The Royal St. Georges Golf Club

This review is a recollection of my day playing Royal St. George's in 2014. RSG is the kind of links you jump through hoops to play, and that's exactly what I did. I abandoned my wife and two kids in London by hopping a two-hour train ride to Kent to play 36 holes on Royal St. George's and Deal.

The forecast was a drenching rain all day. Somehow, I escaped both rounds without needing waterproofs. I played with the club secretary, who pointed out all the places where historic shots had been played through the years.

My lasting impression is Royal St. George's demanding shot-making. Although there's really only one section of big dunes, holes 4-6, every hole had uneven, wavy fairways; deep revetted bunkers and tricky angles to navigate. It keeps your game off balance and on the defensive. It's not a glamorous links with grand views or an inspiring landscape. Shot for shot, though, there's few better.

I didn't get to spend any time in the clubhouse or enjoy its jacket-and-tie lunch that's well-known throughout the UK. That experience remains on my bucket list.