STGC has a membership of just over 50 members, making it one of the most intimate clubs in the country. It is self-run with the non-course management element of its membership fee and bar sales re-invested back into its facilities. As playing partners for Sunday competitions are drawn out of a hat at random, everyone gets to play and know each other very quickly. It is a very friendly and informal club, which many find easy to fit into, and look upon as refreshingly different from the stuffy images of traditional golf clubs.
A former club captain and past president once described the club as "unique: probably the best golf club in the UK on the grounds of companionship, sociability, competitions, social awareness and all other aspects that we enjoy in our golfing experience''. Current members wouldn't take issue with that.
So what's the process for getting in? Prospective members are normally played in by a senior member and encouraged to come up to the club on a Sunday to meet other members and get a feel for the club. Our facilities include a spacious changing room, large lockers for equipment, refurbished showers and a roomy lounge which opens out onto a patio. From spring to autumn, an awning is normally put up to provide shelter from sun and rain and an area to sit outside.
The club is open and accommodating by nature and in return expects its members to abide by its Code of Conduct so that everyone can enjoy what is offers.
The STGC is not only a unique golf club in the UK, but its members are also privileged to play on what many consider to be one of the finest parkland courses in Kent. The course - Knole Park - is located within 1,000 acres of outstanding natural beauty (AONB). Within sight of the 7th hole is Knole House, one of the National Trust's most historic properties, and grazing on and off many fairways is the finest deer herd in the South East.
Knole House, together with the park itself, provides the perfect backdrop to this challenging course designed by J Abercromby in consultation with James Braid. It has been enjoyed by the Sevenoaks Town Golf Club members for more than 90 years. In 2027, we will celebrate our centenary.
Sevenoaks Town Golf Club members play on Knole Park Golf Course. In most, if not all golf magazines, it is ranked as a Top 100 course in the UK.
The course is steeped in history and a memorable place to play, both for its cleverly thought out 18 holes and for its particularly scenic backdrop.
It hosts the Kent Cob Open Competition, and has hosted the British Senior Amateur and the English Girls Championships.
Mark Tickner:
Captain
