Golf Towns - Gullane
The A198 into Gullane has always inspired me. How many towns in Scotland do you enter effectively driving through a golf course(s)? A glance left, a glance right, seeing tee shots struck and the odd putt made, you are simply itching to leave the car to complete the 3-ball you have just passed!
Golf has been played over the links at Gullane for more than 350 years. Today, Gullane is one of Scotland's most prestigious clubs, mixing the finest tradition with some of the most admired natural links land in the world. The car journey in towards the coast simply heightens the taste buds for a menu of golfing options.
The history of Gullane No. 1 stretches back to 1884. Carved into the ancient links turf, pot bunkers, wispy grasses and smooth-running greens result in the layout providing a unique challenge. Add in the views from the top of the ‘Hill’ across to Edinburgh, the Firth of Forth, Fife and beyond and you have one of Scotland’s finest golfing experiences.
Together with Courses No. 2 and No. 3 – wonderful layouts themselves for all levels of ability with excellent visitor offers – and newly-enhanced short game practice facilities, this is true links territory, a proud asset of ‘Scotland’s Golf Coast’.
Gullane No.1
For some, it’s impossible to stay away. Just ask a rugby legend, the former Scotland and British & Irish Lions captain, Gavin Hastings. “I joined when I was 14 as a junior member,” says Hastings of over 40 years’ of membership at Gullane. “I love Gullane to bits. For me, it’s a brilliant place to go and play golf. I love the views, I love going down the coast, love the fresh air, love the walks – and most of the time I enjoy the golf as well!”
Boasting the world’s greatest concentration of championship links courses, the 30-mile coastline in East Lothian offers a fantastic destination to suit all abilities and budgets for stay-and-play breaks – as well as one of Scotland’s driest and sunniest locations for all-year round golf.
With a choice of 21 courses in total – headlined by championships tests such as 16-time Open venue Muirfield and this year’s Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open host, The Renaissance, to delightful challenges like Gullane No.3, Dunbar and Craigielaw – it offers a variety of golf at incredible value.
Combined with a plentiful choice of accommodation – including resorts, hotels, bed & breakfasts and self-catering – and easy access to main road networks, visitors have started flocking back to the East Lothian fairways during 2021. After all, it is less than 40 minutes down to Gullane from the nation’s capital, Edinburgh, and under 90 minutes from Glasgow. The region itself can also be easily reached in a three to four-hour drive from the likes of Newcastle, Manchester or Leeds.
The region was again showcased to a global audience in July when the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open was held for a third straight year at The Renaissance. It was the fifth time ‘Scotland’s Golf Coast’ has staged the men’s event in seven years given Gullane was the tournament host in 2015 and 2018. Rickie Fowler and Brandon Stone were proud winners.
Renaissance
Tournament history is rich in the area, offering any visitor the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of greats. The Ladies Scottish Open was also played at Gullane in 2018 and The Renaissance in 2019 and 2020, while Muirfield will welcome the AIG Women’s Open next year. Muirfield most recently staged The Open in 2013 when Phil Mickelson prevailed, while it was the scene for Scotland’s first staging of the Ryder Cup back in 1973.
Away from the superb links turf, Gullane feels like a golf town. Quaint bars and restaurants, delightful local shops and a village green give it the atmosphere of a place you simply want to relax in. The club’s newly-refurbished Visitors’ Clubhouse offers another superb venue to unwind. Gullane has it all, a wonderful golf town – just as the drive in suggests.