Royal St. George's Golf Club: A historic Open venue along the southeast coast of England

SANDWICH, Kent, England -- Host of 14 Open Championships, Royal St. George's Golf Club rates among the most historic venues on the Open rota.

Only three courses -- the Old Course at St. Andrews, Prestwick and Muirfield -– have held more Opens than Royal St. George's.

Darren Clarke won the most recent Open at the all-male club in 2011, joining Harry Vardon (1899, 1911), Walter Hagen (1922, 1928) and Greg Norman (1993) as memorable champions.

Laidlaw Purves founded Royal St. George's in 1887 on Pegwell Bay along England's southeast coast several hour's drive from London. Its layout has evolved into a twisting maze where holes rarely run in the same direction. The front nine roams through bigger dunes -- especially the thrilling stretch from holes 4-6 -- but it's the tougher back nine where titles are secured. Dustin Johnson finished in a tie for second in 2011 after hitting a shot out of bounds on "Suez," the punishing par 5 at no. 14. Three bunkers form a defensive wall fronting the green at no. 15, the course's hardest handicap hole. Thomas Bjorn lost a Claret Jug in 2003 by taking three swings to get out of a deep trap near the par-3 16th green. A valley short of the final green is named "Duncan's Hollow" after George Duncan failed to get up and down at the 1922 Open.

After golf, players don jackets and ties for an exquisite lunch inside the clubhouse, a tradition served only at the United Kingdom's finest clubs.