ADVENTURERS
‘To Play Three Links as if They Were One’
Retracing Walter Hagen’s 54-hole loop in England BY JAMIE KENNEDY
I DON’T HAVE A LOT IN common with Walter Hagen. I looked. He was born in 1892. I was born
in 1985. He lived in New York. I live in Edinburgh. He was 5-10. I am 6-3. He won 11 major championships. I’ve won zero (at the time of writing). However, for one day, I was going to walk in the footsteps of “The Haig.” In 1920, Walter Hagen was excited to make his debut at The Open Champion- ship. He arrived early at Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club on the southeast coast of England. His first order of business was to get acclimatised to the links turf. He and his friend and fellow pro Jim Barnes set off early for a practice round. When the pair reached the 11th hole, Hagen noticed more flags in the distance. Barnes told Hagen they belonged to Royal St George’s Golf Club, which in time would host 15 Open Championships. Rather than loop- ing back down the Kent coast and the
back nine of Cinque Ports, the pair hopped a fence and picked up their game at Royal St George’s on the sixth hole.
A GRAND SHOTGUN START Hole No. 14 at Royal St. George’s was hole No. 38.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY PITCHMARK MEDIA
24 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 25
MARCH/APRIL 2026
MARCH/APRIL 2026
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