Scotland, and East Lothian in particular, is considered a golfer’s paradise, for both players and spectators alike

There are 22 courses in East Lothian. A mix of traditional links and classic inland course suit all standards and tastes and they are all on our doorstep.

Craigielaw and Kilspindie are a five iron from The Lodges at… Aberlady, and Muirfield, host to the 2013 Open Championships, is a five minute drive away, while three courses at Gullane and the private club of Luffness can be seen from the balcony.

We are well connected within the East Lothian golfing community and are able to reserve tee times and transportation to the course of your choice.

All we ask is that let us know your needs before arrival and we will do our utmost to provide you with an unforgettable itinerary.

Our team also have excellent contacts the length and breadth of the country and we can also arrange tee times at a number of exclusive courses such as Carnoustie, Royal Dornoch, Royal Troon and Turnberry amongst others

Archerfield http://www.archerfieldgolfclub.com/

Fidra Links
Above you, the whispering pines. Ahead, the sweeping fairways. Out here, it feels as if it’s just you and the course. Golf has never been more inviting than this: the 18 hole Fidra Links, a unique mixture of pine forest and fast-running links.

Dirleton Links
On coastal land that has hosted golf for over 100 years, DJ Russell has created the 18 holes of the Dirleton Links. It’s a challenging expression of a traditional Scottish links course with its sweeping fairways, deep, menacing bunkers and undulating dunes bordering the fairways. Already enjoyed by a quartet of Masters Champions, from Gary Player to Ian Woosnam.

Castle Park http://www.castleparkgolfclub.co.uk/
Set amongst the unspoilt countryside of East Lothian, Castle Park is defined by its picturesque setting, unique features and excellent greens. This naturally undulating course offers superb golf in exceptionally beautiful surroundings. Highlights include the challenge of ‘Watershipdown’ with its fairway splitting lake and dual level green.

Craigielaw Golf Club http://www.craigielawgolfclub.com/
Designed by Donald Steel, Craigielaw Golf Club is a championship links course nestled into the coastline shared by Muirfield, Gullane and North Berwick and is a mere 30 minutes from Edinburgh city centre. Please browse through our site to experience what Craigielaw can offer you.

Dunbar Golf Club http://www.dunbar-golfclub.co.uk/
Laid out in 1857 and redesigned by Old Tom Morris around 1894, Dunbar East Links and situated on the estuary of the Firth of Forth is a breathtaking layout of a Championship links. It is used as an Open Championship Qualifying Venue when the Open is played at Muirfield and all of the major Scottish Championships have been played here, The Scottish Amateur, Scottish Professional Championships, and Scottish Boys’ Championship.  The British Ladies and the Ladies Home Internationals have also enjoyed Dunbar as a venue.

Gifford Golf Club http://www.giffordgolfclub.com/
A beautiful 9 hole course, situated on the edge of the historic East Lothian village of Gifford (map), only 30 minutes from Edinburgh. Set in rolling parkland, with the Lammermuir Hills as a scenic back-drop, the course is rewarding for both novices and low handicappers.

The Glen Golf Club http://www.glengolfclub.co.uk/
The Glen Golf Club is one of the most popular of East Lothian golf courses. Whether you have played golf in Scotland before, or if this is your first visit, the Glen is a golfing venue not to be missed. This North Berwick East Links course enjoys superb views across the Firth of Forth and provides an enjoyable test of golf for all levels of player. If you are planning a golfing holiday in Scotland or organizing a golf tour or golf package, take the opportunity of including the Glen. East Lothian golf is special and the Glen enjoys a central location in the ‘Edinburgh Golf Coast’.

Gullane Golf Club http://www.gullanegolfclub.com/
Gullane Golf Club offers championship quality links courses with dramatic views across the Firth of Forth to Edinburgh and Fife. The three Courses do not have names but simply numbers which reflect their age. Gullane No. 1 has a long history of hosting international Championship events and is an Open Championship Qualifying Course. Gullane No.2 has also been used for Open Championship Qualifying and the Seniors Open Amateur. Gullane No.3, whilst being the shortest, still provides a stern challenge for golfers of all abilities.

Gullane 1
The eighteen holes of Gullane No.1 Course were established in 1884. The well maintained greens, links grasses, numerous bunkers and sea breezes make a unique challenge for the serious golfer.

Gullane 2
Gullane No.2 Course was built in 1898 and the first and last holes of the course are on the east side of the A198 road. The Course runs alongside No.1 for the first seven holes and then sweeps down to the nature reserve next to Aberlady Bay, before turning back towards the Visitors’ Clubhouse. One feature of the Course is its excellent short holes, particularly the 11th with its magnificent view and tricky club selection.

Gullane 3
Gullane No.3 Course was completed in 1910, with the first three and last three holes on the east side of the A198 road. The remaining holes are on the South side of Gullane Hill with excellent views across Aberlady Bay to Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth. Do not be misled by the official yardage. This course will test even the most experienced golfer’s ability at accurate shot making and truly is a gem.

Haddington Golf Club http://www.haddingtongolf.com/
Haddington Golf Club is a long established parkland course incorporated within the boundaries of a former country estate. The course is set in peaceful walled surroundings with the River Tyne on its North Boundary. The course, set in 130 acres, contains many natural features as well as much indigenous wildlife and offers a challenge to golfers of all categories. Haddington Golf Club also boasts an extensive practice area.

Kilspindie Golf Club http://kilspindiegolfclub.com/
The 35th oldest golf club is a Scottish links retaining its original, traditional features. This medium length course is nonetheless a good test of golf and a challenge to all golfers. Several holes border the shoreline and each hole enjoys magnificent views.

Longniddry Golf Club http://www.longniddrygolfclub.co.uk/
Formed in 1921, Longniddry Golf Club is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, 18 miles east of Edinburgh. The course is a pleasant combination of woodland and links, with many holes featuring tree-lined fairways whilst the dry, sandy soil gives them a links consistency. The laying out of the course was entrusted to Harry S Colt, one of the foremost architects of the day who was responsible for the design of numerous courses. There have been a number of alterations to Harry Colt’s original layout e.g. in 1936 James Braid was invited to advise on the second hole, following which a number of changes were made to the course, although none, it would appear, to the second! During the war, part of the course was ploughed up for food production, following which Philip Mackenzie Ross was invited to make good the damage and some of the changes were quite significant, with two holes by the sea being scrapped. More recently, Donald Steele was engaged to advise on the course architecture, particularly the bunkering.

Luffness New Golf Club http://www.luffnessgolf.com/
Luffness New Golf Club is situated in the heart of the renowned golfing country on the East Lothian coastline. Founded in 1894 and designed by Old Tom Morris, Luffness New Golf Club offers challenging and enjoyable golf in a historic setting.

Muirfield http://www.muirfield.org.uk/
Muirfield is the home of The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers whose records date back to 1744 when the Club wrote the original 13 Rules of Golf for the first competition played for the Silver Club. At the time the Club played on the 5 holes at Leith Links but then moved, in 1836, to Musselburgh’s 9-hole Old Course and then again to its current home, Muirfield, in 1891. Muirfield is the only course to have hosted the Open (15 times, the most recent in 2002), the Amateur, the Mid Amateur, the Ryder Cup, the Walker Cup and the Curtis Cup and is due to host the Championship again in 2013.  In accordance with the rules of the Club, the management and administration of the Club is in the hands of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (Management) Limited, a company limited by guarantee.

Musselburgh Golf Club http://www.themusselburghgolfclub.com/
The Golf Club was formed in 1938. Having lost the Open Championship when The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers moved to Muirfield, Musselburgh Town Council decided to build a championship course at Monktonhall. The 5 times Open Champion James Braid, who, in his later years became a renowned golf course architect, designed the new course. He designed a championship standard course, which at 6725 yards long is a true test of golf for even the most accomplished golfer.

The Old Golf Course, Musselburgh http://www.musselburgholdlinks.co.uk/
The Old Links at Musselburgh was originally seven holes, with another added in 1838 and the full nine-holes came into play in 1870. The first three holes stretched eastwards from the grandstand at the racecourse, site of the former clubhouse of the Honourable Company. To the right is the main traffic route onto which the Musselburgh golfers sliced their shots and played back to the links using the new brass-soled clubs. The metal plate on the ‘brassie’ wooden club was invented here in 1885, to deal with such shots. At the fourth green there still stands Mrs Foreman’s Inn there used to be a hatch in the wall through which refreshments could be passed to the early golfers. The course turns northwest with the next three holes following the coastline and the eighth returning south towards the Home Hole, which is now the present first hole.

North Berwick Golf Club http://www.northberwickgolfclub.com/
The North Berwick Golf Club has a long and proud history and is reputedly one of the world’s oldest with a continuous record of play over the original seaside turf. In the 19th Century it hosted many of the legendary challenge matches and today is proud to be a Final Qualifying venue for the Open Championship, when held at nearby Muirfield. We have a course of real quality, presented and maintained to the highest standards thanks to the efforts of Stuart Greenwood our Course Superintendent, David Huish our Professional and their teams.

Royal Musselburgh Golf Club http://www.royalmusselburgh.co.uk/
Royal Musselburgh Golf Club is at the start of the famous stretch of golf courses on the East Lothian coast, situated to the east of Musselburgh on the B1361, this picturesque parkland course is certainly worth the visit. The Club is the fifth oldest in the world originating at the 9 hole Musselburgh Levenhall links where the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, Royal Burgess Golfing Society and Bruntsfield Golf Club also played. Pride of place in the Royal Musselburgh is the Old Club Cup dating back to 1774, the oldest trophy still competitively played for in the world.

The Renaissance Club http://www.trcaa.com/
The Renaissance Club provides an incredible golfing experience from the hands of Mother Nature and minimalist golf course architect Tom Doak. To stand on the holes viewing the Firth of Forth is breathtaking and reminiscent of the golf games of yesteryear.

Whitekirk http://www.whitekirk.com/
Whitekirk Golf & Country Club is situated in the heart of East Lothian. It is a great place for all to relax and enjoy a game of golf on the challenging 18 hole course. The club combines tradition, refined décor, a warm welcome and quality service all in an exceptionally beautiful setting.

Winterfield Golf Club http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/kevinphillips/page2.html
Winterfield’s coastal location means that the wind plays a major role. A long sequence of holes takes players out on a headland into the North Sea so an ability to manage the ball in windy conditions is essential. There are eight par 3’s on the course but many are well over 200 yards long.

East Lothian is one of Scotland’s best regions for golf offering 22 courses which cater for golfers of all calibres and tastes.

From The Old Course at Musselburgh to The Open Championship course at Muirfield, East Lothian not only has a golfing history which is unparalled, but also offers everything from traditional links to classic inland golf courses. No matter what your preferred course, East Lothian will provide the discerning golfer with a suitable challenge.

East Lothian is widely regarded as the birth place of modern golf, and there is no better base to experience over 600 years of golfing history.

Documented evidence exists which proves the game was played regularly on The Old Course at Musselburgh as far back as 1672, and Mary Queen of Scots was reputed to have played on The Old Course in 1567.

The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, who now play at the famous East Lothian Open Championship Course at Muirfield, has records going back to 1744, and is the earliest known golf club – established 10 years before The Society Club of St Andrews Golfers.

The Honourable Company also drew up the first code of rules governing golf. Thirteen rules dating from 1744 formed the basis upon which the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews assumed responsibility and governance of the game. These inaugural rules dealt exclusively with match play and it is generally accepted that the earliest rules relating to stroke play date back to the time when Royal Musselburgh Golf Club established its Old Club Cup.

Numerous golf clubs were established throughout East Lothian during the 19th Century. North Berwick was founded in 1832, followed by Tantallon Golf Club in 1853. Dirleton Castle at Gullane was founded in 1854, and Dunbar in 1856 and Luffness Old in 1867.

When the Open Championship was established in the 19th Century, The Old Course at Musselburgh together with Prestwick and St. Andrews, hosted the event on a rotational basis and as the popularity of golf grew amongst the local population, the area enjoyed a period of growth in the number of golfers making a living from the game and those individuals manufacturing golf equipment.

A number of the most prominent and influential names in the golf have come from East Lothian, and after learning their craft over the links and parkland courses of the county, they have influenced generations of golfers the world over.

Significant Dates

East Lothian has been at the forefront of golf throughout its history, from medieval times to the present day. Some of the oldest and most challenging courses can be found in East Lothian, the original home of golf.

1567: Mary Queen of Scots was reputed to have played on The Old Course at Musselburgh.

1774: The Oldest Cup still played for today is The Old Club Cup at Royal Musselburgh.

1811: Musselburgh held the world’s first golf tournament for women on New Years Day

1893: The obligatory hole size (4½ inches) of today was made mandatory by the R & A and was purely based on the size of the cutter at The Old Course in Musselburgh.