Travel
WALMER & KINGSDOWN, KNOWN AS ‘THE CLUB ON THE CLIFFS’,
JOINS GOLF IN KENT PARTNERSHIP
Walmer & Kingsdown GC - The Club on the Cliffs
almer & Kingsdown Golf Club in England’s east Kent, known
as ‘The Club on the Cliffs’ thanks to its stunning position
perched on top of the iconic White Cliffs of Dover, has joined
Visit Kent’s Golf in Kent Partnership. As a member of Golf
in Kent, Walmer & Kingsdown becomes part of a group
that promotes Kent as one of England’s premier golfing destinations.
The Partnership is comprised of some of the finest golf courses in the
country including the championship links at Royal St George’s, home
of The Open Championship in 2020, neighbouring Prince’s and Royal
Cinque Ports and Littlestone near Romney Marsh as well as the inland
layouts at London Golf Club, Hever Castle, Leeds Castle and North
Foreland.
With the hosting of The Open Championship at
Sandwich, The Seniors Amateur Championship at
Royal Cinque Ports and The Junior Open at Littlestone
next year, the eyes of the golfing world will be firmly
on Kent and its golf offering which will benefit
Walmer & Kingsdown in terms of profile and media
exposure in the build-up to an exhilarating summer
of golf tournaments in 2020. Walmer & Kingsdown
will also be hosting a unique world championship
that year when the 2020 World One-Armed Golf
Championships, attracting 50 of the world’s best
one-armed golfers, is staged at the course. Designed
by the legendary course architect James Braid,
Walmer & Kingsdown boasts panoramic views of the English Channel
from every hole as well as glimpses of the coast of France on a clear
day. Its unique location makes it not only the closest English course to
Europe separated by the world’s busiest stretch of water, but one of
only a few in the world where players are able to see another country
on a separate land mass while enjoying a round of golf.
The memorable experience is enhanced by a vista along the Kent
coast towards nearby Deal and Ramsgate and inland views across the
countryside and picturesque rolling hills of the ‘Garden of England’.
Established around the natural landscape high up on the edge of the
White Cliffs, the course sits along a sharp ridge and a steep valley
which makes for a challenging and fascinating round of golf that is
characterized by numerous hanging lies, uphill tee shots and a handful
66 G o l f P l u s
FEBRUARY
2019
of distinctive square-shaped plateau greens that are protected by
low, grassy banks that demand precision shots to finish anywhere
close to the flag. Measuring 6,471 yards off the white tees, this open
downland course benefits from its position on the chalk cliffs which
delivers rapid drainage making it eminently playable all year round,
17th Hole at Royal St George’s Golf Club
Littestone’s sweeping Hole 5
regardless of the amount of rain in autumn
and winter. Located between the port of Dover
and the charming towns of Deal and Sandwich,
Walmer & Kingsdown Golf Club is just 70 miles from London and
is easily accessed from all parts of southern England via the M25,
M20 and M2 motorways. Its close proximity to Europe ensures that
it is quick and straightforward for continental golfers to reach via
the Eurotunnel and the cross-channel ferries, making the course and
Kent a popular destination for visitors from France, Belgium, The
Netherlands and beyond.
Alongside the golf offering, Kent offers visitors a plethora of off-
course attractions in the form of cathedrals such as the celebrated
Canterbury Cathedral, castles that include Hever, Leeds, Walmer,
Deal and Dover, gardens like Sissinghurst, lively seaside towns such
as Margate and Whitstable, historic museums like Chatham Historic
Dockyard as well as a burgeoning reputation for gastronomic cuisine
and fine wines and ales.
7th tee of Walmer & Kingsdown overlooking the Channel and France