insideKENT Magazine Issue 49 - April 2016 | Page 73

GOLF Kent: A Golfer’s Paradise CONT. SOME OF OUR FAVOURITE KENTISH COURSES: London Golf Club London Golf Club, located in the beautiful Kent countryside in Ash near Wrotham and West Kingsdown, has one of the finest downland courses in Europe. With fast fairways that roll up and down across the terrain, you can chase the ball exactly where you want it, although the risk and reward tee shots that can be found around the course really get the heart racing and the adrenalin pumping; the International course is both relaxing and exciting – a combination that isn’t always possible on other courses. Home of the 2014 Volvo World Match Play Championship and having hosted both Regional Open Qualifying and European Tour Qualifying School, the course is made to ensure that you think about every shot before you take it, which means that it is the perfect place to hone your skills. London Golf Club is the only Joint Venture Partner Golf Club of The European Tour and a part of the prestigious European Tour Properties network. www.londongolf.co.uk Knole Park Golf Club Tudor Park, Marriott Hotel & Country Club Nestled in a 200-acre ancestral deer park, deep in the Garden of England, Tudor Park, A Marriott Hotel & Country Club, offers tranquillity and invigoration in equal measure. Just an hour’s drive from central London, amid rolling hills and wooded valleys, Tudor Park is a complete break from the city’s hustle and bustle – a great place for golfers of all abilities to test their game. The Tudor Park Course was designed in 1988 by Donald Steel, one of Britain’s finest course architects. It is an exhilarating showcase of his skills – 6,085 yards of beautifully varied holes, accompanied by delightful views over this picturesque corner of Kent. As at many of Steel’s courses, there is an enticing mix of long and short holes, many featuring tight fairways bordered by beautiful, mature pines and other woodland areas. The best of the bunch are arguably the par-3 4th, the par-5 8th and the par-4 16th. But every hole at Tudor Park has its own personality – some friendly and relaxing, some that will test your skill and accuracy. In recent years, Tudor Park has hosted prestigious events including the EuroPro Tour on three occasions, the Kent PGA Pro-Am and, in 2010, the English PGA Championship (South) qualifier. Unique amongst golf courses in the United Kingdom, Knole Park Golf Club is located within 1,000 acres of outstanding parkland, home to the finest deer herd in the South East. Knole House, one of the greatest National Trust properties in the country, together with Knole Park itself, provides the perfect backdrop to this challenging course that was designed by J. Abercromby in consultation with James Braid. The course has been enjoyed by its members and visitors since 1924. www.marriottgolf.co.uk/club/tudor-park Regularly named as one of the top 100 courses in England by golf magazines, Knole Park Golf course at just under 6,500 yards from the green (back) tees, with a par of 70 and a CSS of 71, is a course steeped in history and a truly inspiring place to play. The club hosts the Kent Youths Championship, is the home of the prestigious Kent Cob Amateur scratch competition, and has hosted the English Seniors Championship and a number of TP Tour events. www.knoleparkgolfclub.co.uk 73