There is an ongoing discussion what the best course in Kent is, and many prefer Royal Cinque Ports. Those people are wrong, very wrong.

Ranked number 1 in England, and currently one of England's offerings to the Open Rota, Royal St Georges is a club steeped in History. A rich history of hosting Open Championships which started back in 1894, when it became the first venue to host this famous tournament outside of Scotland.

Links courses were always typically designed to be out and back in terms of routing. When looking for variety in a course, this layout makes it difficult. Something as simple as a strong head wind for the last 8 holes, much like at RCP, this can cause you to view a course with disdain as all you want to do is get yourself sheltered from the barrage lead by nature.

Sandwich does not follow this model, and the routing sends you to all points of a compass, and on both 9's. The course meanders it's way around a figure of 8, offering you no consistency in wind direction, view points or sense of security or comfort. Much like Muirfield, this is a course layout aimed to provide the biggest challenges for the games elite, no matter what century.

A big feature at Sandwich is the blind shots and all round sense of bewilderment. I have heard stories of golfers even teeing off in the wrong direction on their first visits. Not mentioning any names. Another contributing factor to testing ones mettle, have you got to confidence to give it everything when your unsure of the outcome? After all we do not have fairways lined with revelers or spotters.

Hoylake takes criticism for its blind shots, Sandwich is renowned for it as a stand out feature. I genuinely think criticism comes from the golfer who did not have the best day. At a place like St Georges you have to look past that to be fair in your judgement. It's notoriously tough to score on for the professionals, let alone us amateur golfers. The experience should be one full of depravity, not optimism.

It's difficult for me to select my stand out holes, due to each one having so many nuances, but it does have one of my favorite openings holes in golf. It is one on the course that has had very little development since its inception in 1887 so that's a nice thought when walking down the fair way, but there is just something about that tee box setting with the thatched huts that gets me going. Impossible to not be brimming with anticipation of whats to follow.

The stand out section does come on the front 9 though, and that is holes 4 round to 7. A spell of holes that has everything. A long and short but tactical par 4, a tricky but beautiful par 3 and a classic links par 5 to finish it all off. Making your way through these holes to par, you know you're playing well. Me and my playing partner Sean both birdied 7, one of us with a missed Eagle putt.