Prince's Golf Club

Sandwich, Kent · Designed by Charles Hutchings (1906); redesigned 1950 by Campbell & Morrison · Est. 1906

8.8/10Edge Score

££££Green fee

71Par

7,300Yards

18Holes

Why this Edge Score: The third of the great Sandwich Bay links, Prince's is where Gene Sarazen won the 1932 Open with his newly invented sand wedge. A big, open 27-hole spread with its own lodging, it completes Kent's famous links triangle and earns a solid Edge Score.

Prince's completes the Kent “Sandwich triangle,” sharing the Sandwich Bay dunes with Royal St George's and Royal Cinque Ports. Completed in 1906 to a design by Charles Hutchings, the 1902 Amateur champion, on land donated by the Earl of Guilford, it earned its place in history in 1932 when it hosted the Open Championship — won by the American Gene Sarazen, who unveiled his newly invented sand wedge on the way to the title. Uniquely among Open venues, Prince's has hosted the championship exactly once.

Badly damaged during the Second World War, the links was rebuilt in 1950 into a 27-hole layout arranged as three loops of nine — Shore, Dunes and Himalayas — so a round combines any two. It is big, open, dune-framed links golf, more forgiving off the tee than its illustrious neighbours but a fine, characterful test in its own right, with wide views over Pegwell Bay.

With the on-site Prince's Lodge for stay-and-play, it makes an ideal base from which to tackle all three of the Sandwich links.

Holes worth knowing

1The Himalayas loop — the biggest dune holes on the property, framed by towering sandhills with views over Pegwell Bay.
2The Shore nine — open, wind-exposed links running towards the sea, where Sarazen and the 1932 Open field did battle.

Highlights

Host of the 1932 Open (Gene Sarazen, sand-wedge debut)
27 holes: Shore, Dunes & Himalayas loops
Completes the Kent “Sandwich triangle”
On-site lodge for stay-and-play

Good to know

→Gene Sarazen debuted his newly invented sand wedge here while winning the 1932 Open; his club was displayed at the club for many years.
→It is more forgiving off the tee than its illustrious neighbours — a good place to find your feet in the Sandwich wind — but the Himalayas dunes still demand respect.
→The 27 holes play as three nines (Shore, Dunes, Himalayas), so you combine any two; the on-site Prince's Lodge and its Brasserie on the Bay make an easy base.
→It is the natural hub for the Kent “Sandwich triangle” — play Prince's, Royal St George's and Deal from one base — with the RSPB reserve at Pegwell Bay and medieval Sandwich alongside.
→Prince's is the only club to have hosted the Open exactly once — a quirky piece of championship history; the London airports are a couple of hours away.