A FLOOD of phone calls from golfing enthusiasts has left hotels in east Kent fully booked for The Open weekend – four years before the event.

Every one of the 34 rooms at the Bell Hotel in Sandwich was snapped up in record time after it was announced last month that Royal St George’s would host The Open Championship again in 2011.

Matt Collins, who has managed the hotel for two years, said: “All of the rooms were booked up straight away but it does not surprise me.

“A lot of people reserve rooms very early for golfing tournaments.

“It is a very exciting time for Sandwich as a whole – The Open is a great event.

“We will not know who is staying here until closer to the time, but sometimes we do have the occasional golfer.”

Royal and Ancient, the championship’s governing body, has booked all 16 rooms at Dunkerley’s in Deal, as it did during the last Open in Sandwich in 2003. The Fleur de Lis in Sandwich also served some special guests four years ago. Head barman Tim Brown said: “We were so busy last time, we could not move.

“Vijay Singh and Sergio Garcia both ate here. I am glad The Open is coming back, it is fantastic news for everyone in the town. We have had a few bookings already, but we are not fully booked yet.”

The tournament will bring a multi-million pound cash injection into east Kent, with last year’s figures of £70 million at Hoylake set to be surpassed. But the question on everyone’s lips is: “Who has the booking for a Mr T. Woods?”