Royal St George's Golf Club

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Royal St George's Golf Club
Royal St George's Golf Club logo.png Royal St George's Golf Clubhouse. - geograph.org.uk - 304182.jpg
Clubhouse in 2007
Club information
Kent UK location map.svg
Icona golf.svg
Map showing the location of Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent, England
Location Sandwich, Kent, England
Established1887
Typeprivate
Total holes18
Events hosted The Open Championship (15 times)
Website royalstgeorges.com
Designed by Laidlaw Purves
Par 70
Length7,204 yards (6,587 m) [1]
The starters hut at the 1st hole Starters hut at 1st hole on Royal St Georges Golf Club - geograph.org.uk - 81110.jpg
The starters hut at the 1st hole

The Royal St George's Golf Club located in Sandwich, Kent, England, is a golf club in the United Kingdom and one of the courses on The Open Championship rotation and is the only Open rota golf course to be located in South East England. It has hosted 15 Open championships, the first in 1894 when it became the first club outside Scotland to host the championship. Past champions include Collin Morikawa, Darren Clarke, Ben Curtis, Greg Norman, Sandy Lyle, Bill Rogers, Bobby Locke, Reg Whitcombe, Henry Cotton, Walter Hagen (on two occasions), Harry Vardon (on two occasions), Jack White and John Henry Taylor. It has also hosted The Amateur Championship on 14 occasions.

Contents

The club was founded by the surgeon Laidlaw Purves in 1887 in a setting of wild duneland. Many holes feature blind or partially blind shots, although the unfairness element has been reduced somewhat, after several 20th century modifications. The course also possesses the deepest bunker in championship golf, located on its fourth hole. [2]

The club's Challenge Cup dates from 1888 and is one of the oldest amateur events in golf. It has been contested annually over 36 holes except during the war years. A 19-year-old Jack Nicklaus won the tournament in 1959 shortly before going on to win the first of his two U.S. Amateur titles. [3]

Author Ian Fleming used the Royal St George's course under the name "Royal St. Marks" in his 1959 novel Goldfinger . When he died, Fleming was the Captain-elect of the club.

Environmental awareness

Royal St George's is situated on the same stretch of coastline as Royal Cinque Ports Club and neighbouring Prince's Golf Club, both former Open Championship venues.

The course has been involved in a research informed study undertaken by Dr Graham Earl since 2011, on behalf of Natural England and Canterbury Christ Church University.

The intensive study undertaken between 2011 – 2015 at Sandwich Bay, incorporated all three links golf courses located at Sandwich Bay, including Royal Cinque Ports golf club and Princes golf club. These courses were involved in an Eco-hydrological study, focusing upon the chemical composition of the groundwater, historical analysis of vegetation composition and management trials looking at site-specific management regimes which encourage native sward development.

Management trials indicated that burning as a management regime promoted an increase in native swards. A combination of the research informed outcomes and enthusiasm for the study by Head Greenkeeper Paul Larsen, has helped to revert in a positive way the SSSI status at Royal St Georges golf club, in an unprecedented three-year period.

This burning management regime provides a fast quick burn, therefore not affecting the rooting zone, (in particular the rare orchids which reside predominantly at Sandwich Bay), but does remove the thatch layer removing generalist competitive plant/grass species. The burning treatment, which can be viewed between October and February, was undertaken to reduce the sward thatch and encourage native grey dune plant species and has been very successful. The site now hosts one of the largest abundance of orchids in a single site, managed for amenity.

The Open Championship

Royal St George's has hosted The Open Championship on 15 occasions since 1894.

YearWinnerScoreWinners
share (£)
R1R2R3R4Total
1894 Flag of England.svg J.H. Taylor 1st8480818132630
1899 Flag of Jersey.svg Harry Vardon 3rd7676817731030
1904 Flag of Scotland.svg Jack White 8075726929650
1911 Flag of Jersey.svg Harry Vardon 5th74747580303 PO50
1922 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Walter Hagen 1st7673797230075
1928 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Walter Hagen 3rd75737272292100
1934 Flag of England.svg Henry Cotton 1st67657279283100
1938 Flag of England.svg Reg Whitcombe 71717578295100
1949 Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Bobby Locke 1st69766870283 (−5)300
1981 Flag of the United States.svg Bill Rogers 72666771276 (−4)25,000
1985 Flag of Scotland.svg Sandy Lyle 68717370282 (+2)65,000
1993 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Greg Norman 2nd66686964267 (−13)100,000
2003 Flag of the United States.svg Ben Curtis 72727069283 (−1)700,000
2011 Ulster Banner.svg Darren Clarke 68686970275 (−5)900,000
2021 Flag of the United States.svg Collin Morikawa 67646866265 (−15)$2,070,000

Scorecard

Royal St. George's Golf Club [1]
Tee Rating/Slope 123456789Out101112131415161718InTotal
Championship442426239496416176573457410363541224237945754549316142445635697204
Par443443544354344543443570
Medal411385195415416152490419373325637121536144253343616141843733746630
Weekday399350180412406142464395366311435120234042050743515039242932266340
SI 106162818144129715313117511

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "Scorecard". Royal St. George's Golf Club. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  2. The World Atlas of Golf, second, revised edition, by Herbert Warren Wind, Charles Price, and Peter Thomson, London 1988, Mitchell Beazley publishers.
  3. "Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich, Facts and Figures, Golf Today, 2011".

51°16′26″N1°22′01″E / 51.274°N 1.367°E / 51.274; 1.367