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Host
Course of the
2011 Open Championship
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Royal St.
George's photo |
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Seaside links on England's
southeast coast, with plenty
of history and weather.
On the British Open rotation. |
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| Royal St. George’s is the Old Course of England, like St.
Andrews is in Scotland, and Royal St. David’s is in Wales. Although an expensive,
private club, Royal St. George’s makes it possible for visitors to play, if they meet
certain requirements. Although it doesn’t have women’s tees, the course is not
closed to women, but its handicap requirements are more stringent for women than they are
for men. Royal St. George’s is a frequent venue for Britain’s premier golf
tournament, the British Open. The 2003 British Open was the 13th Open to have been played
at Royal St. George’s. The course is currently rated #16
in the world outside of the USA by GolfDigest.com.
ADDRESS: Royal St George’s Golf Club, Sandwich, Kent
CT13 9PB England
LOCATION: among the dunes and flats by the sea (English
Channel) 1 miles east of Sandwich, Kent, England, about 2 hours southeast of London.
Directions: Trains from London Charing Cross, Blackfriars, and London
Bridge to Sandwich. Taxi from Sandwich 1-mile out to the course.
Location Map:
http://www.uk-golfmaps.com/uk/map23.html
LENGTH & PAR:
Championship Tees:
18 holes, 7102 yards, Par 71, SSS
74
Medal Tees:
18 holes, 6607
yards, Par 71, SSS 72
Weekday Tees:
18 holes, 6176 yards, Par 71
FACILITIES:
Caddies Available:
book through the caddy
master at
least a week before any visit.
Caddy Car Hire
(Pull Cart Rental):
wide wheel trolleys
only. Available from the club pro.
Practice Area
Pro Shop
Clubhouse with bar and dining facilities available in
the main lounge. Coffees, teas and snacks
are available to
visitors without pre-booking. Breakfast requires pre-booking with at least
24
hours notice.
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VISITORS WELCOME WEEKDAYS ONLY
Advance booking of tee times essential. On weekdays,
the 1st tee is reserved for members until 9:45AM and from 1-2:15PM. The 10th tee can often
be used for earlier starting times, but must be confirmed by the club's office in advance.
The normal playing format is 2-ball, either singles or twosomes.
Three- or four-ball golf matches are allowed at the club secretary's
discretion on Tuesdays only.
Visitor Qualifications:
1. Visitors must be members of recognized golf clubs in membership with
the appropriate governing body if their clubs are outside of England. |
Royal St. George's
photo |
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2. Handicap certificate with a maximum of 18 is required for men.
3. Handicap certificate with a maximum of 15 is required for ladies.
4. A letter of introduction should also be made available to the club
secretary prior to arrival.
SPECIAL CLUB RULES:
Dress Code: Jackets
and ties are worn in the smoking, writing and dining rooms. Jeans are not allowed on
the course or in the clubhouse, and shorts can only be worn in conjunction with long
socks. Dress in the snack bar is more relaxed, but spikes are not allowed.
Mobile phones are not allowed in the clubhouse or on the course, other
than in vehicles.
GREENS FEES:
Weekdays: £130 per round
£170 per day
Payment:
All green fees are paid in full prior to playing.
Credit and Debit cards are accepted, except American Express and Diners
Card.
Foreign Currency is not accepted.
BOOKINGS: (required in advance)
Tel: +44 (0)1304 613090
FAX: +44 (0)1304 611245 or 620165
e-mail:
general@royalstgeorges.com
Note: Written notice of acceptance of reservations will be issued
by Royal St. George's
Golf Club. Such notice will include a request
for a non-returnable
deposit of £15 per player.
NEAREST HOME AT FIRST LODGINGS:
«about 2 hours 15 minutes west of Sandwich in LONDON
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HISTORY AT ROYAL ST. GEORGE'S
The links course on the dunes by
Sandwich Bay opened in 1887. It was designed by Dr. Laidlaw Purves, a Scottish physician
who first saw the potential of the dunes as a golf course during a visit to Sandwich in
1885. As befits a British seaside links, St. George’s is treeless, waterless, rugged
but not hilly, and plagued with blind shots, deep pot bunkers, strong winds, and
treacherous rough. Like other original links courses, Royal St. George’s remains
extremely natural in appearance, as if the course had simply emerged from the wasteland.
Sightlines indicating fairways and landing areas are not obvious—a caddy is
indispensable here. |
Bunker Shot 4th Hole
Royal St. George’s
photo © David Cannon / Getty Images
visit: http://www.opengolf.com |
| Unusually, the club requires
play by twosomes, except on some Tuesdays. Not unusually for Britain, the course must be
walked—golf carts are anathema here. Rough, natural, and shaggy, the course seems
unkempt at first appearance. In the traditional Scottish golfing manner, this natural
links requires a nearly formal clubhouse, where jacket, tie, and Cuban cigars are de
rigueur. |
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BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONS
GENE SARAZEN AND
GREG NORMAN AT
ROYAL ST. GEORGE'S
Royal St. George's photo |
American unknown Ben Curtis won the Open at
Royal St. George's in 2003. Royal St George’s (only 7 years old at the time) was the
first course outside Scotland to stage the British Open in 1894, when J.
H. Taylor won the first of his five Opens with four rounds shot in the
80s. By contrast, in 1993 the British Open was won by Greg Norman with
four rounds shot in the 60s. The Open was won twice by the legendary
Henry Vardon (1899 and 1911), twice by Walter Hagen (1922 and 1928),
and, in 1985, by Scot Sandy Lyle, now a resident of Balquhidder, the
same lovely Central Scotland village familiar to so many Home
At First guests.
Royal St. George’s has had
more than its share of famous associations over the years—most in connection with
important tournaments held there over the last 100+ years. Oddly though, the best-known
names indelibly tied to the club are not pro golfers, but a former club captain and two
fictional characters. Borrowing heavily from the membership and the course, the club
captain, one Ian Fleming, composed a vignette about a golfing duel between his series
hero, James |
| Bond, and a
classic Fleming villain, Goldfinger, in his book by the same name. It
would take a man with the wherewithal of 007 to take on the simultaneous
challenges of the evil Goldfinger and the menacing Royal St. Georges
Golf Club and emerge neither shaken nor stirred. |
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THE REGION
Southeastern England has been making history
for millennia. Being that corner of Britain closest to the European continent,
southeastern England has received many visitors over the years, some of whom were
uninvited, including the Roman legions of 2,000 years ago and the Normans of 1,000 years
ago. As a result, numerous castles (Dover Castle being the most impressive; Leeds Castle
being the most attractive), battlefields (Hastings), churches (Canterbury Cathedral, Dover
Priory) and important ports (Sandwich,
Rye, Dover, Folkestone, Hastings) have drawn
visitors for centuries. Most of these destinations are reachable conveniently from London
by rail. |
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Want to learn
about other courses throughout the British Isles
including some of the greatest tests of golf in the world?
See our
SCOTLAND, IRELAND, ENGLAND, and WALES
Course Guides for
more information.
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Read more about the region and
Home at First’s travel program to: LONDON
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