Best golf courses in Kent

England's most southeastern county is one that has golfing history running through its veins. With three Open Championship venues and one other course to have hosted the DP World Tour, there is plenty to talk about when it comes to golf in this part of the country.

The key to Kent's best known courses is the incredible stretch of coastline, which includes the towns of Margate, Dover and Folkestone, with the latter two of those places offering travel across the English Channel and across to Continental Europe. Add in that the English capital (and all of its airports) is less than 100 miles from the southeastern corner of the county, and it has everything you need for a great golf trip.

When talking about golf in Kent, you simply have to start with the three venues that have hosted the Open Championship. One of those - Royal St George's - continues to do so to this day, with Royal Cinque Ports and Prince's also having been on the Open rota in their long and storied histories. The likes of JH Taylor, Harry Vardon, Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Bobby Locke, Greg Norman, Darren Clarke, and most recently, Collin Morikawa, have lifted the Claret Jug on this pristine section of Kent coastline.

Littlestone's Championship Links is another cracking links course in the region, one with the likes of William Laidlaw Purves, James Braid and Alister MacKenzie as the men who designed and made alterations to the layout. Add in the likes of North Foreland, which sits atop the cliffs of the county, and the links golf is another level compared to most around the country.

It isn't just links golf that Kent has to offer, though. Move further inland, and there is Knole Park, Chart Hills and both the Heritage Course and the International Course at the London Club. The London Club's Heritage has hosted the DP World Tour in recent years, giving Kent yet another championship layout to boast about.

How we compiled our Kent list
We updated our Kent list when we created our NCG Top 100s list of the best golf courses in England. If one course the county is above another in our England list, then it will also be above it in our Kent list.