View source for Prince's Golf Club

{{short description|Links golf course in Sandwich in Kent in South East England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox golf facility
|golf_facility_name = Prince's Golf Club
|image              = The new Prince's Golf clubhouse. - geograph.org.uk - 315936.jpg
|caption            = The clubhouse
|location           = [[Sandwich, Kent]], [[England]]
|establishment      = 1906
|type               = private
|owner              =
|operator           =
|holes              = 27 three loops of nine holes (“Shore”, “Dunes” and “Himalayas”)
|tournaments        = [[The Open Championship]] 
|website            = [http://www.princesgolfclub.co.uk/index.php princesgolfclub.co.uk]
|course1            =
|designer1          = Charles Hutchings; Guy Campbell and [[John Stanton Fleming Morrison|John Morrison]]
|par1               = 107 (36 (Shore) 36 (Dunes) 36 (Himalayas))
|length1            = 
|rating1            =
}}

'''Prince's Golf Club''' is a [[links (golf)|links]] [[golf]] course located in [[Sandwich, Kent|Sandwich]] in [[Kent]] in southeast [[England]]. Prince's is immediately adjacent to the more famous [[Royal St George's]] golf club, and both clubs lie on the same stretch of coastline as nearby [[Royal Cinque Ports]] Golf Club. Prince's hosted the [[1932 Open Championship]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sullivan |first1=Paul |title=Some Classic Golf Courses Have Fallen Off the Open Schedule |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/13/sports/golf/british-open-courses.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=17 July 2022 |date=13 July 2022}}</ref>

==History==

Prince's was financed by [[Sir Harry Mallaby-Deeley, 1st Baronet|Sir Harry Mallaby-Deeley]], built and designed by Charles Hutchings, the 1902 Amateur Champion on land donated by the Earl of Guilford. It was completed late in 1906 as an 18-hole course, and was the first course designed to counter the significantly longer [[golf ball|Haskell]] ball. Club captain [[Arthur Balfour|A.J. Balfour]], a former [[British Prime Minister]], drove the first ball in the Founder's Vase in June 1907.

The present-day 27-hole layout is the result of a 1950 re-design following war-time damage to the original course. [[Second World War|World War II]] was very hard on Prince's, but Australian entrepreneur Sir Aynsley Bridgland intervened, engaging Sir Guy Campbell and [[John Stanton Fleming Morrison|John Morrison]] to re-design and restore the course. The new layout incorporated 14 of the original greens (but with most played from different directions to the original course), and eliminated any blind tee or approach shots. The re-design always envisaged a centrally located clubhouse, and this was finally opened in 1985 by [[Peter Alliss]], allowing the 27 holes to be played in three loops of nine holes, known as “Shore”, “Dunes” and “Himalayas”, each starting and finishing beside the new clubhouse.

{{Multiple image|direction=vertical|align=left|header= The Lodge (previously the clubhouse)| header_align = center|image1= The fire damaged remains of Prince's golf clubhouse - geograph.org.uk - 1287083.jpg|image2= The Lodge, Prince's Golf Club geograph-2618864-by-John-Baker.jpg|width=250|caption1=The fire damaged remains of the clubhouse in 2009|caption2=The Lodge, opened in 2012}}

The original clubhouse still stands at the entrance to the course and adjacent to the 14th tee of Royal St. George's. It no longer serves as the clubhouse but instead has been completely renovated, called the Lodge, it opened in May 2012, with two adjoining buildings, which house 38 bedrooms and a brasserie.

Prince's hosted the 1932 Open Championship, which was won by the American [[Gene Sarazen]]. Sarazen debuted his newly invented [[Sand wedge|sand iron]] at the Championship, and his original club was on display at Prince's for many years, until insurance costs became prohibitively expensive. The greenside bunker beside the 9th green on the Himalayas course, a bunker he played from on his way to victory, was unveiled as the Sarazen Bunker in his honour by [[Pádraig Harrington]] in June 2011.

Prince's is the only club to host The Open just once. The club remains an Open Championship Local Final Qualifying course, and hosted qualifying in [[2011 Open Championship|2011]] when The Open returned to Royal St. George's. Prince's professional golfer Francis McGuirk finished tied second to claim one of the three available spaces.

Prince's has also hosted other senior and minor professional tournaments, and a number of tournaments for amateurs, including the 1956 [[Curtis Cup]], the 2006 [[The Amateur Championship|Amateur Championship]] (co-hosted with [[Royal St George's]]), the 2006 Ladies' British Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship, the 2008 Senior Open Amateur Championship (co-hosted with [[Royal Cinque Ports]] Golf Club) and the 2013 Amateur Championship (co-hosted with Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club). The club is scheduled to host the 2030 [[Walker Cup]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Prince's to host the Walker Cup in 2030 |url=https://www.randa.org/articles/prince-s-to-host-the-walker-cup-in-2030 |publisher=The R&A |date=8 May 2025}}</ref>

[[File:Shelter, Princes Golf Course - geograph.org.uk - 1384381.jpg|thumb|right|Shelter on the course]]

The WWII ace, Member of Parliament and 1949 [[Walker Cup]] captain [[Laddie Lucas]] was born in the old clubhouse at Prince's, his father being the first club secretary. During WWII, Lucas used his knowledge of the course to make an emergency landing after his [[Supermarine Spitfire|Spitfire]] was crippled over northern [[France]]. Today, a commemorative plaque by the 4th tee on the Himalayas course marks the spot where he landed. In memory of Lucas, Prince's hosts an annual golf tournament, the Laddie Lucas Spoon, for boys and girls aged 8–13 years.

[[Phil Mickelson]] and [[Gary Player]] are both honorary life members of Prince's Golf Club. Ladies European Tour player [[Helen Wadsworth]] is a former member and played at Prince's as a junior.

In August 2009 Troon Golf announced an agreement to take over course management at Prince's and the club has undertaken a number of renovations to the course.

==Scorecards==
Princes Golf Club Scorecards<ref>Source:<https://www.princesgolfclub.co.uk/play/course-overview></ref>

{{Golf18|title=Prince's Shore & Dunes}}
{{par18    |name=Men's|4|5|3|4|3|4|4|5|4|36|4|3|5|4|4|5|4|3|4|36|72}}
{{handicap18    |name=Men's|6|12|16|4|18|14|2|8|10|3|15|11|1|5|9|17|13|7}}
{{Blue18      |74.8 / 128|452|562|189|415|158|423|434|568|442|3643|458|170|569|438|416|506|371|220|486|3634|7277}}
{{White18      |72.6 / 122|426|530|173|410|137|383|405|542|413|3419|440|155|527|408|394|495|357|198|462|3436|6855}}
{{Yellow18     |70.2 / 116|417|468|137|387|110|336|378|522|385|3140|420|150|484|375|365|460|325|186|424|3189|6329}}
{{par18    |name=Women's|4|5|3|4|3|4|4|5|4|36|5|3|5|4|4|5|4|3|5|38|74}}
{{handicap18    |name=Women's|9|7|17|3|15|13|11|1|5|4|18|6|12|10|2|14|16|8}}
{{Red18        |71.5 / 124|325|431|124|339|103|282|303|512|340|2759|400|140|397|315|324|415|286|151|364|2792|5551}}
{{End18}}

{{Golf18|title=Prince's Dunes & Himalayas}}
{{par18    |name=Men's|4|3|5|4|4|5|4|3|4|36|4|5|4|4|3|5|3|4|4|36|72}}
{{handicap18    |name=Men's|4|16|14|2|6|10|18|12|8|13|5|11|3|17|1|7|15|9}}
{{Blue18      |75.2 / 136|458|170|569|438|416|506|371|220|486|3634|381|620|408|458|143|609|197|347|448|3611|7245}}
{{White18      |72.8 / 130|440|155|527|408|394|495|357|198|462|3436|377|575|372|433|135|556|190|312|426|3376|6812}}
{{Yellow18     |70.3 / 123|420|150|484|375|365|460|325|186|424|3189|363|540|312|391|116|524|170|289|378|3083|6272}}
{{par18    |name=Women's|5|3|5|4|4|5|4|3|5|38|4|5|4|4|3|5|3|4|4|36|74}}
{{handicap18    |name=Women's|5|17|3|7|9|1|13|15|1|14|6|12|4|18|2|8|16|10}}
{{Red18        |72.6 / 129|400|140|397|315|324|415|286|151|364|2792|348|500|294|335|103|470|141|278|349|2818|5610}}
{{End18}}

{{Golf18|title=Prince's Himalayas & Shore}}
{{par18    |name=Men's|4|5|4|4|3|5|3|4|4|36|4|5|3|4|3|4|4|5|4|36|72}}
{{handicap18    |name=Men's|14|6|12|4|18|2|8|16|10|5|11|15|3|17|13|1|7|9}}
{{Blue18      |75.2 / 133|381|620|408|458|143|609|197|347|448|3611|452|562|189|415|158|423|434|568|442|3643|7254}}
{{White18      |72.8 / 125|377|575|372|433|135|556|190|312|426|3376|426|530|173|410|137|383|405|542|413|3419|6795}}
{{Yellow18     |70.1 / 120|363|540|312|391|116|524|170|289|378|3083|417|468|137|387|110|336|378|522|385|3140|6223}}
{{par18    |name=Women's|4|5|4|4|3|5|3|4|4|36|4|5|3|4|3|4|4|5|4|36|72}}
{{handicap18    |name=Women's|13|5|11|3|17|1|7|15|9|10|8|18|4|16|14|12|2|6}}
{{Red18        |72.3 / 126|348|500|294|335|103|470|141|278|349|2818|325|431|124|339|103|282|303|512|340|2759|5577}}
{{End18}}

==The Open Championship==
Prince's Golf Club hosted [[The Open Championship]] in 1932.
{| class="wikitable"
!rowspan=2|Year!!rowspan=2|Winner!!colspan=5|Score
|-
! R1 !! R2 !! R3 !! R4 !! Total
|-
|'''1932''' || {{flagicon|USA|1912}}[[Gene Sarazen]]  <sup>1st</sup>||70||69||70||74||'''283'''
|}
*Note: Superscript number besides the player's name is the number of the Open Championship in their respective careers.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{commons category-inline|Prince's Golf Club}}
*[http://www.princesgolfclub.co.uk/index.php Official site]
*[https://www.theopen.com/Heritage/PreviousOpens#!/1932/Princes=venue The Open Championship 1932]

{{Open Championship Courses}}
{{coord|51.2911|1.3729|display=title}}

[[Category:Sandwich, Kent]]
[[Category:Golf clubs and courses in Kent]]
[[Category:The Open Championship venues]]
[[Category:Curtis Cup venues]]
[[Category:Dover District]]