The Royal St George’s Golf Club

Founded in 1887 by William Laidlaw Purves, a Scottish-born, London-based Surgeon, and keen golfer envisioned The Royal St George’s Golf Club to be the southern rival of his beloved St Andrews. His vision quickly became and is still today the crown jewel of Kent golf.

Purves had spied the then virgin tract of linksland from St. Clement’s Church in Sandwich and thought it perfect to achieve his dream.

He named the Club after the patron saint of England like St Andrews is named after the patron saint of Scotland. Purves himself, laid out the original routing.

Royal St George’s has to date hosted 15 Open Championships, more than any other Club outside of Scotland. Bernard Darwin stated of the early St George’s, “…without undergoing any period of probation, burst full-fledged into fame.”

Tom Doak, this generation’s acknowledged expert on links golf states that St George’s encapsulates the 4 most important characteristics of links golf. According to Doak, a course must have; challenging golf holes, beautifully crafted greens and bunkers, a character all its own, and stunning scenery. All of which Royal St George’s has in spades.

A worthy addition to any England golf tour, it would become the first course outside of Scotland in 1894 to host an Open Championship, won that year by JH Taylor.

Like another favorite layout of his, St George’s is not a typical out-and-back routing, but rather returns to the clubhouse after nine holes, like Muirfield.

It has perhaps erroneously received the reputation, by many professionals during Opens, of being unfair. The truth is that the course is completely natural and that good shots are sometimes rewarded with bad bounces, which is integral in the links game.

Tom Watson, a five-time winner of the Claret Jug, perhaps has won multiple times because of his philosophy of playing the links. Watson acknowledges that unpredictable bounces are just part of the game “…that’s what makes links golf links golf,” it’s what you do with those bounces that defines a champion. However, the 1^st and 18^th have been improved to better reward carefully stuck shots.

St George’s also had a reputation for not welcoming women to its links. The truth is women were extended courtesy of the course on Sundays and Purves, St George’s founder was also instrumental in establishing the Ladies Golf Union. Today, women are welcome as members of the club.

The British are always clever on naming holes and St George’s 14^th, a 547-yard, par 5 is aptly named “Suez Canal” because so many have found a watery grave in the burn that bisects the narrow fairway about 200 yards from the tee.

A tiny dot on the map, Sandwich golf is home to three adjoining brilliant layouts that are all in the Top 100 of Great Britain & Ireland courses and past host venues of the Open Championship – Royal Cinque Ports, Prince’s, and St. George’s. Together or separately, they make a perfect addition to any England golf tour.