Fifteen Opens in the Kent dunes, and a Dining Room lunch with every visitor round.
Royal St George’s, at Sandwich on the Kent coast, is the only Open venue in the south-east of England and was the first outside Scotland to host the championship, in 1894. It has staged fifteen Opens, most recently Collin Morikawa’s win in 2021. The course rolls through some of the biggest dunes on any English links, with blind shots, deep bunkers and the English Channel just beyond. A visitor round comes with lunch in the club’s Dining Room, which it treats as part of the day rather than an extra.
Visitors are welcome on Tuesdays and Wednesdays; in August only Tuesdays are open to them. Three-ball and four-ball groups book and pay in full through the club’s online visitor booking portal. Singles and two-balls must email reception@royalstgeorges.com instead. Every player needs a handicap index of 18.4 or lower, and the club checks it at check-in on the day. Cards are accepted online and at the club, but American Express and Diners cannot be used online, and all payments are in sterling. Cancellations are partly refundable up to six months before the date, and rounds are never held as a credit, so book once your dates are fixed.
Visitor green fee October to December 2026, including Dining Room lunch. £235 in March, October and November 2027; £430 from April to September 2027. 2028 rates are £265 and £485.
| October to December 2026 | £215 |
|---|---|
| March 2027 | £235 |
| April to September 2027 (August Tuesdays only) | £430 |
| October and November 2027 | £235 |
| April to September 2028 | £485 |
Dr William Laidlaw Purves founded the club in 1887 to bring the spirit of St Andrews to the south of England, and it became Royal St George’s in 1902. Several blind shots remain despite later changes, and the 496-yard 4th is the longest par four on the card. The official scorecard adds up to 7,204 yards at par 70, with three of the four par threes longer than 175 yards and the 3rd and 11th close to 240. Open winners here include Harry Vardon, Walter Hagen, Henry Cotton, Greg Norman and Darren Clarke. Ian Fleming, a member, fictionalised the course as Royal St Marks in Goldfinger and was captain-elect when he died in 1964.
Plan the day around lunch. Most groups play in the morning, change, and sit down in the Dining Room, so allow time to put on a jacket and tie, which are needed in the clubhouse after 11:00. Before 11:00, golf clothes are fine indoors but you still need dress shoes. The club publishes its full dress code and mobile phone rules as a document on its green fees page; read it before you pack. For bigger groups, the club also runs corporate days on its own terms.
Sandwich is about 80 miles from central London, roughly two hours by road via the M2 and A256. London Gatwick and Heathrow are the main international airports, around two hours away depending on traffic. Southeastern trains from London, including high-speed services from St Pancras, serve Sandwich station, a short taxi ride from the club on the road to Sandwich Bay.
Nearby: 1. Prince’s Golf Club (2 km) · 2. Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club (4 km) · Compare all Kent’s links tee times
The club lists the Lodge at Prince’s, beside the neighbouring Prince’s links, Knowlton Court, a country estate inland, the Blue Pigeons Hotel & Restaurant, the Five Bells and the Royal Hotel on the seafront at Deal. Sandwich itself is a small medieval Cinque Port with timber-framed houses and inns on its quay. Canterbury, about 25 minutes away, has the most hotels nearby and suits groups that want restaurants within walking distance.
Prince’s Golf Club shares the Sandwich Bay dunes next door and offers three loops of nine, and Royal Cinque Ports at Deal, another former Open venue, is a few miles south along the coast. Together the three make a compact east Kent links trip. Off the course, Canterbury Cathedral is half an hour away, and Sandwich’s quay, Guildhall and old town walls make a pleasant evening stroll.
These packages have a confirmed round at Royal St George’s Golf Club in the itinerary, with the other courses, nights and hotels listed so you can compare like with like.
7 nights B&B, 5 rounds
Rounds: Royal St George’s · Royal Cinque Ports · The Addington · Walton Heath · Sunningdale
Stay: 3 nights at The Bell Hotel in Sandwich, 4 at Macdonald Berystede near Ascot
Two Kent links that have hosted The Open, then the Surrey and Berkshire heathlands, with Heathrow and Gatwick both close at hand.
Prices are Golfbreaks’ published per-person guide prices in US dollars, checked November 2026; your quote depends on dates and group size. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How we work
Visitor dates in 2027 run from March to November, with the high-season rate from April to September and lower fees at either end; late 2026 is priced through December. The south-east coast is drier than the north-west, so firm, fast turf is common in summer. August has fewer visitor dates because only Tuesdays are open.
Explore golf by monthVisitors with a handicap index of 18.4 or lower can play on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and on Tuesdays only in August. Groups of three or four book online, while singles and pairs email reception. Weekends are not offered to visitors.
The 2027 visitor green fee is £235 in March, October and November and £430 from April to September. Every fee includes lunch in the Dining Room. The club has also published 2028 rates of £265 and £485.
The club requires every visitor to hold a handicap index of 18.4 or less and verifies it on the day at check-in. It is one of the stricter limits among English Open venues, so carry proof of your current index.
On the course, smart golf clothing; hoodies, jeans, trainers and T-shirts are not allowed, and men in shorts need knee-length socks. In the clubhouse after 11:00, men need a jacket, collared shirt, tie, tailored trousers and dress shoes.
Last checked 10 November 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
How we research our guidesPhoto credits and licencesFlat fairways in deep dune valleys, an Art Deco clubhouse and eleven Opens.
Heather, pine and two classic courses, a short train ride from Waterloo.
Thirteen Opens on an old racecourse, with Hilbre Island and the Dee estuary beyond.
