Royal Cinque Ports – Golf Course Review

Golfer’s Tips

• This is a tricky course, especially if the wind is up. Princes and RSG offer more playability, perhaps without as much traditional charm, but do beware that it is not an easy one for any mid to high handicappers.
• Men are required to wear long socks with shorts, even in the height of Summer. Golf socks will not be accepted, and if you fail to bring your own then you can expect to fork out £20 for a pair of RCP beauties!
• All four par 3s face in the different directions on the compass, meaning that the wind will affect your tee shot in a different way each time. A lovely touch and a reminder to keep your wits about you on a testing track.

Signature Holes

• 1st – unusual and daunting in equal measure. Perhaps not the strongest hole of the round, but the nature of hitting your first tee shot with the car park and clubhouse just a sliced drive away is such a unique feature and hints at the unspoilt nature of the links as a whole.
• 4th – picturesque linksy par 3, with the white cliffs of Dover visible beyond. Looks gettable from the elevated tee but the green is not deep and the run offs are reasonably penal, so clubbing is important.
• 16th – a fantastic par 5, amidst a challenging stretch of holes back to the clubhouse, often facing into the teeth of the wind. The split and wonderfully undulating fairway offering a choice of route, with the 3rd shot (from whichever side!) requiring a carefully played approach up to a tabletop green above.

Review:

St George’s obviously takes most of the local fanfare due to more frequent and recent Open hostings, but I would argue that Royal Cinque Ports is possibly a greater links course – a fantastic traditional setup that is a real test.

Played on a beautiful Summer’s day, but still with a bit of customary wind around, the course starts up with a couple of relatively straight forward (on paper!) par 4s, with the 1st tee shot hitting back past the clubhouse and the parked cars on the other side of the road – really iconic and a bit nerve racking!

Throughout the round it is a purist golfer’s dream with beautiful raised tees, intelligently placed pot bunkers, and the green complexes are often mind boggling with several bowls and run-off areas that are either to be aimed for or avoided at all costs.

The final stretch of 4-5 holes on the back nine is of the highest quality and no little challenge – the wind was blowing into which made some of the longer par 4s and tighter tee shots that much more taxing. The easier scoring came on the par 5s, which are not overly long and have wider fairways than some of the par 4s, and there are also scores to be had on the shorter holes but this will almost always require good shot (and club) selection for the correct level on the greens.

One slight moan is on the presence of one tradition too many – for men to have to wear long knee length socks (with shorts) in 25 degrees in this day and age really is a bit ridiculous, and especially when they are £20 in the pro shop if you don’t realise! Perhaps unsurprising that golf is deemed to be a privileged sport with barriers for younger, less affluent people when you have silly rules like that. Rant over.

Ignoring that, a fantastic course and undoubtedly one of the finest links courses in England, an absolute must if in the area, and I would play again over Princes and even Royal St George’s.

• “Top 100” Ranking: 11th (England), 30th (GB & I), 93rd (World)
• Golfer View Rating: 88%

https://www.royalcinqueports.com/

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