Royal Cinque Ports
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Course Type
Semi-Private -
GOLF Top 100 World Rank (2023-24)
100 -
Year
1919 -
Architect
Henry Hunter/James Braid, 1919; Guy Campbell/Henry Cotton, 1946 -
Par
72 -
Yardage
7367
Course Overview
A former Open venue often referred to as Deal, Cinque Ports is on the English Channel, a few miles south of Royal St. George’s. But the properties couldn’t be more different. St. George’s is the bigger, more sprawling of the courses, while Cinque Ports was built on a thinner ribbon of land. While it doesn’t have the vastness of St. George’s, Cinque Ports has micro-contours galore that will delight links golf aficionados. The humpy-bumpy fairways are rivaled by the superlative collection of greens, from the punchbowl 3rd, to the 12th set between two ridges, to the plateau designs at 6 and 16. Bernard Darwin famously deemed the dip before the 16th green to be “the valley of inglorious security.” To his point, you might initially be happy to see your ball at the base of the green in two, but trying to stick the elevated green from a tight lie is no small task.
3 things to know
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Hole everyone talks about
No. 16, par-5, 549 yards: It’s lengthy, but its true defense is its elevated green. -
Best non-golf amenity
The clubhouse balcony. Grab a pint and grab some fresh air as you review your round. -
Insider tip
Save time for the dining at Royal Cinque Ports. The preparation and tastes are world-class.