Littlestone

England's links coastline is most often associated with the north-west, with Lancashire and the Fylde Coast where Royal Birkdale and Formby draw the majority of travelling golfers. The south-east corner of England offers a quieter and less celebrated alternative, and Littlestone sits at the heart of it. The course on the Romney Marsh coast has the essential qualities of a genuine links: firm turf worn short by the salt wind, fairways that pitch and roll in ways that punish the aerial game and reward the running shot, and greens that are fast and true. The Channel is a constant presence, audible and visible from much of the course, and the winds it generates make every round a slightly different negotiation.

The course's layout on flat Romney Marsh terrain might suggest a lack of variety, but this is a misjudgement that the round itself quickly corrects. The natural humps and hollows of the linksland produce a surprising range of lies and stances, and the bunkering is positioned to catch the shots that the wind pushes offline from the intended line. Littlestone rewards the same skills that all serious links courses reward: the ability to keep the ball low when required, to read the ground game and to think in terms of position rather than simply distance.

The amateur championship history of the club is a reliable indicator of quality. Courses are not chosen to host national events by accident, and Littlestone's selection for the English Amateur and the Girls' British Open Amateur reflects the assessment of those who know the game well. For golfers building a links itinerary in the south of England, the combination of Littlestone with Royal Cinque Ports and Rye creates a short but genuinely rewarding circuit along one of the country's less-explored stretches of golfing coastline.