Overview:

A veritable golfer’s paradise, the village of Gullane is surrounded by five outstanding links courses, including the renowned Muirfield Golf Club. As with many Scottish golf clubs, the history of golf at Gullane is long and colorful. As far back as 1650, it was recorded that groups of handloom weavers from the nearby villages of Dirleton and Aberlady met over the links for their annual golf match. In 1859, a group of farmers formed the East Lothian Club and from their ranks, Gullane Golf Club was instituted in 1882.

Set on the shores of the Firth of Forth in rugged East Lothian, Gullane offers three superb links courses – Gullane Number 1, 2 and 3. Regarded as the toughest and best of the three, Gullane No. 1 frequently hosts final qualifying rounds for the Open Championship and has also hosted many major amateur events.

With water hazards and trees absent, as is the norm with links golf, gorse thickets, wind, rough, tight fairways, bunkers and well-guarded greens ensure the course is a fair but serious challenge. Nowhere on the course do the panoramic views get better than the view from the top of Gullane Hill and the 7th tee. Described by renowned writer Bernard Darwin as “one of the best views in golf,” on a clear day one can see for miles, with the Lammermuir Hills, Firth of Forth and Bass Rock making up the stunning panorama.

Opening with a modest par four, the challenge presented by Gullane No. 1 is about to start. The 379-yard second hole, “Windygate” meanders up the hill and as the name suggests is often out of reach in two. While the third is a straight par five, the steady climb continues until reaching the 7th tee. One of the highlights of the inward nine is certainly the par 5, 15th hole named “Pumphouse,” a testing dogleg culminating with a fearsomely sloping green.

Course review content courtesy of Golf Publisher Syndications