Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club

Overview: The entry for Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club lists 7245 yards and par 71 for its links layout. The routing follows the sea wall and then turns through open coastal ground, using wind, firm turf, dunes and cross-bunkering to make the preferred line more important than raw distance. The course is not a simple straight trip out and back: its far end creates a loop before the closing holes return toward the clubhouse. Recent work by Martin Ebert has strengthened the strategic features while preserving the long, open character that makes the links so different from heavily wooded inland courses.

History: Royal Cinque Ports was founded in 1892 and the original course was laid out on the Deal links before James Braid advised on changes and bunkering. The club was selected to host The Open in 1909 and 1920, but coastal flooding disrupted both championships. It later became a regular venue for Open Final Qualifying, a role that reflects the course's championship standard and its demanding exposure to the weather. The present routing has been refined by several generations of greenkeepers and architects, yet the relationship with the sea wall and the natural contours remains central to the experience.

Did You Know? The name refers to the historic Confederation of the Cinque Ports, and the course is often called Deal. Its two Open Championships were lost to flooding before play could take place, so Royal Cinque Ports carries a rare kind of major history: a course selected for the event even though the weather prevented the tournament.