The Lord Lt of Kent Alan Willett cuts the ribbon to open the new Permit Holders clubhouse at Royal St George’s Golf Club watched by (from left) Permit Holders’ chairman Andy Cassell, captain Barry Mills, president John Bragg, Royal St George’s captain Peter Carroll and Mayor of Sandwich Cllr Joe Trussler

The Permit Holders’ section of Royal St George’s Golf Club held an official opening ceremony on Saturday for their new clubhouse.

The Permit Holders are a recognised golf club in their own right who are allowed to play the Sandwich course in return for performing divotting and ball-spotting duties for St George’s members.

Patrick Clarke, the Permit Holders’ secretary, said: "The roots of the club lie in links between parent club members and the people who worked for them or their local suppliers – the club was formed in the early 1900s.

"The previous clubhouse was built in 1972 and started to show its age.

"Plans to build a new clubhouse were first put forward a few years ago and the project was jointly funded by the parent club and the Permit Holders and we are grateful for their generosity.

"The end result is a building that we can be proud of. It is 30 per cent larger than the previous building and has improved facilites.

"It will be a fitting temporary home for the chief marshall and his team when the Open Championship returns to Royal St George’s in 2011."

The traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony was performed by the Lord Lieutenant of Kent, Allan Willett CMG, who said: "As well as providing experienced caddies and performing their weekly divotting duties, the Permit Holders’ club form a valuable link between the parent club and the town of Sandwich."