FEATURE: INTERNATIONAL
By Tom Cunneff
We were 36 holes in when the wind and rain arrived. I was taking part in one of the most unique experiences in golf: playing a contiguous routing of three classic links courses on the southeast coast of England: Royal Cinque Ports, Royal St. George’s, and Prince’s.
In one day. On foot.
I was excited but nervous when I got the invite to participate in the first Hagen 54 last July. Could I walk 54 holes in one day? Fortunately, hoofing it for 18 holes hasn’t been an issue after having both knees replaced in the last few years, but I was walking into uncharted territory, so to speak. Pro tip: bring some extra socks.
After trips to Scotland and Ireland, I always wanted to explore golf in England, particularly the heathland courses to the southwest of London and the links course to the southeast, and this finally seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so.
I flew into Heathrow International and got in my rental just as the skies opened up to add to my anxiety of driving on the left-hand side of the road. Driving on the freeways wasn’t a problem, but the surface streets were a little dicey, particularly the roundabouts, which are everywhere. Another pro tip: Keep your right shoulder to the center of the road.
Luckily, my base of operations, the luxurious Pennyhill Park hotel, was only about a half-hour to the southwest down M3 in Surrey (Gatwick International is about a 50-minute drive). The main building of the 124-room, Tudor-style resort is a 19th-century country house covered in ivy and charm. Set on 120 acres of parkland filled with gardens and walking paths, Pennyhill takes pampering to new heights, be it at the spa, the indoor and outdoor hot tubs and pools, or one of the three restaurants. The plush setting of the the Michelin-starred Latymer, with its dark wood paneling and low beamed ceiling, makes for the perfect fine-dining destination. Its highly regarded tasting menu takes you through seven courses and snacks of the finest seasonal selections possible. Each one is such a work of art, you almost hate eating it. Just be sure to allow three hours for this elevated epicurean experience.
The hotel can arrange tee times at all the top heathland courses in the area, including Sunningdale, Swinley Forest, Walton Heath, and St. George’s Hill. But even the lesser-known courses like The Berkshire, Worplesdon, and West Hill share the same beguiling qualities: firm and fast fairways bordered by heather and heath, tall Scots pines, berms and hummocks. The heather-capped bunkers are also distinctive. (Plan on arriving on a Monday since it’s easier to get out on the top courses during the week.)
Magical is not too strong a word to use to describe the golf when the purple heather blooms in late summer through early fall. These wiry “floral hazards,” as Bernard Darwin called them in his seminal 1910 book, The Golf Courses of the British Isles, provide great definition to the holes, but they’re also very good at gobbling balls. (Sunningdale recommends playing a provisional.)
The heathland courses were the first inland layouts to gain the respect of the golf cognoscenti when they began appearing in the late 1800s. “A new star,” Darwin wrote, “the star of sand and heather, has arisen out of the darkness, and a whole generation of new courses, which really are golf and not a good or even bad imitation of it, have sprung into being.”
The first of those was Woking Golf Club, which Darwin belonged to for more than 60 years. “There is no more delightful course whereupon to play golf,” he wrote. But honestly, that is true of almost any heathland course, given their charming quirkiness. Woking is one of the famous “Three Ws,” so called because of their close proximity in Woking and early foundings. The other two are Worplesdon and West Hill, both of which I got to play on my trip. I noticed a number of doglegs at Worplesdon. No, not the kind of holes that turn left or right, but the kind that support man’s best friend. It was such a delight to see so many golfers bringing their dogs along as they walked the course. It’s a shame that it isn’t more of a tradition here in the States.
West Hill could be even prettier than Worplesdon if that’s possible, perhaps because it was founded by a top female player for a place to play since women weren’t allowed at the other clubs early on. The rolling, out-and-back routing is highly enjoyable and memorable.
The Berkshire has two terrific layouts, Red and Blue, just 10 minutes from Pennyhill. Another two-course option is Foxhills Country Club & Resort, a 66-room hotel set on a 400-acre country estate with five pools, three restaurants, tennis, padel, and pickleball.
For next leg of your English journey, I recommend ditching the rental car back at Heathrow or Gatwick and taking the tube into London for a weekend of sightseeing and exploring. Of course, the city has so much culture, history, and so many great restaurants that it can be a bit difficult to recommend what to do and where to eat, which is why I advise getting a travel guide like Frommer’s London to plan your visit. I was intent on seeing Churchill’s War Rooms near Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, and a West End show and was glad I did. I also took a full day to visit the British Museum, which houses 2 million years of human history and culture, much of it appropriated by imperial force over the centuries, of course, including the Rosetta Stone, Parthenon friezes, and the oldest known map dating to the sixth century B.C.E. Download the app and buy a guided tour such as the three-hour one for $6 that takes you through all the major galleries and showcases the most popular objects. Pro tip No. 3: Don’t forget your earbuds.
You can catch the 1.5-hour train ride to Kent from the centrally located St. Pancras station and stay at Prince’s Lodge right on the course or the Bell Hotel and the King’s Arms in Sandwich, one of the best-preserved medieval towns in the U.K.
Participating in the inaugural Hagen 54 with about 170 other golfers was a hoot, but I’m pretty sure it’ll be the first and only time I’ll play for 12 straight hours. Total steps: 40,000. Total swings: I have no idea. “We did it for fun,” the event’s namesake, Walter Hagen, said when he and Jim Barnes created the routing before the 1920 Open at Royal Cinque Ports.
When and where else can you play three courses that hosted The Open in one day without a helicopter? James Leah, the secretary of Royal Cinque Ports, pointed out at the welcome reception the night before.
Unlike Hagen who started on the south end of the routing, we started on the north side on the 21st hole at Prince’s Golf Club just as the sun rose over the Strait of Dover at 5:40 a.m., playing 17 holes on the original 18, the Shore and Himalayas nines, of the 27-hole facility. We then crossed over to Royal St. George’s for 10 holes (14 through five) before getting a short bus ride to play all 18 at Royal Cinque Ports, starting on the 12th hole and another ride to play the other eight on Royal St. George’s.
The weather couldn’t have better for the first 36 holes, but the final 18 was a proper British test, as they say. It seemed like every hole was into the wind and rain. The courses remained very playable, however, and plenty of stations serving delicious sausage rolls and hot beverages along with way kept us vertical. After putting out on the 20th hole at Prince’s, the sense of joy and accomplishment was palpable. I don’t think a hot shower ever felt so good, or I enjoyed recounting a round more with the other golfers at dinner that night.
Unfortunately, the Hagen 54 is sold out for 2026, but the event is already taking signups for 2027. But don't let that stop you from going this summer and playing the courses on your own. A little familiarity with the courses wouldn’t hurt if you do decide to play the Hagen 54 next year.
Royal St. George’s allows guests with a handicap of 18 or less on Tuesday and Wednesday. The club has hosted the Open Championship 15 times, including the first one held outside Scotland in 1894 and most recently in 2021 when Colin Morikawa won. Also known as Sandwich, the course is one of the most beautiful links courses there is because of the setting in the dunes, the views, and the greens, which are works for art.
In addition to 1920, Royal Cinque Ports hosted The Open in 1909. It’s a classic links course, straight out and back with a little loop and a lot of variety and contouring. Guests are welcome Monday through Thursday, with three and fourball play on Monday and Thursday and single or two-ball play on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tee times at Prince’s, which hosted the 1932 Open won by Gene Sarazen with his newly invented sand wedge, are available for fourballs every day of the week, and you don’t have to wear knee socks with shorts like you do at the other two. But the relaxed standards have no bearing on the quality of the courses, which have undergone a significant renovation in recent years and will host the 2030 Walker Cup.
Final pro tip: Book a trip now. You won’t regret it.
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