East Lothian Golf: Scotland's Densest Stretch of Links

What golf here is actually like

East Lothian is the most concentrated run of quality links golf in Scotland, and arguably in the world. Follow the coast east from Edinburgh and you pass one links after another, most of them laid out on the firm, sandy ground golf was invented to be played on. This is not resort golf with cart paths and forced carries. It is the real thing: wind off the Firth of Forth, springy fairways, blind shots over dunes, greens you have to run the ball onto rather than fly.

The other defining feature is proximity. You can base yourself in one town and reach a dozen serious courses inside 40 minutes. Very few golf destinations let you play Muirfield, North Berwick and Gullane in three consecutive days without ever changing hotels. That density is the whole argument for coming here.

When to go

The playing season runs roughly April to October, and the sweet spot is late May through early September. This is eastern Scotland, so it is drier and often sunnier than the west coast, but it is also more exposed to wind coming off the North Sea. Even in high summer you should pack for cold, and a still day here is the exception rather than the rule.

June and July give you the longest daylight, with light lingering past 10pm, which means you can play 36 holes and still have an evening. July and August are the busiest months, when tee times at the marquee courses tighten and green fees are at their peak. If you want the best chance of availability without sacrificing much weather, aim for May, early June or September. Spring and autumn also tend to bring firmer, faster links conditions.

October is a gamble worth taking for the shoulder-season quiet, but daylight shrinks fast and the weather turns changeable. Winter golf is possible on some courses but expect temporary greens, limited daylight and raw conditions.

The courses worth planning around

The Gullane and Aberlady cluster

If you only had a base for one trip, the villages of Gullane and Aberlady put you in the middle of everything. Gullane Golf Club runs multiple courses over a rumpled hill above the village, and the views from the higher holes across the Forth are among the best you will get from any fairway in Scotland. It is a proper test that rewards a low, controlled ball flight.

Next door in Dirleton sits Muirfield, home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers and one of the great championship links anywhere. It is a strategic, fair, brutally honest course where the routing sends you out clockwise and back anticlockwise, so you never play more than a few holes into the same wind. Access is limited and formal, so plan well ahead if you want to play it.

Also in Dirleton is The Renaissance Club, a more modern links that has hosted top-level professional golf, and Archerfield Links, a two-course estate set among woodland and dunes with a resort feel that stands slightly apart from the region's older clubs. Aberlady adds three more: Craigielaw Golf Club, a newer links that has quickly earned respect; Luffness New Golf Club, a traditional and highly regarded course known for the quality of its turf and greens; and Kilspindie Golf Club, a short, characterful seaside course right on the water that is pure fun and a good change of pace from the heavyweights.

North Berwick

The town of North Berwick is a destination in itself. The North Berwick Golf Club plays the West Links, one of the oldest and most quirky courses in the game, with stone walls to carry, a burn in play and the famous template green that has been copied worldwide. Purists adore it precisely because it breaks the modern rulebook. Sharing the town is the Glen Golf Club, laid out on the headland with dramatic clifftop holes and huge sea views. It is more affordable and less heralded than its neighbour, and it is an excellent companion round.

Dunbar and the eastern end

Further east, Dunbar Golf Club is a classic links that hugs a narrow strip of coast, with the sea in play down the entire back nine and rocky shoreline framing several holes. It is often overlooked because it sits at the far end of the county, but it is well worth the drive. Also in Dunbar, Winterfield Golf Course is a shorter, more relaxed seaside course that makes a good warm-up or a lighter day.

Inland and the western edge

Not everything here is dunes and salt spray. Longniddry Golf Course mixes parkland and links character on the coast west of Aberlady. Royal Musselburgh Golf Course at Prestonpans is a parkland course with deep history and sits closest to Edinburgh, making it easy to fit in on arrival or departure day. Inland, Haddington Golf Course gives you a mature parkland round in the county town, a useful option when the coastal wind is howling and you want something more sheltered.

Practical matters

Getting here is straightforward. Edinburgh Airport has good international and domestic connections, and East Lothian starts roughly half an hour east of the city. Most visitors drive, and a car is close to essential if you want to move between courses efficiently. The main artery is the A1 running east along the coast, with the golf towns strung out beside it.

The distances are the selling point. From a base in Gullane, Aberlady or North Berwick, almost every course listed is within a 25 to 40 minute drive. Dunbar and Winterfield at the eastern end are the longest hops, and Royal Musselburgh and Haddington sit toward the western and inland edges, but nothing here is far.

A typical trip looks like this:

• Fly into Edinburgh, pick up a car, and play something near the city on arrival day.
• Base for three to five nights in North Berwick, Gullane or Aberlady.
• Play one or two rounds a day, mixing a marquee links with a lower-key one.
• Book the hard-to-access courses first and build the rest of the itinerary around them.

North Berwick is the best all-round base for non-golf reasons too: it is a proper seaside town with restaurants, a beach and a train line into Edinburgh. Gullane and Aberlady are quieter and drop you right among the links. Book tee times early for anything with championship pedigree, and always check individual club policies on visitor access, dress and whether caddies or trolleys are available.

Who it suits, and who it does not

This region is close to essential for the golfer who wants to understand links golf at its source. If you love firm turf, the running ground game, playing in wind and ticking off historic courses, there is nowhere better value for time. The tight geography means you spend your days playing rather than driving, and the range from world-famous to charming-and-cheap lets you build a varied week.

It suits groups of committed golfers, couples where both play, and anyone happy to accept that the weather is part of the experience. It rewards a decent short game and a willingness to keep the ball low.

It is a harder sell for players who want guaranteed sunshine, buggies as standard and manicured target golf. Many of these courses are walking-only and unapologetically traditional. It is also not the destination for a non-golfing partner expecting resort amenities on site, though Edinburgh's culture and the coast itself offer plenty away from the fairways. And if crossing bunkers, stone walls and blind shots frustrates rather than delights you, some of the older links will test your patience as much as your game.

For everyone else, East Lothian delivers more great links golf per mile than almost anywhere on earth.