Approximately 84 acres of trees were originally cleared to open up the site. This is the only portion of the historic Archerfield Estate to retain its natural windswept sand dunes. The coastal stretch of the estate has been protected for centuries by a dense pine forest and the natural contours, untouched by the plough have required little earth moving.

The club adopted the rules of Luffness Golf Club and James Todd, farmer at Castlemains was elected the first President. In 1869, Luffness Golf Club suggesting dates to play for the new Challenge Cup presented by the Earl of Wemyss for competition among the Golf Clubs in the county. The secretary was instructed to reply that the dates suggested were unsuitable. The Wemyss County Cup is now the oldest foursome competition in the world.

The nine-hole private course was played only by Archerfield Golf Club, the tenants of the mansion house, and their guests. The club had forty members including James Bisset, the hotel proprietor, Dr. Frank Crombie, Rev. John Kerr, John Watt Muirfield Farm, Parish School teachers Archibald Pringle (1889), Willie Hastie (1894) and James Grant (1896), and Willie McDonald who won the Hamilton Medal four times and was allowed to keep it, although his family returned it to the club in 1889.

The Archerfield Links were also used by golfers of fame and repute such as Robert Maxwell, Freddie Tait, Harold Hilton and Johnny Laidlay among the amateurs and Ben Sayers Sen., Jack White and Willie Park Jnr. among the professionals. Prior to the Ladies Championship played at Gullane in 1897, a two-day competition was help over Archerfield Links with prizes donated by the members. Over a hundred ladies took part and the winner was Annie Maxwell, sister of Robert Maxwell.

Lady Mary Nisbet-Hamilton proprietor of Beil and Archerfield estates and Bloxholme in Lincolnshire died 22 December 1883. She was the eldest daughter of the seventh Earl of Elgin, her husband was the Right Hon. R.A Christopher Nisbet Hamilton who died in 1877 and is buried in Stenton Kirkyard.

As a special consideration the staff of Archerfield and their families were also allowed to golf on the course. The Watt brothers, William, David, John, Robert and James learned to play the game on Dirleton village green and on the course at Archerfield where their father was the estate forester. Willie and David were Scottish Professional Champions in 1912 and 1914. Willie was appointed pro at Turnhouse and David Watt, the first left-handed player to win a championship was professional at Mortonhall.

James Law a proprietor of the Scotsman newspaper was tenant of Archerfield House for 35 summers, while John Penn MP for Lewisham resided at Archerfield in the autumn and winter months. For many years the course at Archerfield consisted of 13 holes until James Law extended the course to 18 holes in July 1887 with the advice of Ben Sayers. In 1909, Law persuaded Willie Watt to return to Archerfield and look after the course. It was here Willie was golf tutor to Herbert Asquith and as a reward, Willie and his family were invited to Downing Street to have tea with the Prime Minister. In 1908 Winston Churchill was appointed First Lord Of The Admirality by Asquith at Archerfield House.

James Watt served his apprenticeship with Willie Park & Son before establishing his own successful clubmaking business in North Berwick. On 1st August 1894, 20 year old Jock White set a new professional course record of 69 strokes. White was educated at Dirleton School and apprenticed as a club maker under Tom Dunn at North Berwick. In 1899 Freddie Tait scored 63 to set a new amateur record which was never beaten. Tait was Amateur Champion in 1896 and 1898. Jack White went on to win the 1904 Open Championship and presented the driver he had used to his Dirleton Parish Church Sunday School teacher.

Thomas Durie and Peter Lees apprenticed as greenkeepers at Archerfield before Lees moved to Barnton and Durie was appointed head greenkeeper at Mortonhall in 1892. Peter Lees was persuaded to move to Mid-Surrey Golf Club in 1911, where he introduced several grass bunkers to break up the flat appearance of the course. This was so successful that the grass bunkers were enlarged to create the 'humps and hollows' which looked so natural. This was the making of Peter Lees's reputation and he emigrated to America where he worked on numerous projects with golf course architects such as Charles B. Macdonald, Albert Tillinghast and Seth Rayner.