This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to Edinburgh
They insisted it would be madness to play golf on Scotland’s east coast in November. Hard men with narrowed eyes, oversized knuckles and wind-burnt faces told me that I was too fragile for the wild Scottish weather. Links golf in late autumn was no place for a softie brought up learning the game in the sunny colonies.
Happily for me, though, the sun shone cheerily from a bright blue sky and there was hardly a breath of wind for the three rounds of golf at St Andrews, North Berwick and Bruntsfield.
If you have a free afternoon in Edinburgh, or better still are able to spend an extra day and night in the Central Lowlands, these three courses offer tradition, quirkiness and immense enjoyment.
St Andrews Jubilee Course
1 W Sands Rd, St Andrews KY16 9XL
The spectacular view of the most famous finishing hole in golf is marred somewhat by a crack in the window at Rusacks St Andrews hotel. Breakfast is served just metres from the 18th fairway of the greatest golf course on Earth, so it is hardly surprising that the odd drive slams into the large windows.
Errant balls also strike cars parked bravely on the narrow lane between the golf course and the handsome row of hotels and shops that line the Old Course at St Andrews.
When we sat down to our vast breakfast on a gloriously sunny November morning, we were greeted by two damaged windows. For the golf geek, however, the cracks just make the pilgrimage to the game’s holiest shrine even more vivid and exciting.
According to Michael Miller, one of the mangers at the hotel who seems to be everywhere, answering questions with endless patience and good humour, shattered windows barely raise an eyebrow. This is because the world’s most-revered golf course is owned by the local council and, regardless of ability, anyone with an official handicap can book a tee time.
Securing a spot on the tee at the Old Course, though, is a challenge. The demand is enormous and the St Andrews Links Trust uses a ballot system and a daily singles draw to allocate slots.
Unfortunately my golfing partner Ronan and I missed out on the Old Course but we did mange to get on to the Jubilee layout, one of the three main courses that make up the St Andrews Links.
It is easier to bag a round on both the New and Jubilee Courses, founded in 1895 and 1897 respectively, because they attract less attention and fewer golfing tourists. The Jubilee also holds the dubious honour of being labelled the toughest of the three layouts by many afficionados.
We had come to St Andrews expecting lashing rain and a hurricane blowing off the sea. But when we arrived at the Jubilee’s sun-drenched first tee, the starter told us glumly that the weather was as “perfect as it’ll ever be”.
In such benign conditions, the course felt slightly defenceless. There were still undulating fairways, pot bunkers and sloping greens of course, but it all seemed much easier to negotiate on such a calm day.
The inviting fairway stoked a false sense of my abilities, so I pulled out my No 1 wood and hooked the ball dangerously close to the group on the adjacent fairway. I vowed to put away the driver and tee off from then on with an iron. Ronan, meanwhile, made an uncharacteristically solid start and stormed into an early lead in our private match-play competition.
With the game level and the sky turning pink above the ancient town, we approached the 16th. Ronan blasted his driver way down the middle. I stuck with my five-iron and found the fairway, following up with another five-iron that settled between two bunkers alongside the green. Ronan’s second landed safely on the green and he was looking mighty smug.
At the risk of sounding immodest, I hit the most perfect bump and run with my nine-iron. It was a shot of rare beauty that negotiated the green’s twists and turns, hovered on the edge of the cup for an exquisite moment and then dropped in for a birdie. No doubt unmanned by the astonishing stroke, Ronan missed his birdie and we halved the last two holes, which were played in almost total darkness.
Apart from its magnificent location, Rusacks St Andrews also hosts Room 116, a whisky bar with a terrace overlooking the 18th green. When the Old Course hosts The Open, the balcony is jammed with spectators with the finest view of the course. Last year, Lydia Ko visited Room 116 with her sister after winning the Women’s Open and mingled with guests.
While toasting my victory, we met Martin and Wesley Bingham. Martin had flown over from Charlotte, North Carolina, for a four-day golfing trip to meet his son Wesley, who was working in Sweden. Both had played some of the world’s most famous courses, including Pinehurst, but St Andrews, Martin said, was “the mecca”.
They had played the Old Course and, although it “had been packed, we just loved it. There’s just so much tradition. Every hole was beautiful.” At Pinehurst, Martin said, everything is a “big production with people looking over your shoulder constantly. Here’s it’s far more relaxed. It’s an amazing spot.”
North Berwick Golf Club
New Club House, Beach Rd, North Berwick EH39 4BB
Further down the coast is North Berwick, where Marine & Lawn, the hotel and resort chain behind Rusacks St Andrews, have another property. We drove the two hours between St Andrews and North Berwick, but a train via Edinburgh and even a ferry offer more charming options.
Marine & Lawn offers a grand tour of six eminent courses strung across Scotland and Ireland, but we did not have time to sample them all. I had heard a bit about North Berwick and was determined to play there. I was blown away.
It was another glorious afternoon when we teed off next to the remarkably calm sea. The first challenge arrives as soon as the second hole. To have any chance of making a par 4, you have to drive over the beach and waves. After forsaking my No 1 wood the day before, I approached the drive with anxiety. Miraculously, I hit a huge drive over the sea and landed it safely in the middle of the fairway and went on to make par.
Ronan was struggling, however, and I was four up after eight holes. I hit a long drive on the par-5 nine and then struck a handsome six-iron that clung on to the side of the green, narrowly avoiding a terrifyingly deep bunker. I was in pole position but Ronan, infuriatingly, chipped in from 80 yards for an eagle.
Obviously I missed my own eagle attempt but it was a temporary setback. I went on to win 8 and 6 and, with victory assured, I could enjoy this quirkiest of golf courses.
There were many strong contenders for best hole, especially the 16th, which boats a steeply raised green with a gully dissecting it. But my favourite was hole 13 — The Pit. On the other side of a wall that runs along the left of the hole is a beach. My drive flirted with the beach before dropping mercifully into a bunker.
The green, however, is located on the other side of the wall, which makes for a tricky approach. I blasted it out of the bunker and it just crept over the wall and funnelled towards the hole. Unfortunately I missed the short birdie putt, which would have been a fitting tribute to the most bonkers hole I had ever played.
The Marine North Berwick hotel, where we stayed that night, overlooks the 16th fairway and its elevated lounges offer spectacular views of the course and sea. It is also in the middle of a golfing nirvana, with 22 courses within an hour’s drive, including Muirfield and Gullane No 1. An extraordinarily competent gentleman at the front desk named James Mullany will help you book any of these courses.
Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society
32 Barnton Ave, Edinburgh EH4 6JH
If you only have an afternoon to spare and both St Andrews and North Berwick are a bit too much of a trek from Edinburgh — or if you fancy a break from the toil of links golf — Bruntsfield is a terrific alternative.
The Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society, the fourth-oldest golf club in the world, is just three miles from the centre of the Scottish capital.
Founded in 1761, Bruntsfield is one of the country’s most prestigious courses yet still feels relaxed and welcoming. Unlike St Andrews and North Berwick and despite its name, it is a parkland layout that felt slightly alien after two days on treeless links.
The club has hosted qualifying rounds for The Open and is deceptively cunning, having been redeveloped in 2018. Its magnificently manicured fairways wind between mature trees while the greens slope and dip and are well protected by bunkers.
The clubhouse itself offers fabulous views over the Firth Of Forth and Fife and, in summer, they open the outdoor terrace for sundowners.
Before we could sample the locals brews, though, we had to make our way around the appealing but tricky layout. The first hole sets the tone: out of bounds runs down the left of the fairway while there are trees down the right and deviously placed bunkers that can ensnare a drive.
While Ronan had rediscovered his mojo I struggled and reached my nadir on the par-5 ninth. Any thoughts of reaching the green in two died when I drove my ball deep into the dense copse on the left. When I finally emerged around the corner of the dog-leg, I was presented with an uphill approach to a tiny-looking green that I missed by some margin. I limped off with an eight.
The back nine offered redemption and I finally found some rhythm after a birdie on the par-3 10th. It is only 144 yards but if you miss the small green, as Ronan did, the steep run-offs make securing par difficult.
By the 18th I was two up and marked the triumph with a violent hook into the practice facilities. Ronan, though, played a perfect hole and, overlooked by the grand clubhouse, made par. He is the ultimate show pony.
Fergus Ryan was a guest of Marine & Lawn
Have you played at any of these courses — and what’s your favourite golf course near Edinburgh? Tell us in the comments below. And follow FT Globetrotter on Instagram at @FTGlobetrotter
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