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Gullane - East Lothian
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North Berwick East - Muirfield - Kilspindie - North Berwick West - Luffness - Archerfield

Gullane Golf Club
West Links Road, Gullane. EH31 2BB
Secretary: Derek Thomson
Voice: 01620 842255
manager@gullanegolfclub.com

18th green - Gullane No.1 course
© Digitalsport UK

Gullane No.1 Score Card

Gullane Main Street and No.1 Course
© Digitalsport UK

Famous East Lothian Golfers
Willie Anderson
Tom Harley
Fred McLeod
Dorothy Campbell
Jimmy Thomson
Jack White
Ben Sayers

Tourist Information Centre
Quality Street
North Berwick
East Lothian
EH39 4HJ
Tel: 01620 892197
Fax: 01620 893667

Starters Box - Gullane No.2 and No.3
© Digitalsport UK

Then off through Dirleton, cool and shady,
To Muirfield, Archerfield, Aberlady.
They golfed at Gullane, on 'One' and 'Two',
They played Longniddry and Luffness New.
'The Pilgrims' Progress' - Robert Browning

East Course, North Berwick
© Digitalsport UK
14th 'Perfection' on West Links
© Digitalsport UK

Gullane Courses
Nos. 1, 2 and 3
By Douglas Seaton
Gullane Factfile

GULLANE is a small village with a population of 1,800, surrounded by five outstanding links courses including Muirfield one of the most famous in the world. The buildings in this district give the impression of recent times, yet Gullane as a village is very old.

The ruined church at the roadside, adjacent to the professional's shop, was dedicated to St Andrew in the 12th century. The last vicar of 'Golyn' Andro Makghe was deposed by James VI for smoking tobacco. Some suggest the name of the village derives from 'Guallan', Scottish Gaelic for 'shoulder' perhaps with Gullane Hill in mind. Other documents record the name as Golyn which means 'a small lake' taken from an adjoining piece of water which has since been drained.

Gullane was once the Newmarket of Scotland and many good race-horses were trained here. It was often described as a pretty sight to see the horses swinging out from the stabling beside the old smiddy in the Main Street, over the common and across the hill in a long string to their training ground near Jovey's Neuk. Among other trainers and jockeys born in the village was George Dawson, father of Matthew Dawson the greatest trainer of his day in the real Newmarket.

In 1650, it was recorded that the hand loom weavers from the nearby villages of Dirleton and Aberlady met over the links at Gullane for their annual golf match on Auld Handsel Monday. The neighbouring farmers formed a club in 1859 under the name of the East Lothian Club and from their ranks the Gullane Golf Club was instituted in 1882, taking over the upkeep of the green and extending it from 15 to 18 holes.

The oldest club to play over Gullane Links is Dirleton Castle Golf Club, founded in 1854.

In 1890 Gullane Golf Club built a clubhouse near the first tee (Old Clubhouse Inn) in East Links Road. By 1898 a second course was proposed and Willie Park Jnr. was employed to design and supervise the laying out. The following year William Logan was appointed greenkeeper when a second course was opened on 14th July 1900, taking up seven holes of the Old Luffness course.

In 1908, both were lengthened, and that year Logan with a team of 30 men constructed a third course, opened for play in 1910. The early maintenance was carried out by horse drawn mowers until the first agricultural tractors appeared in East Lothian in the 1920s. The practice of grazing sheep on the links at Gullane continued until 1956.

Booking: Tel 01620 842255 Fax 01620 842327

Although each course has a number, the holes have fascinating names such as Thucket Knowe, Murray's Hill, Roundel, Maggie's Loup, Kirklands and Queen's Head. Gullane No.1 opens with a modest par 4, then the course meanders up the hill to the 379 yard 2nd (Windygate) and as the name suggests is often out of reach in two. The 3rd (site of the racecourse in 1798) is a straight gallop covering 496 yards. The 5th and 6th continue the climb to the summit at the 'Whim' until the 7th which Bernard Darwin, the distinguished writer described as " One of the best views in golf - atop of Gullane Hill."
The downhill drive to the 7th, like the 17th affords the golfer panoramic views over the Lammermuir Hills and Firth of Forth. It was here on 19th July 1795 on a spot called the 'Yellow Mires' that four unfortunate soldiers of the regiment of Grant's Fencibles were condemned to be shot for mutinous conduct. Two of them were pardoned and two were shot in the presence of a large crowd.
From the cliff top, Gullane Point can be seen known as Jovey's Neuk after Jehovah Gray who lived in a stone cottage west of the Hummel Rocks. It was on the small sandy bay that Cadell's barges were beached and loaded with ironstone hewn from the headland then taken up river to be smelted at the Carron Iron Works at Falkirk. Gray was Cadell's caretaker and shared his lonely cottage with a parrot brought back from his days as a sailor serving in the army overseas. Legend also has it that he supplemented his earnings from smuggling.

Course Record Pro 62: Fredrik Andersson Am 65: Adam Davidson 2002

A highlight on the back-nine is the Par 5, 15th 'Pumphouse' a testing 537 yard dogleg with a fearsome sloping green. It was to the back of this green that Babe Zaharias hit an amazing driver and 4 iron on her way to winning the Ladies' British Amateur Championship in 1947. Gullane No.1 has hosted both the British Boy's and Youth Championship, Scottish Stroke Play and British Ladies Open and many other international competitions.

A feature of Gullane No.2 is the quality of it's short holes, particularly the 11th and has also hosted the qualifying rounds for the Open Championship. Gullane No.3 is a hidden gem, it maybe shorter but it matches 18 tough but fair links holes with some of the best views over Gullane Hill. The holes vary from the stunning seventh, with an elevated tee giving views across the bay, to the quirky Par 3, 15th - sharp downhill giving the player a choice between a high holding 8 iron at the stick or a bump and run all the way down the slope. A underplayed, undervalued course which delivers sheer pleasure for beginner and low-handicapper alike.

The present clubhouse was completed in 1928 to provide facilities for both Gullane Golf Club (1882) and Gullane Ladies Golf Club. The Ladies Club was formed in 1904 and remains to this day an independent club, one of only four such in Scotland. Reid Jack a member of Gullane G.C won the Amateur Championship in 1957.

In 1893, Alex Aitken moved his club making business from Leith to Gullane and opened a shop in Brighton Terrace. His apprentice Willie Anderson won the US Open four times. Alex Aitken lived in Iona Cottage in Goose Green until 1917. Mungo Park Jnr. also moved his club making business to Gullane, and during WW1 he had a golf equipment shop in Stanley Road. James Lindsay, son of the railway porter at Gullane Station, apprenticed as a plumber before emigrating to America where he was appointed golf instructor at Oak Park Country Club in Illinois.

The oldest club in continuous existence at Gullane is Dirleton Castle Golf Club, founded in 1854. A traditional artisan golf club which does not own a clubhouse but has succeeded in offering golf and fellowship at a realistic cost to its membership. Dirleton Castle took part in the first National Foursomes Tournament which was instigated by Prestwick Golf Club in 1857. The clubs invited to take part were Musselburgh, North Berwick, Perth, Carnoustie, Blackheath, St Andrews and Leven. The tournament took place on 29th July at St Andrews when Montrose, Bruntsfield, Dirleton Castle and Innerleven were also invited as were Panmure and the Hon. Company but they scratched.

The Dirleton Castle team comprised of William Carse from Prestonpans and Robert Bertram a baker from North Berwick.The following year the inter-club competition took the form of an individual matchplay tournament. This subsequently led to the formation of the Amateur Championship in 1885 when 26 clubs, 5 of them from East Lothian, subscribed to the trophy. The Amateur Championship was originally played for among the blue-blooded fraternity and a closed shop to artisans. The competition played over a week precluded the local tradesmen from taking part. This was to change and in 1924, Thomas Dobson a member of Dirleton Castle won the Amateur Championship.

Jack White

JACK WHITE (1873-1949 ) a Gullane clubmaker, remains the only East Lothian golfer to have won the Open Championship. Originally a professional at North Berwick, White spent most of his career in England before joining the newly opened Sunningdale course in 1902, where he remained for 25 years. White won the Open in 1904 at Sandwich with an aggregate of 296, the first time the 300 barrier was broken in the event.

Jack White eventually returned to Gullane where he started a club making business in a two storey building (now demolished) in Goose Green Mews. His first apprentice was W. J. 'Bud' Russell, son of Alex Russell, the starter at Gullane No.1 course. Bud Russell emigrated to Australia in 1930 and was appointed pro at Barwon Heads Golf Club, Victoria where he remained for 57 years. Another apprentice, Hugh Watt became professional at Barnton, before being appointed to Gullane Golf Club. White opened a successful golf equipment shop at 2 Rosebery Place and for many years gave evening class lessons on the art of club making. There are three fine examples of Jack White's club making skills in the Museum of Golf at St Andrews, including a jigger c 1904; a mashie-niblick c 1915; and a mid-iron c 1935.

Luffness New Golf Club

Beyond Gullane No.3 lies the course of Luffness New Golf Club laid out in 1893 by the landowner George Hope and Old Tom Morris. The course includes the original nine holes from Luffness Old Club founded in 1867. The original Luffness Links were situated west of the present course with access by the wooden bridge leading to Aberlady Nature reserve. A group of Luffness members broke away from the original club in 1894, forming the Luffness New Golf Club, playing over the new links.

The first five holes stretch out along the flat sandy ground with the other thirteen on the west side of the main road. The sixth played over a quarry remains from the original layout, then the course climbs round Gullane Hill, before returning towards the white washed clubhouse. As with many courses in this area the wind plays a major part in the round, sometimes changing direction at every hole. The ever present rough and well placed bunkers make a good score the sign of a talented golfer. If you have no talent you'll still enjoy the experience! Measuring 6087 yards, SSS 69.

To the east of the golf course are the ruins of Saltcoats House which was in the possession of an ancient family named Livingston, mentioned in a charter of 1593. Legend has it that Patrick Livingston received a grant of land after destroying a wild boar which had infested the neighbourhood. The estate of Saltcoats later came into the hands of the Hamiltons of Pencaitland, from whom it descended to Lady Ruthven who sold it to George Hope and the land where the golf course now stands became part of his Luffness estate.

Four times Open Champion Bobby Locke, a fine putter declared Luffness the best greens he had ever putted on. It was Locke that made the famous comment 'You drive for show, you putt for dough'. The quality of the greens have gained a reputation like the former head greenkeeper James King who had no time for green committees and let his work speak for itself. In the first qualifying round for the 2002 Open championship, Andrew Coltart shot a course record 61, beating the record of Christy O'Connor Sen. by one shot which stood for over 40 years. Jonathan Evans (2002) and Roger Winchester share the amateur record of 63.

Kilspindie Golf Club

Kilspindie golf course is situated between the village of Aberlady and the shores of the Firth of Forth, three miles from Gullane. The course measures 5741 yards SSS 66, and has a traditional links layout of nine holes out with Aberlady Bay on the right, and nine holes back to the 18th green beside the clubhouse built in 1898. A delightful course especially on a summer evening with the sandy beach and seabirds of every description - all for around Ł50.

The course was laid out by Ben Sayers and Alex Mackenzie Ross over Craigielaw Links owned by the Earl of Wemyss. Ben Sayers said after his initial inspection of the links, "One would almost think nature had intended this for 18 holes as there is just sufficient ground and no more." The course was opened on 26th November 1898 and it was then that the remaining members of Luffness Golf Club adopted the name Kilspindie Golf Club.

In ancient times there was a religious establishment at Aberlady connected with the 'Culdee' monastery at Dundee. It was called Kilspindie, which means in the old British language 'the cell of the black heads or hoods'. The small fort of Kilspindie stood between the village and the shore. It was built in 1558 by Patrick Douglas and only a small fragment is to be seen standing in a grass field below the church. A number of large stones which belonged to the house have been built into the boundary walls of the fields and road leading to the golf course.

The Kilspindie Golf Club organised the County Cup each year, a foursome competition open to all clubs in East Lothian. The trophy was presented by the Earl of Wemyss in 1868 and is now recognised as the oldest foursome competition in the world.

Directions and Booking

The golf courses at Luffness and Kilspindie are situated between the villages of Gullane and Aberlady on the main A198 route from Edinburgh to North Berwick. For booking arrangements phone Luffness G.C- 01620 843336; Kilspindie G.C- 01875358

Travel Route

Driving from the North and Edinburgh Airport

From Edinburgh take the A720 City By Pass (South) - follow sign post Berwick-Upon-Tweed (A1). Continue on A1 (South) take the A198 - sign post North Berwick. Pass through the villages of Longniddry, Aberlady to Gullane. Drive time from Forth Road Bridge and Edinburgh Airport 40 minutes.

Driving from the South

From the A1 motorway take the A198 - sign post North Berwick. Continue through North Berwick on the A198 - sign post Edinburgh for 5 miles to Gullane.