How to Play the Best Golf in Kent
The Garden of England hides one of the great links coasts in golf, a tight cluster of championship courses along the east Kent shore around Sandwich and Deal. Royal St George's hosts the Open, Royal Cinque Ports and Prince's sit either side of it, and Littlestone rounds out the set. Here is how to get on each one, what to expect to pay in 2026, and how to build a trip.
Photograph: Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich, via Google
The short answer
Kent's golf is concentrated on a short, glorious stretch of the east coast around Sandwich and Deal, where three of the finest links in England sit almost shoulder to shoulder. The headline is Royal St George's, the only Open Championship venue in the south of England, host of fifteen Opens and the stage on which Collin Morikawa lifted the Claret Jug in 2021. It is a serious, members' links that welcomes visitors on selected days, with a handicap requirement, so a confirmed tee time takes planning. Get it booked and the rest of a Kent trip falls into place around it.
The beauty of the area is that the supporting cast is just as accessible. Prince's, the 27 hole club next door where Gene Sarazen won the 1932 Open, is genuinely visitor friendly and has its own lodge for a stay and play. Royal Cinque Ports at Deal, a former Open host, takes visitors Monday to Thursday. Littlestone, a classic links further down the coast near New Romney, is the value pick to finish on. Four real links within a short drive, and only Royal St George's asks much of you to get on.
Kent's best links: how to get on, 2026
| Course | How to get on | Indicative 2026 fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal St George's, Sandwich | Visitors Tue and Wed, Apr to Oct; book in 3 or 4 balls | From around 215 pounds | 15 time Open host; handicap index 18.4 or less, verified at check in |
| Royal Cinque Ports, Deal | Visitors Mon to Thu; Mon and Thu fourball, Tue and Wed singles and two ball | Around 285 pounds peak, lower in shoulder | Former Open host; on the same coast as RSG and Prince's |
| Prince's, Sandwich | Very visitor friendly, book direct; stay and play lodge on site | Indicative 150 to 200 pounds by season | 27 holes; Gene Sarazen won the 1932 Open here |
| Littlestone, New Romney | Visitor friendly, book ahead | Value, confirm directly | Classic links down the coast; the value round of the trip |
Access rules and indicative green fees verified June 2026 and change by season, weekday and without notice. Royal St George's enforces a handicap limit and limited visitor days. Always confirm current rates and tee times directly before booking. Check Kent tee time availability.
How access works, course by course
Royal St George's is the one to plan around. The club opens its links to visitors on limited days, usually Tuesday and Wednesday from April to October, with August more restricted, and bookings are taken in three or four balls. Every player must hold a handicap index of 18.4 or less, verified on arrival, so this is not a course you turn up to on a whim. Indicative 2026 green fees start from around 215 pounds. The reward is one of the truest tests in championship golf, a wild, rumpled links of blind shots and the deepest bunker in Open golf, and the sense of walking where the world's best played for the Claret Jug.
The neighbours are far easier. Prince's, right next door, is one of the most welcoming championship links in England, with three nines that combine into eighteen hole loops and a lodge on site that makes a stay and play simple, an ideal base for the whole trip. Royal Cinque Ports at Deal, a former Open host with a fearsome finish into the prevailing wind, takes visitors Monday to Thursday, with the ball format set by the day, and indicative peak fees around 285 pounds. Littlestone, near New Romney, is the relaxed value round, a fine traditional links to round out the week without the formality or the price of its grander neighbours.
Where to focus a Kent trip
Base yourself around Sandwich and Deal, which puts three of the four links within a few minutes of each other and a short hop from Littlestone, and use the lodge at Prince's or a Sandwich hotel as a hub. The classic Kent links itinerary is three or four rounds across the cluster, anchored by the Royal St George's tee time and filled out with Prince's, Royal Cinque Ports and Littlestone. The coast is exposed, so the golf is at the mercy of the wind in any season, which is part of the appeal. Play May to September for the firmest turf, the warmest weather and the widest visitor access, or take the April and October shoulders for value and quieter tee sheets. London and its airports are little over an hour and a half away, so a Kent links trip works as a long weekend as easily as a full week.
Plan a Kent golf trip
Tell us roughly when and who is travelling, and one concierge secures the Royal St George's tee time the trip turns on, books Prince's, Royal Cinque Ports and Littlestone around it, and sets the base. We cost it to the head and reply within one working day, with no obligation.
Kent golf access questions
Can you play Royal St George's as a visitor?
Yes. Royal St George's at Sandwich, the Open Championship links that crowned Collin Morikawa in 2021, welcomes visitors on selected days, typically Tuesday and Wednesday from April to October, with August more restricted. Bookings are made in three or four balls and every player must hold a handicap index of 18.4 or less, verified at check in. Indicative green fees start from around 215 pounds in 2026. Book well ahead and always confirm current rates and access directly before booking.
How do you get a tee time at Royal Cinque Ports?
Royal Cinque Ports at Deal welcomes visitors Monday to Thursday, with Monday and Thursday reserved for three and four ball play and Tuesday and Wednesday for singles and two balls. Green fees vary by season and by weekday, with an indicative peak around 285 pounds and lower shoulder season rates. It sits on the same stretch of coast as Royal St George's and Prince's, so it pairs naturally into a links trip. Always confirm current rates and tee times directly before booking.
What golf courses are near Royal St George's in Kent?
Royal St George's at Sandwich borders two more fine links. Prince's, the 27 hole club where Gene Sarazen won the 1932 Open, is next door and very visitor friendly, with a stay and play lodge on site. Royal Cinque Ports at Deal is a few minutes south, a former Open host in its own right. Littlestone, further down the coast near New Romney, is the value pick to close a Kent links trip. Always confirm access and rates directly before booking.
When is the best time to play golf in Kent?
May to September is the prime season for Kent links golf, with the firmest turf, the warmest weather and the longest daylight, and it is also when visitor access at the championship clubs is at its widest. The April and October shoulders offer better value and quieter tee sheets, with a real chance of fine days. The east Kent coast is exposed, so pack for wind whatever the date. Always confirm conditions and rates before booking.
Related
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Access rules and indicative fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.