buggy availability directly with the club |
Policies verified June 2026 from club published information and visitor terms. Check tee time availability.
Links etiquette, the Kent edition
Pace and formats
The royal clubs of the Kent coast keep old playing rhythms: two ball and foursomes traditions still shape parts of the tee sheet, visitor windows are specific, and the members move fast in any format. Keep your place on the course, be ready over the ball, and treat a three minute ball search in the marram as the maximum, not the norm. If your group is slower, wave faster matches through with good grace; it is noticed, and so is the opposite.
The turf and the dunes
Play the ball as it lies on ground that has been firm since before your grandfather was born, replace divots on the fine seaside turf, repair pitch marks even when the green barely shows them, and rake the revetted bunkers all the way to the edges, then leave the rake where the club asks. Keep trolleys off tees, greens, surrounds and dune faces; the dunes at Sandwich Bay are protected habitat as well as scenery, and the paths between holes exist for a reason. In winter, expect trolley restrictions or mats in wet spells and take them cheerfully.
The clubhouse
Sandwich clubhouses are friendlier than their reputations and exactly as proper as you would hope: hats off indoors, golf shoes only where permitted, smart casual with no denim the safe standard for lunch, and a jacket never wasted at Royal St George's. Allow time for the dining room, the sandwiches at the home of the sandwich are a small joke the members never tire of, and thank the caddiemaster on the way out; the relationship pays off on the next visit.
Plan your Kent golf trip
Tell us roughly when and who is traveling, and one concierge books the Sandwich Bay trio in the right order, arranges caddies through the right desks, and briefs the group on every club's rules before you fly. No obligation.
Kent caddie and buggy questions
Can you hire a buggy at Royal St George's?
Only with a medical certificate, and only booked in advance. The policy is typical of Kent's championship links: Royal Cinque Ports likewise requires a doctor's certificate for buggy hire. These are walking courses by design, with trolleys, including powered models, the standard way to move a bag across the dunes.
How do I book a caddie in Kent?
At Royal St George's, through the club's Caddiemaster, by phone or email, ideally when you book the tee time and at least several days ahead in summer; a 24 hour cancellation policy applies to all caddie bookings. At Royal Cinque Ports, caddies, buggies, trolleys and hire clubs are all arranged through the Professional's Shop, and at Prince's the Pro Shop in the clubhouse handles caddie requests. Agree the fee and tip arrangements when you book.
Is a caddie worth it on the Kent links?
On a first visit to Royal St George's, emphatically yes. The blind lines over the dunes, the misleading wind and greens that reject the obvious shot make local knowledge worth several strokes, and an Open venue caddie doubles as the best storyteller in the county. On the flatter, more open Prince's, confident golfers manage happily with a trolley and a yardage book.
What etiquette matters most on Kent's links?
Walk briskly and keep your place on the course, two ball and foursomes traditions still shape tee sheets at the royal clubs; play the ball as it lies on firm ground; replace divots and rake bunkers properly, including the deep revetted ones; and keep trolleys off tees, greens and dune faces, which are protected habitat. Check each club's format and start time rules when booking, since visitor windows are specific.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Course openings, ranking shake ups and the booking windows that matter. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Policies verified June 2026 from Royal St George's, Royal Cinque Ports and Prince's published visitor information; clubs change their rules, so always confirm directly before you play. Last reviewed June 2026.