English and Golf Programme

Where and When?

English and Golf is available in the Kent Region from March to October. For courses outside this period, please contact us for details. The Golf Courses generally used are Boughton, Etchinghill, The Ridge & Austin Lodge which are suited for a wide range of golfing abilities. All are very good courses with excellent professional and catering facilities. Most are within easy reach of Canterbury with the exception of Austin Lodge which is about a 50 minute drive. All the clubs are set in beautiful Kent countryside and are owned by Pentland Golf. There are also numerous other clubs close to Canterbury which may also be visited.

Golf

Golfers of all abilities can be catered for from complete beginners to advanced golfers. A typical weekly course could consist of five mornings of English tuition followed by four afternoons of golf on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Structured tuition can be provided by PGA golf professionals such as Tony Bowers, of Homelands Golf Centre, Ashford or Phillip Sparks and his staff, David Vernon and Gary Bason, at Fundamental Golf School, Manston.

The Daily Routine

Clients are transported daily from their host family to their golfing activities, where they will liaise with an English golfer host who will also play with them during the afternoon round of golf. The golfing host will offer a sandwich lunch at the club as well as drinks at the bar (19th hole) after the round. This enables the client to relax and meet other golfers and to practice English in a friendly club environment. The client is also transported back to his accommodation.

Handicaps

Clients visiting the Golf Clubs mentioned above as well as some others in the area, are not required to have a handicap certificate. If however you do not have a handicap certificate, why not obtain one authorised by the English Golf Union (EGU). You will be required to play at least 3 rounds of 18 holes golf with your 'Golf Supervisor' during your stay in England. This is most suited for a minimum of a 2 week stay. The cards from each round are scrutinized by a golf professional who will then issue you with a validated handicap certificate. An additional charge will be made for this service. The advantage of gaining an official golfing handicap certificate is that it may allow you to play at courses where handicap certificates are compulsory and of course the handicap certificate may also be acceptable to your own national golfing association / organisation or society.

Dress Code and Golf Sets

Dress codes at golf clubs in England are fairly consistent but some are quite strict. As a general rule, golfers must wear: golf shoes (no trainers) with soft spikes and socks, long trousers (not jeans or jean type) or tailored shorts; golf shirts with a collar or roll neck. Clients must adhere to this dress code and are expected to bring their own sets of clubs with them. Certain golf clubs will hire sets or half sets of clubs but the quality of them cannot be guaranteed. Some clubs will also hire golf shoes.
If you are an absolute beginner at golf your golfing supervisors can provide a limited number of golf sets. However, this must be requested at the time of booking.