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As anticipation intensifies in the build-up to The 149th Open at Royal St George’s, there is a risk of the region’s wider golfing heritage being neglected.
Such is the magic of the famous Kent course, hosting its landmark 15th championship, coupled with the with the tantalising chance for a player from the English contingent to become the first to lift the Claret Jug on home soil since Tony Jacklin’s triumph at Royal Lytham and St Annes back in 1969.
But Kent represents a burgeoning golfing hotspot, a county not so much characterised by the presence of one iconic venue as it is by its possession of several historic ones.
And look no further than both Prince’s and Royal Cinque Ports, two courses neighbouring St George’s and rendering the south-east one of the country’s most vibrant, nostalgic golfing locations.
Both Prince’s and Cinque Ports – situated north and south of St George’s respectively – are familiar to the championship, crowning three Champion Golfers of the Year between them during the competition’s illustrious 159-year history.
But the two venues have their origins long before they hosted their inaugural Opens, founded, as they were, on either side of the 20th century.
It was Cinque Ports that emerged first, with plans for the course coming to fruition in 1892 when 33-year-old local resident Henry Hunter was appointed greenkeeper.
And it grew inexorably in popularity, as the Prince of Wales – later Edward VII – began to frequent the course, eventually becoming president between 1905 and 1907.
Indeed, it was during his tenure that Prince’s was founded just 4½ miles north, with former Prime Minister Arthur Balfour driving the first ball as club captain in 1906.
The two courses had been born, about to enter their embryonic stages that soon would catapult them into the national spotlight just a few years into their history.
Read more at TheOpen.com.
The R&A