1. 118 Golf World August 2015
AlthoughalleyeswillsoonbeontheAuldGreyToon,Gullane’sstagingoftheScottish
OpenthisJulywillshowcasearguablyScotland’sfinestareaforgolf,saysChrisBertram.
Muirfield
GB&I Top 100 – 2nd
We have positioned this as Scotland’s
finest course in the past two years and –
in what is a rarity in course rankings – it
has attracted negligible criticism.
The iconic home of the fabled
Honourable Company of Edinburgh
Golfers might not be laid out over the
most interesting terrain or offer the most
spectacular views (as at Royal Lytham,
it’s the course that always has your full
attention) but its relentlessly strategic and
scrupulously fair examination rarely fails
to impress those who visit.
During Phil Mickelson’s victory in
The Open two summers ago, its
deliciously burnt appearance augmented
the visual appeal of this linksland, which
fêted golf writer Herbert Warren Wind
once suggested is part meadowland.
More importantly, it intensified the
skill set required to master it.
Only great players win Opens at
Muirfield – including the greatest of
them all in Jack Nicklaus, who named
his own club in Ohio after it – as its
combination of cleverly-positioned penal
bunkering, constantly changing direction
and subtle difficulty around and on the
greens results in a comprehensive test.
Being laid out in two loops, with the
first nine played clockwise around the
perimeter and the back nine anti-
clockwise inside it, gives this storied
links its frequent changes of direction.
It is also important to note that once
you have organised your tee time (well
in advance) on the limited periods of
Tuesday and Thursday between 8.30am
and 9.50am, you will be made most
welcome here. Do not expect to be
changing in the greenkeeper’s shed or
flatly ignored by members. You will find
it is quite the opposite and those who
visit here are pleasantly surprised at the
warmth of the Muirfield welcome.
North Berwick
GB&I Top 100 – 25th
In April the European Institute of Golf
Course Architects held its annual
conference in North Berwick. They
understandably tend to host their yearly
get-together at high-calibre venues, but
nowhere attracted a bigger turnout than
North Berwick. And understandably so.
Its reputation precedes it and despite
the enormous expectation such stature
brings, the architects talked of the West
links with child-like enthusiasm.
North Berwick is tremendous fun,
with holes that are occasionally
bewildering but always entertaining. If
you want to know what the oft-repeated
phrase ‘quirky links’ looks and plays
Outoftheshadows
COURSES
T
he east coast of Scotland will have
the eyes of the golf world trained
on it for a full two weeks in July.
If the weather is kind, the smiles on the
faces of executives in the offices of
VisitScotland will justifiably be as wide
as the Forth Road bridge.
The third week of the month, in Fife,
will enjoy more of the spotlight as the
Open Championship arrives for its five-
yearly visit to St Andrews.
Yet the previous week in East Lothian
might hold more attraction. The Scottish
Open, across the Firth of Forth in
Gullane, will attract less hype and a field
of stars that glitters ever so slightly less,
but will be an easier event at which to
enjoy yourself on and off the course.
While St Andrews is established as the
‘Home of Golf’ and has its own special
atmosphere, the town’s commercial growth
means Gullane is easier to love.
Gullane, and indeed North Berwick just
along the A198, are not so quaint that
they can’t cater for visitors’ off-course
requirements, but these East Lothian
towns retain more charm and character
than their larger Fife counterpart.
Fife, and indeed Ayrshire, have very
robust claims for the title, but when
East Lothian describes itself as
‘Scotland’s Golf Coast’, it does so
with credible justification.
LEFT:ThebreathtakingRenaissanceClub,atypically
impressiveTomDoaklinks.BELOW:TheWestlinks
ofNorthBerwick:oftenbewildering,alwaysbrilliant.
TOP 100 REGIONAL GUIDE: EAST LOTHIAN
119August 2015 Golf World

2. COURSES
MORETOPLAY
5
Make your visit go
even further with five
more stunning
layouts.
3. Archerfield (Dirleton)
A GB&I Next
100-ranked course
that is a tough test
in the often-stiff
wind, with deep,
menacing bunkers
and some long par
4s that mean our
short game comes
under close scrutiny
for most of us.
Local opinion is
actually pretty
evenly split
between this more
traditional design
over undulating
linksland and
among gorse,
compared to the
pine forest feel of
the Fidra.
1. Gullane 2
Only enjoys second
billing at Gullane
but is a very fine
sporting links.
There is the
opportunity to
open your
shoulders on
many holes and
birdies are on
offer. The views
from the Gullane Hill
are just as good as
No.1 as on this GB&I
Next 100 course.
4. Craigielaw
A modern
championship test
that only opened in
2001, this Donald
Steel design is a
modern ‘big links’
with spectacular
views across the
Firth of Forth,
Gullane Hill and on
towards Edinburgh
and Fife. You must
focus on the job at
hand, however, as
the sloping greens
and deep bunkers
combine to present
a short-game
examination as stiff
while the wind off
the Firth vexes
your long game.
2. The Glen
A clifftop course well
over 100 years old,
this is fantastic
holiday golf with
stunning sea views
into the Firth of Forth
and towards Bass
Rock. Labelled by
some as Scotland’s
answer to Pebble
Beach, the
comparison is a bit
fanciful but the
13th does a decent
impression of
Pebble’s 7th.
Even without its
exceptional setting
The Glen still provides
a good test off the
back tees with a
thrilling final drive.
5. Longniddry
A hybrid of inland
and links holes
despite being
next to the Firth
of Forth. The
woodland holes
are perfectly
enjoyable and
this GB&I Next
100-ranked
course is
always well
presented, with the
greens in impressive
condition.
Relentlesslystrategicand
scrupulouslyfair:Muirfield
neverfailstoimpress.
Archerfield’sFidra
windsmajesticallythrough
forestsofpinetrees.
like, this would be a very good example.
A categorically unique links, it is a course
that its fans would happily play every day
for the rest of their lives.
It is not hole after hole of landmarks,
though, a full-scale crazy golf course. It
is stringent enough to host Open
qualifying, so you won’t breeze round
and comfortably play to your handicap.
You will definitely have fun trying
though. The bumps and humps of the
front nine would be thought of as full of
character if paired with almost any other
‘half’ in the land but, when it precedes
the road home here, it seems relatively
mundane. For come the closing third of
this mesmeric links, you savour nothing
but seminal holes. From firing over the
drystone dyke hard to the 13th green to
the blind glory of the 14th, aptly named
‘Perfection’ to widely-copied short 15th,
Redan, it is an education in golf as the
game began. Beneath the windows of the
Marine Hotel is the 16th, arguably golf’s
most exacting green complex with two
raised plateaux separated by a gully.
Known as ‘Gate’, it might just be our
favourite of the lot. A better four-hole
stretch is difficult to find.
Gullane No.1
GB&I Top 100 – 66th
There really is no shame in Gullane
its holes plus two from No.2.
Members of the club, founded in
1884, enjoy firm seaside turf, pot
bunkers, wispy grasses and smooth
greens on all three links, with No.1
having the more memorable holes, not
least the corridor-narrow 2nd and
spectacular par-5 3rd.
Luffness
GB&I Top 100 – Next 100
Turn a few corners westward along the
twisting A198 and you are at another
course worthy of your time.
The first five holes might be weak in
comparison with the rest of the course
No.1 being ranked the third-best links in
an area so well-stocked with classic links.
No.1 is part of a 54-hole complex
located in a village steeped in golf and
considered the premier course, although
some believe No.2 (see below) is all
but its equal. Some neutral locals even
prefer No.1’s more steady fare to the
entertainment of North Berwick.
It begins and ends in the town – just
a few yards from the omnipresent A198
that snakes between the club’s courses –
and rises to the crest of Gullane Hill,
from where a legendary view is enjoyed.
It will host the aforementioned 2015
Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish
Open over a composite course of 16 of
but it should still be in your thoughts
when visiting East Lothian.
Situated at the foot of Gullane Hill,
there are opportunities for birdies but
also plenty of card wreckers. It has some
of the best greens to be found in the area,
too, and a few all-world holes coming in.
Archerfield (Fidra)
GB&I Top 100 – Next 100
Happily now more accessible to the
public, the Fidra is magical for the most
part and would be comfortably inside the
GB&I Top 100 but for a relatively
modest finish on slightly weaker land
and with housing coming into view.
Don’t let that put you off the Fidra
though, because it is otherwise
magnificent, usually weaving in and
around stunning tall pine trees that sway
and whistle with the wind, and laid out
on turf that is glorious to strike from.
The 5th and 13th holes are situated
closest to the ocean and, although it’s just
out of sight, the wind carries the blissful
sounds of lapping waves.
On the 5th tee you can also just about
glimpse Fidra Island – the one that
supposedly inspired Robert Louis
Stevenson to dream up Treasure Island.
After the 13th you leave the ocean and
turn inland towards the clubhouse for
the less attractive closing quintet,
Golf World August 2015120 121August 2015 Golf World

3. Where to stay
There are some tremendous
options in East Lothian, as befits
a region steeped in golf. At the
top end there is Greywalls,
which sits on the edge of
Muirfield – in fact, stroll onto its
front lawn and you gaze down
the 10th fairway. This Edwardian
hotel sits in four acres of walled
garden and boasts 23 en-suite
rooms as well as dining on the
fare of legendary Albert Roux.
The Marine Hotel is similarly
adjoined to North Berwick as
Greywalls is to Muirfield.
Overlooking the 16th green, this
Macdonald hotel has 83 recently
renovated bedrooms and
a swish spa and fitness suite.
It has a warm atmosphere
despite it being a large hotel.
If you are in a group – whether
all golfers or travelling as a
family – consider one of the
exquisite lodges among the pine
trees at Archerfield; they are a
peerless base for a short break.
Further inland, Maitlandfield
House in Haddington is an
excellent golf-friendly base.
Finally, Ducks at Aberlady is
a ‘restaurant with rooms’ run
by Malcolm Duck, a very keen
golfer who has even invented
putting games to entertain
you as you take refreshment
in the evening.
PLANNINGYOURTRIP
although the last couple are a nice finish.
Play it together with the Dirleton, a more
open traditional links affair.
The quality continues off the course,
with clubhouse, practice facilities, pro shop,
locker room and a level of service and
friendliness second to none in Britain.
The Renaissance Club
GB&I Top 100 – 87th
A new course for an exclusive golf club
but, like Archerfield, The Renaissance is
now happily opening up more to the
public. Acclaimed architect Tom Doak
has created a breathtaking links which in
typical style cleverly showcases the
natural features of the existing terrain.
The original layout was well received
but has since been enhanced by new
holes, while the greens are as hugely
difficult as they always were.
This Doak design is so minimalist it
does not bother with numbered tee
markers.
It is a modern course, but represents
simple seaside golf for links connoisseurs
– although it is a hefty price.
A round here costs £250, which makes
the full ‘One Time Experience’ of staying
and playing for £400 a very attractive
deal, when you also consider a room for
the night costs £250.
Incidentally, the rooms are five-star
affairs with amazing views and exquisite
food, but you’ll need to book ahead.
Kilspindie
GB&I Top 100 – Next 100
Located in the pretty village of Aberlady,
a round here makes one wish there were
more courses like Kilspindie – the type
many of us could play endlessly and
never grow bored of.
It’s short, has many driveable par 4s, a
distinct lack of long rough, not too many
fairway bunkers and thus can be very
forgiving and flattering to one’s handicap
– if you’re lucky enough to get a calm day
that is. However, with the wind blowing
hard this 6,000-yard cuddly teddy can
become a prickly giant.
This is near-perfect links golf with
superb shoreline views.
Kilspindieoffersashortlinksmost
golferscouldhappilyplayonfortherest
oftheirdays.Evenifthewindgetsup.
122
COURSES
Golf World August 2015122

4. Getting there
It is a very accessible
destination. There are now lots
of flights into Edinburgh or you
can catch the train into the
capital. You would be wise to
then hire a car to ferry back and
along the A198, even though
once in Gullane (45 minutes
from the centre of Edinburgh)
you don’t do much driving
other than to get to Dunbar.
Manchester and Leeds are
within four hours of East
Lothian, whether using the M6/
M74/M8 or ideally the A1.
When to go
Actually, we’ve just missed
arguably the best month of the
year to go there; April sees the
smallest amount of rain and
temperatures consistently
above 12C. However May and
June are also excellent times
to visit, with a little more rain
but obviously a bit more
warmth. The latter half of the
year sees significantly more
rain than the first half.
Dunbar
GB&I Top 100 – Next 100
A significant climber in our Scottish Top
100 last month, the warmth of opinion
when discussing Dunbar by our well-
golfed panel was easy to detect.
A proper links with some of the best
turf you’ll ever tread, it is one of only a
handful of UK courses where many of
the holes are right by the sea, and at the
sea level. It is more rare than we think to
be able to play a high quality links with
sea spray in our nostrils and marine life
within reach of a slightly cutty 9-iron.
A strong design even with a modest
start and finish – and mooted course
tweaks may improve it further.
THE COURSES
1. Muirfield
£210, muirfield.org.uk
2. North Berwick
£70-100, northberwickgolfclub.com
3. Gullane 1
£98-113, gullanegolfclub.com
4. Luffness
£85, luffnessgolf.com
5. Archerfield
£200, archerfieldgolfclub.com
6. The Renaissance Club
£250, trcaa.com
7. Kilspindie
£49-60, kilspindiegolfclub.co.uk
8. Dunbar
£40-90, dunbargolfclub.com
Playedoutalongthesea,expect
sprayinyournostrilsandasenseof
satisfactionatimpressiveDunbar.
7
8
3
5
EDINBURGH
2
4
1
6
COURSES
TheArcherfield
lodges:exquisite.
Golf World August 2015124