Kent Golf News: Toby Colville wins the Race to St George's, £31,000 for charity at Rochester & Cobham Park and Kent's women in golf figures (31 October 2026)
Prince's junior Toby Colville took the Kent Golf Race to St George's title at Sandwich on Thursday, with Elliot Swift's level-par 70 the best round of the final. Elsewhere this week, two Kent clubs reported record charity totals, Kent Golf published its figures on women's club membership, and the county's youngest golfers kept busy over half-term.
Toby Colville (Prince's) wins the 2026 Race to St George's on 90 points
The final of Kent Golf's junior scratch order of merit was played at Royal St George's, Sandwich, on Thursday 29 October, with the top 20 qualifiers carrying their points into the round. Toby Colville (Prince's) finished top of the table on 90 points, ahead of Harvey Collins (Rochester & Cobham) on 69 and Elliot Swift (Boughton) on 57. Colville won the Sene Valley qualifier in August and scored in every other event he played.
On the day, Swift had the best gross score, a level-par 70. Marley Simpson (Rochester & Cobham) and Collins were second and third on 72. Luke Wardell (Knole Park) won the nett prize with 68, and Blake Mason (Wrotham Heath) took second on countback from Jake Harris (Bearsted), both on nett 70.
The competition is open to under-18s with a handicap index of 9.4 or lower, and points come from four regional qualifiers plus the Kent Junior Championships.
Sources: Kent Golf, Race to St George's 2026 Final report, 30 October 2026, Kent Golf, 2026 scratch order of merit (PDF), Kent Golf, Race to St George's competition page.
Rochester & Cobham Park hands over £31,000 to Abigail's Footsteps; Prince's golf day raises a record £17,000
Members of Rochester & Cobham Park Golf Club handed a cheque for more than £31,000 to the baby loss charity Abigail's Footsteps after a year of fundraising for Captain Lee Atkinson's and Lady Captain Kate Gray's charity of the year. The charity's vice president, Cheryl Baker, and co-founders Jo and David Ward MBE received it at the clubhouse. The money goes towards cooling cots for hospitals, counselling for parents and bereavement training for healthcare staff.
At Prince's Golf Club in Sandwich Bay, the Martha Trust golf day raised a record £17,000, including £7,335 from the auction, despite poor weather. The charity's next golf day is on Friday 23 April 2027 at Walmer & Kingsdown.
Sources: Kent Golf, Golf Club donates £31k after year of fundraising, 25 October 2026, InYourArea, Martha Trust golf day, 30 October 2026.
Women make up about 11% of Kent club members; Gillingham signs the Women in Golf Charter
Kent Golf says female members account for around 11% of golf club membership in the county, below a national average of 12% to 14%. It has run three Community of Practice sessions with England Golf for clubs signed up to the refreshed Women in Golf Charter, and plans more, online and in person.
The clubs doing best, it says, offer nine-hole golf, group coaching, beginners playing together, member buddies and a clear route into full membership. Gillingham Golf Club is the latest Kent club to sign the charter.
Sources: Kent Golf, Women in Golf Charter community events, 28 October 2026, Kent Golf, Gillingham GC signs the Women in Golf Charter, 28 October 2026.
Langley Park juniors edge Kent Girls 6-5; half-term sessions for four-year-olds fully booked
Kent's junior girls lost their friendly against Langley Park's juniors 6-5 at Langley Park on Tuesday 27 October, a reverse of last year's result.
Kent Golf's Fore For Fours sessions for four-year-olds at Poult Wood, run by PGA professional Mark Trow on 27 and 29 October, were all fully booked, and parents asked about follow-up sessions. Kent Golf says more dates will appear on its website and social media.
Sources: Kent Golf, Kent Junior Girls v Langley Park Juniors, 29 October 2026, Kent Golf, Fore For Fours sessions report, 29 October 2026, Kent Golf, Fore for Fours October half-term dates.
Purseweb spider recorded at Royal St George's for the first time
A group of teenagers on a nature walk led by Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory's education officer found a purseweb spider, often called Britain's "mini tarantula", on the links at Royal St George's. It is believed to be the first record of the species at the course. The spider is scarce in the UK and amber-listed, and lives most of its life in a silk-lined burrow.
Source: KentOnline, 24 October 2026.
Strike Lab opens in Dartford: a staff-free golf simulator at £40 an hour
Strike Lab, a self-service indoor simulator studio using TrackMan, opened at Crossways Business Park in Dartford on 8 October. Sessions cost £40 an hour for up to four people; golfers book online, get access codes and bring their own clubs. The simulator offers 702 courses plus games for families and beginners.
Source: KentOnline, 24 October 2026.
What this means for Kent golfers and clubs
Junior members who want a place in next year's Race to St George's final need a handicap index of 9.4 or lower and points from the regional qualifiers, so it is worth checking Kent Golf's junior calendar once the 2027 dates go up. Clubs looking to recruit women can sign the Women in Golf Charter and ask Kent Golf's Women and Girls' Development Officer about the next Community of Practice session. Parents of very young children should watch Kent Golf's channels for the next Fore For Fours dates, as the half-term sessions filled up.