Golf on the Hever Estate in the 1920s

Astor Playing Golf
September 27 2019 | Castle Golf History

This footage from the 1920s belongs to the current Lord Astor and shows his grandfather, John Jacob Astor V, and friends walking through the Castle grounds to the golf course.

It was in the 1920s that Golf first featured on the Estate when a private 9 hole course was built for J. J Astor’s personal enjoyment in the grounds where today’s Championship Course lies north of the Hever lake. The golf course proved a valuable tool for the Astors to entertain friends, family and for business. The importance of golf and the high regard for it on the Estate was clearly demonstrated at J. J Astor’s famous ‘Hever Days’ for Times newspaper staff. Golf topped the bill along with dancing on the green!

More pictures and memorabilia relating to the Astor family can be seen in the Astor Suite of the Castle.

The original course survived until the Second World War when it was sadly abandoned during the War effort. The present day Championship Course was created in 1992 and the Princes 9 Hole Course opened in 1998.

The course is one of the best golf courses in Kent and has been built to the highest specification and are a great test of golf in Kent for experienced golfers and beginners alike.

Discover more about Hever Castle Golf Course here.