1909 Open Championship

Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club is an 18-hole links golf course in southeastern England, in the town of Deal in the County of Kent (the course is often known simply as "Deal"). Founded 132 years ago in 1892, its name derives from Deal's membership of an ancient group of trading towns granted special privileges by the medieval English monarchs, known as the Cinque Ports. The course runs along the coast of Sandwich Bay, on the same stretch of coastline as Royal St George's Golf Club and Prince's Golf Club, adjacent to the north. Royal Cinque Ports hosted The Open Championship in 1909 and 1920. Two more were scheduled for 1938 and 1949, but both were relocated when abnormally high tides inundated the course; both were held at nearby Royal St George's. Consequently, the club was removed from the Open Championship rota, but remains a final qualifying course (most recently in 2017). It has also continued to host various other tournaments including The Amateur Championship (1923, 1982, 2013) and, since 1925, it has hosted the Public Schools Championship every year. Karen Stupples, winner of the 2004 Weetabix Women's British Open, is a member of Royal Cinque Ports.

The 1920 Open Championship was the 55th Open Championship, held 30 June to 1 July at Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club in Deal, England. George Duncan erased a 13-stroke deficit after 36 holes to win his only major title, two strokes ahead of runner-up Sandy Herd, the 1902 champion.Royal Cinque Ports had been planned as the location for the Open Championship in 1915, but in early in that year it was decided that there would be no championships during the remainder of World War I; the next Open Championship after the war would be held at Royal Cinque Ports. Although the war was over in November 1918, it was decided that there would be no championship in 1919. During the war, six of the greens were involved in a scheme to build a rifle range. This raised fears about the state of the course, but in late 1919 it was decided that there would be no difficulty in getting the course ready for the 1920 championship.Qualification for the professionals took place the week before on 23 and 24 June at Burhill and Saint George's Hill in Surrey; the leading 72 players and ties qualified. Abe Mitchell led the field at 139; three tied on the qualifying score of 159 and 74 professionals advanced. The amateurs qualified separately, playing 36 holes on 23 June at Sandwich. Eight places were allotted to the amateurs with Cyril Tolley, the Amateur Champion, given an automatic entry. Prize money was increased sixty per cent to £200 with a winner's share of £75; the winner also received a gold medal valued at £25. Herd and Ted Ray, the 1912 winner, shared the first round lead at 72 on Wednesday morning. Both faltered in the afternoon's second round while Abe Mitchell shot a 73 for a 147 to open up a six-stroke lead over Herd and Jim Barnes. Ray was eight back, Len Holland eleven behind, while Duncan was thirteen back after consecutive rounds of 80 for 160.Duncan played himself back into contention with a 71 in the third round on Thursday morning. Mitchell began that round with three bogeys, made a seven at the 5th hole, and finished with an 84. After 54 holes, Holland was at 229 and led by one over Herd and Barnes, with Mitchell, Duncan, and Syd Wingate one behind in fourth. Duncan carded a final round 72 for 303, while Holland and Barnes both shot 79 for a 308 and 309, respectively. Mitchell rebounded with a 76 which left him at 307. Only Herd could match Duncan's score, but he found trouble on the 16th and settled for 305, two strokes back of Duncan. Six-time and defending champion Harry Vardon, age 50, finished at 318, 15 strokes back in a tie for 14th place. Two future champions from the United States, Walter Hagen and Scottish-born Tommy Armour, both made their Open Championship debuts this year and both finished at 329, 26 strokes back in a tie for 53rd. Armour was an amateur at the time. This was the second and final Open Championship held at Royal Cinque Ports, which also hosted in 1909. Further Open Championships at Royal Cinque Ports were planned for 1938 and 1949. In both cases the course was flooded during the previous winter prior and the venue was moved to Royal St George's. Thus, only one of the four Opens planned for Royal Cinque Ports actually took place in the year originally intended. Near the English Channel, the course is directly south of Royal St George's, which became the sole Open venue in southern England in the course rota. An exception was in 1932, when Prince's Golf Club hosted its only Open, won by Gene Sarazen. All three courses are adjacent, with Prince's the furthest north.

Sandown Castle was an artillery fort constructed by Henry VIII in Sandown, Kent, between 1539 and 1540. It formed part of the King's Device programme to protect against invasion from France and the Holy Roman Empire, and defended the strategically important Downs anchorage off the English coast. Comprising a keep and four circular bastions, the moated stone castle covered 0.59 acres (0.24 ha) and had 39 firing positions on the upper levels for artillery, with 31 gunloops in the basement for handguns. It cost the Crown a total of £27,092 to build the three castles of Sandown, Walmer and Deal, which lay adjacent to one another along the coast and were connected by earthwork defences. The original invasion threat passed, but during the Second English Civil War of 1648–49, Sandown was seized by pro-Royalist insurgents and was only retaken by Parliamentary forces after several months' fighting. By the 19th century, the castle was suffering badly from the effects of coastal erosion but remained in military use until 1863. The War Office then demolished the upper levels with explosives, carrying out a second wave of demolition work in 1882 and destroying most of the surviving stonework in 1893. The remains of Sandown were purchased by the town of Deal for £35 to form part of the local sea defences. The remaining masonry was encased in concrete in the late 1980s to form a sea wall but remains vulnerable to further erosion by the sea.

Deal Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street in Deal, Kent, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Deal Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.

The Kent Museum of the Moving Image opened in Deal, Kent in April 2018. The museum was created by David Francis, with his wife Jocelyn Marsh (daughter of award-winning production designer Terence Marsh). Francis was one of the lead members who created the Museum of the Moving Image in London.

Deal railway station serves Deal in Kent, England. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southeastern. The station is on the Kent Coast Line 9.5 miles (15.3 km) north east of Dover Priory and 86.75 miles (139.61 km) south east of London Charing Cross.

Deal is a coastal town in Kent, England, which lies where the North Sea and the English Channel meet, 8 miles (13 km) north-east of Dover and 8 miles (13 km) south of Ramsgate. It is a former fishing, mining and garrison town whose history is closely linked to the anchorage in the Downs. Close to Deal is Walmer, a possible location for Julius Caesar's first arrival in Britain. Deal became a 'limb port' of the Cinque Ports in 1278 and grew into the busiest port in England; today it is a seaside resort, its quaint streets and houses a reminder of its history along with many ancient buildings and monuments. In 1968, Middle Street was the first conservation area in Kent. The coast of France is approximately 25 miles (40 km) from the town and is visible on clear days. The Tudor-era Deal Castle, commissioned by then-King, Henry VIII, has a rose floor plan.

Deal Pier is the last remaining fully intact leisure pier in Kent. It is the third pier to exist in Deal and was opened in November 1957 by the Duke of Edinburgh. Its structure was extensively refurbished and repaired in 1997, with work including the replacement of much of the concrete cladding on the pier's main piles. Work began in April 2008 to construct a new pier-head with a modern restaurant which opened the same year.

The Regent Cinema is a former cinema and bingo hall in Deal, Kent, England. It was originally built in 1928 as a simple pavilion for musical concerts but this proved unprofitable and in 1933 it was converted into a cinema, with an Art Deco-style entrance. The cinema closed in 1963 and was briefly used as a wrestling venue before being converted into a bingo hall. The bingo hall closed in 2009 and the site has lain derelict since then. The Regent was sold to developers by Dover District Council in 2011. It was sold at below market value on the understanding that it would be restored as a cinema for the use by local people. Initial plans, presented by the new owners in 2014, were unpopular owing to a residential element. The site lay dormant for a period and a campaign group, Reopen the Regent, formed to encourage its restoration. The group successfully campaigned to have the site designated an asset of community value. The owners submitted new plans for the site in 2019, including a two-screen cinema. Works did not proceed, with the owners blaming the COVID-19 pandemic and planning permission has since expired.

The Deal Timeball is a Victorian maritime Greenwich Mean Time signal located on the roof of a waterfront four-storey tower in the coastal town of Deal, in Kent, England. It was established in 1855 by the Astronomer Royal George Biddell Airy in collaboration with Charles V. Walker, superintendent of telegraphs for the South Eastern Railway Company. It was built by the Lambeth firm of engineers Maudslay and Field. The time ball, which, like the Greenwich time ball, fell at 1 pm precisely, and was triggered by an electric signal directly from the Royal Observatory.

Deal Castle is an artillery fort constructed by Henry VIII in Deal, Kent, between 1539 and 1540. It formed part of the King's Device programme to protect against invasion from France and the Holy Roman Empire, and defended the strategically important Downs anchorage off the English coast. Comprising a keep with six inner and outer bastions, the moated stone castle covered 0.85 acres (0.34 ha) and had sixty-six firing positions for artillery. It cost the Crown a total of £27,092 to build the three castles of Deal, Sandown and Walmer, which lay adjacent to one another along the coast and were connected by earthwork defences. The original invasion threat passed but, during the Second English Civil War of 1648–49, Deal was seized by pro-Royalist insurgents and was only retaken by Parliamentary forces after several months' fighting. Although it remained armed, Deal was adapted by Sir John Norris and Lord Carrington during the 18th and 19th centuries to form a more suitable private house for the castle's captain, which was by now an honorary position. In 1904, the War Office concluded that the castle no longer had any value either as a defensive site or as a barracks and it was opened to the public when the captain was not in residence. Early in the Second World War, the captain's quarters were destroyed by German bombing, forcing Deal's then-captain, William Birdwood, to move to Hampton Court Palace and the castle became an observation post for an artillery battery placed along the shore line. The castle was not brought back into use as a residence and was restored by the government during the 1950s to form a tourist attraction. In the 21st century, Deal Castle is operated by English Heritage, receiving 25,256 visitors in 2008.

The Royal Marine Depot, Deal (also called the Royal Marine Depot, Walmer) was a military installation occupied by the Royal Marines and located in South Deal, Kent, on the road to Walmer. The Depot (for training Royal Marine recruits) was first established in Deal in 1861, occupying part of the Royal Naval Hospital (which was linked to H.M. Naval Yard, Deal). In 1868 the Depot expanded and took over the nearby 18th-century Army barracks. From 1930, Deal served as the headquarters of the Royal Naval School of Music (founded in 1903 to provide Royal Marines bands for ships of the Royal Navy). Renamed the Royal Marines School of Music after the Second World War, it expanded to provide musical training for both junior and senior recruits for all 36 Royal Marines bands. In 1977 the training Depot closed; the site then became the headquarters of the newly re-formed 41 Commando and was renamed Royal Marines, Deal (however 41 Commando was disbanded just four years later). In 1988 parts of the site were demolished and sold for housing, leaving only the Royal Marines School of Music, which remained at Deal until 1996 whereupon it relocated to HMNB Portsmouth.