A Kent golf course has been crowned England’s best – as several others in the county also made the top 100 list.<\/p>\n
Royal St George\u2019s in Sandwich came first in the rankings compiled by the National Club Golfer (NCG).<\/p>\n
Royal St George’s in Sandwich was crowned the best golf course in the country. Picture: National Club Golfer<\/p>\n
Compiled by a panel of golf experts, course raters and journalists, the guide assesses courses on their design, setting, conditioning, facilities and history to determine the rankings.<\/p>\n
Royal St George\u2019s has hosted the Open Championship 15 times since its establishment in 1887, becoming the first club outside Scotland to host the prestigious tournament in 1894.<\/p>\n
According to NCG chairman, Dan Murphy, the historic course on the east Kent coast exudes \u201ctimeless elegance\u201d and \u201csporting excellence\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cSet against the backdrop of the iconic White Cliffs of Dover, Royal St George\u2019s boasts a special setting alongside the English Channel,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Kent was also named the country\u2019s best golfing county, with five other courses making the top 100.<\/p>\n
The NCG said Royal St George’s in Sandwich exudes \u201ctimeless elegance\u201d and \u201csporting excellence\u201d. Picture: National Championship Golfer
Royal Cinque Ports in Deal formerly played host to the then Prince of Wales, later Edward VII. Picture: National Club Golfer<\/p>\n
A short drive up the coast, Royal Cinque Ports in Deal claimed seventh place.<\/p>\n
Judges described it as \u201ccertainly challenging and well maintained\u201d.<\/p>\n
It first opened in 1892, became an 18-hole course seven years later, and hosted its first Open Championship in 1909.<\/p>\n
The venue was gifted its current name in 1949, with the then-Prince of Wales frequently playing here during his trips to Deal.<\/p>\n
Prince\u2019s in Sandwich rounded out the top 30, having hosted both The Open and Ladies British Open Championship over the years.<\/p>\n
Prince’s Golf Club in Sandwich was the town’s second inclusion on the list. Picture: National Club Golfer
Littlestone Golf Club\u2019s Championship Links in New Romney can welcome golfers all year round. Picture: National Club Golfer<\/p>\n
Founded in 1906, it has undergone several post-war changes to create the \u201cmodern interpretation of links golf\u201d.<\/p>\n
Now it\u2019s made up of three nine-hole courses, which experts say offer \u201cboth thrills and challenges for all golf enthusiasts\u201d.<\/p>\n
In 59th place was Littlestone Golf Club\u2019s Championship Links in New Romney.<\/p>\n
Judges said it was \u201canother crackling links course in the region\u201d.<\/p>\n
They added: \u201cLocated in the southeast corner of England, the club benefits from a mild climate and superb playing conditions year-round, making it an exceptional venue for golf in all seasons.\u201d<\/p>\n
Knole Park in Sevenoaks played host to The Beatles for their Strawberry Fields video. Picture: National Club Golfer<\/p>\n
Knole Park in Sevenoaks ranked 69th, though it\u2019s better known for its musical royalty than its golfing prestige.<\/p>\n
The course, nestled inside the Knole Park National Trust estate, famously hosted The Beatles as they wandered the fairways during their Strawberry Fields video.<\/p>\n
NCG experts said Knole Park was filled with a unique charm, adding: \u201cOne cannot imagine this course existing anywhere but England.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rounding out Kent\u2019s entries was Chart Hills in Biddenden near Tenterden, which claimed 94th place.<\/p>\n
Opening in 1993, it’s one of the newer venues on the list but has already hosted the Ladies European Tour and the European Tour Qualifying School.<\/p>\n
Knole Park in Sevenoaks played host to The Beatles for their Strawberry Fields video. Picture: National Club Golfer<\/p>\n
Judges were impressed by the course designed by former world number one Nick Faldo at the height of his playing career.<\/p>\n
They added: \u201cThe Ashford course delivers both quality and stunning design. Enthusiasts should watch this space in the years ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Kent golf course has been crowned England’s best – as several others in the county also made…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":204177,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[3859,3860,5904,192,191,3863,3864,101,3868,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-204176","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-golf","8":"tag-ashford","9":"tag-deal","10":"tag-golf","11":"tag-human-interest","12":"tag-kent","13":"tag-romney-marsh","14":"tag-sandwich","15":"tag-sports","16":"tag-tenterden","17":"tag-uk","18":"tag-united-kingdom","19":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204176"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204176\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/204177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=204176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=204176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}