Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club (Deal)

Deal, Kent · Designed by Founded 1892; James Braid (1919), later Guy Campbell · Est. 1892

8.8/10Edge Score

££££Green fee

71Par

7,245Yards

18Holes

Why this Edge Score: A great traditional championship links on the Kent coast, Royal Cinque Ports at Deal has twice hosted the Open and defends itself with one of the hardest homeward nines in golf, into the wind along the sea wall. Part of the Sandwich triangle, it ranks among our top English links.

Royal Cinque Ports — known to everyone as Deal — is a great, old-fashioned championship links on the Kent coast, sharing the same stretch of Sandwich Bay shoreline as Royal St George's and Prince's. It opened in 1892; its name comes from Deal's membership of the medieval Cinque Ports, and the royal title was granted by George VI in 1949.

The links is a stern, honest out-and-back test, laid out along the shingle beach and lengthened to championship standard by James Braid in 1919, with later work by Guy Campbell and, recently, Martin Ebert. The homeward nine, played straight into the prevailing wind along the sea wall, is one of the hardest finishing stretches in the game.

Deal has twice hosted the Open Championship — J.H. Taylor won here in 1909 and George Duncan in 1920 — and was set to host again in 1949 before a storm broke the sea through the shingle and the championship was moved to Sandwich. It remains a pure, traditional links, run largely for two-ball play, and completes the Kent “Sandwich triangle.”

Holes worth knowing

1The homeward nine — played straight into the prevailing wind along the sea wall, Deal's back nine is among the most punishing finishing stretches in championship golf.
216th (par-4) — a brutal, exposed two-shotter into the teeth of the wind that has wrecked countless promising rounds.

Highlights

Twice an Open host (1909 & 1920)
One of the hardest homeward nines in golf
James Braid championship links
Completes the Kent “Sandwich triangle”

Good to know

→Deal forms the Kent “Sandwich triangle” with Royal St George's and Prince's — three championship links within a couple of miles, ideal for a three-day trip.
→The homeward nine defines Deal: played straight into the prevailing wind along the sea wall, it is one of the hardest finishes in golf, so keep something in reserve and the ball under the breeze.
→It plays largely as a two-ball course, with three and four-balls permitted on Mondays and Thursdays — plan your day and group accordingly.
→The old town of Deal is a gem — a Tudor castle on the front, a conservation-area high street of independent shops and pubs, and a shingle beach; nearby Walmer Castle has fine gardens.
→The 1949 Open was awarded to Deal but moved to Sandwich after a storm breached the shingle — a favourite piece of Open lore; the London airports are a couple of hours away.