The clubs marketing themselves ahead of next year’s Open Championship

Last year’s Open Championship in Scotland saw a record number of attendees and next week’s one in Northern Ireland saw all additional championship day tickets sell out within 72 hours of going on sale. Unsurprisingly, golf clubs located near to the 2020 venue in England are already using the event to market themselves, due to this unprecedented demand.

Canterbury GC. Image by Andy Hiseman

Canterbury Golf Club is gearing up for the staging of the Open Championship in 2020 at nearby Royal St George’s by linking up with a number of golf clubs in Kent to market offers to tourists, by joining Golf in Kent (www.golfinkent.co.uk).

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.

Canterbury GC. Image by Andy Hiseman

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 par 71, 6,272-yard layout (off the whites) provides a challenging round of golf with its mix of open par fives, tight par fours and challenging par threes.

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.

Canterbury GC. Image by Andy Hiseman

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 nine-hole course around the moat at Leeds Castle.

Canterbury GC. Image by Andy Hiseman

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.

Canterbury GC. Image by Andy Hiseman

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.