Canterbury Golf Club gears up for 2020 Open

Canterbury Golf Club is gearing up for the staging of The Open Championship in July 2020 at nearby Royal St George’s by linking up with fellow Kent golf clubs in Visit Kent’s Golf in Kent Partnership.

With the prestigious major coming to Kent and the golfing spotlight set to shine on the county over the next 18 months, Canterbury has seized upon an opportune moment to join Golf in Kent (www.golfinkent.co.uk), which is regarded as one of England’s premier golfing destinations.

The 18^th hole (l) and 8^th green at Canterbury Golf Club, designed by Harry Colt

Located on the outskirts of Kent’s medieval cathedral city, Canterbury GC was founded in 1927 on 160 acres of land leased from the War Office and today is considered to be one of the finest examples of Harry Colt design in England.

Though first laid out as a downland course, the gradual introduction of oaks and silver birches along the fairways have altered the nature of the layout that now has more of a parkland feel, though a little gorse and broom can be found on some holes. Set on undulating terrain, the par71, 6,272-yard layout (off the whites) provides a challenging round of golf with its mix of open par 5s, tight par 4s and challenging par 3s.

Canterbury joins an illustrious group of golf courses that comprise Golf in Kent, including the championship links at Royal St George’s, home of The Open Championship in 2020, neighbouring Prince’s and Royal Cinque Ports as well as Littlestone near Romney Marsh.

The Partnership also features the clifftop courses at North Foreland and Walmer & Kingsdown and the inland layouts at London Golf Club, which boasts two courses by Jack Nicklaus Design, and parkland courses Hever Castle, which features 27 holes, and the 9-hole course around the moat at Leeds Castle.

With the hosting of The Open Championship at Sandwich, The Seniors Amateur Championship at Royal Cinque Ports, The Junior Open at Littlestone and the World One-Armed Golf Championships at Walmer & Kingsdown next year, the eyes of the golfing world will be firmly on Kent and its golf offering.

Through its Golf in Kent membership, Canterbury can look forward to raising its profile amongst golfers from all over the world as the county hosts this collection of prestigious competitions in 2020.

In addition to golf, Kent offers visitors a range of sightseeing opportunities from 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 vineyards.

No wonder Kent is known as a Golfer’s Paradise in the Garden of England.

For further information on Canterbury Golf Club, please visit www.canterburygolfclub.co.uk, for Golf in Kent, go to www.golfinkent.co.uk