English club collaborates with the R&A and Mackenzie & Ebert to devise a routing that will be used for tournaments
By Alex Smith |
Prince’s Golf Club in Kent, England, has worked with the R&A and Mackenzie & Ebert to devise a routing for The Laddie, an 18-hole course that comprises holes from the club’s Dunes, Himalayas and Shore nines.
The composite course will be used to host future tournaments, including the Walker Cup in 2030, as well as being available at select times of the year.
The layout begins with five holes from the Himalayas nine (the first, second, fifth, sixth and seventh), then moves to Shore’s first and second holes from new tees, and then Shore’s six-seven-eight stretch. The Laddie’s eleventh to seventeenth holes will be the Dune’s second to eighth. The routing finishes with Shore’s ninth hole.
The fifth hole from the Himalayas nine will play as third hole on The Laddie (Photo: Prince's Golf Club/Gary Lisbon)
The Laddie is named in honour of P.B. ‘Laddie’ Lucas, who was born and raised at Prince’s and went on to become an amateur golfer and RAF pilot during World War II. During the war, Lucas used his knowledge of the coastline and the layout to land his heavily damaged plane on the course.
“The goal of The Laddie is to create a home for championship golf at Prince’s while maintaining the essence of the whole property,” said Rob McGuirk, general manager at Prince’s. “We believe we created something very special here and this specific routing will not only look to be among the best in the United Kingdom, but across the world.”
The introduction of the composite course follows a wider programme of investment at the club, including the restoration of natural sandscrapes and the extension of fairways and surrounds.
Mackenzie & Ebert has overseen restoration of natural sandscrapes at the club (Photo: Prince's Golf Club/Gary Lisbon)
“We believe the creation of The Laddie is another crucial step towards Prince’s reaching its true potential as a golf destination,” said McGuirk. “Over the past decade, we have transformed our facility into a well-rounded escape for golf aficionados and travellers alike.”
The routing of The Laddies, which will be used for future tournaments, like the Walker Cup in 2030 (Image: Prince’s Golf Club)