One of Littlestone’s great strengths is the character of the club, the atmosphere in the clubhouse, the quality of the relationships between staff and membership. The club has long enjoyed a strong conviviality, dating back over a century when it was a focal point for parliamentarians and barristers. Since then the membership has, like all of British sporting society, become somewhat more democratized – a quality evident in the openness of the club, the way in which people gather in the clubroom overlooking the first tee, and the extent to which members join up with each other for two-ball matches without a strong reliance upon pre-arranged tee times. In short, it’s place where members can show up and always get a game. And here there are plenty of
competitions for all classes of players.

In the early days, the Bar, the Stock Exchange and Parliament were strongly represented at the Club.  On one occasion the Club was in the unique position of having the Prime Minister of the day (Asquith) and the Leader of the Opposition (Balfour) as Captain and President respectively.  Perhaps the one occasion when the Prime Minister has ever had to defer to the Leader of the Opposition!

Other members during the first half of the last century included Herbert Gladstone, Harry Colt, Philip Sassoon, Noel Coward and Gloria Minoprio (the first lady to wear trousers on a golf course).

More recently, Lord Bill Deedes was Captain and then President of the Club which now also has two Lord Lieutenants as members.

The club is a golfer’s Club.  Its members love the game and are proud of the achievements during 2009 of Chris Reynolds (English Seniors Champion) and Andrew Stracey (Irish Seniors Champion) as well as other national and County honours for its men, ladies and junior golfers. Gerry Bray, was the English Ladies Seniors Champion in 2006.

However as a club, Littlestone welcomes members from far and near, and of all abilities.

The Championship course is always in great condition, the Clubhouse is comfortable and with great character, and the members and staff are friendly and there to help.  What more could one want?

Major Golfing Events have taken place at Littlestone throughout its long history and the first Ladies Championship, organised by the newly formed Ladies Golf Union, was played in 1894.  English Ladies' Championships have been held at Littlestone in 1961, 1992, 2002 and 2007.

We also welcomed the British Ladies Amateur Championship in 2005 and the Senior Women’s English Amateur Championship in 2010.   

Historically, when The Open Championship is played at Royal St George's Littlestone has been used as a Final Qualifying Course and Littlestone is very proud of the fact that it has again been chosen as a Final Qualifying Course for The Open in 2011.

Part of the famous Oxford and Cambridge Golf Society President's Putter, played in January, takes place at Littlestone and in 1963 Littlestone hosted the whole event as it was the only course open!

The Peter Kenyon Bowl, an adjunct to the Halford Hewitt Competition which is the largest Amateur Golf Competition in the World, is played every year in early April.

In 1996 Littlestone was host to the British Boys Home Internationals and the British Boys Amateur Championship The competitors included many of those playing in Europe and the US today, including Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose.