East Lothian
Scotland’s Golf Coast
East Lothian is not on the tip of peoples’ tongues when they think about Scotland in the same way that St Andrews is, but we’d argue that it should be. With a top end roster of courses including Muirfield (club 1744, current course 1891), North Berwick (1832), and Gullane (1882), the region is far from hidden gem territory, but the next level beyond these star courses is still extremely strong, and the towns dotting the seaside east of Edinburgh are full of charm.
Muirfield may boast the most impressive list of Champions Golfers of the Year, with names like Harry Vardon, James Braid, Walter Hagen, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els, and Phil Mickelson hoisting the Claret Jug in front of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. For an extremely elite, exclusive club, the welcome for visitors is first class. The standard 36-hole day starts with 18 holes of four ball in the morning, continues with a formal carvery lunch—jacket and tie mandatory for men, long-sleeve dresses for women, and ends with 18 holes of “foursomes” (a.k.a. alternate shot) in the afternoon. It might just be the best day in golf. If $700 got you 36 holes at Augusta a lot of people would be interested, and for that amount on Tuesdays and Thursdays you can play a course with the same level of status.
Its next door neighbours, Gullane no. 1 and North Berwick’s West Links, lack the same top-end championship pedigree that Muirfield can claim, but what they lack in hosted Open Championships they certainly make up for in charm.
Berwick ends with one of the most iconic stretches in Scotland: you play across a stone wall on 13, experience the original Redan green on 15, contest with one of the most outrageous greens of all time on 16, and finish on the driveable 18th which runs parallel with the town—not unlike the 18th on the Old Course. If you finish this stretch of golf without a smile on your face (regardless of score) you might need to do some reflection on what you’re looking to get out of the game.
Gullane no. 1 is the crown jewel of Gullane Golf Club, which has three 18-hole layouts. It’s hosted the Scottish Open, most recently in 2018 when Rickie Fowler won on a composite course primarily made up of holes from no. 1 but with a few borrowed tees and greens from no. 2. No. 1 is a stern championship test that is playfully routed over Gullane Hill multiple times and out towards the Firth of Forth. Walking back down Gullane Hill on #17 and back into one of the most charming towns in Scotland is a major highlight of any trip.
Beyond world class golf, towns like Aberlady, North Berwick, and Gullane are great home bases and bring a blend of golf centricity with pleasant rhythms of everyday life. East Lothian towns contain a mix of commuters into Edinburgh, retirees, and people who have lived in the region their whole lives, and you can feel that sense of community in the towns.
