Where To Next - Aberlady
BY MURRAY BOTHWELL
5 MIN READ
A short drive east from Edinburgh lie the beaches, bays and sweeping coastal margin of East Lothian, Scotland’s Golf Coast. The gorse-topped bents, a local name for the old linksland, sit tightly against today’s structured pine forests and rich acres of farmland. Quaint villages and pretty towns retain many of their 18th and 19th century styles with a high proportion of them listed buildings. The winding country roads which connect them often follow seemingly endless ribbons of old stone walls, a lasting memory of wealthy landowners. This is a landscape so rich in the sport’s history that the mere mention of any of its famous family of fairways triggers images and feelings amongst players of all abilities… regardless of whether they have been there or not.
At its heart, the town of Aberlady is a good option for a base from which to explore the nearby Clubs. From Longniddry in the west to Archerfield in the east it’s only a matter of 7 miles, yet this pocket of perfection offers no less than 11 excellent courses to satisfy even the most demanding visitor. Between the sands of Aberlady Bay and the town itself lies Kilspindie Golf Club, one of the most historic and natural links courses on the coast with a pedigree peppered with hickory. Gently leading you out over perfect turf, the course offers a string of holes where the sea comes into play more often than you might wish for, closely followed by an often wind-assisted home stretch that features an enticing view of the Clubhouse but with old, stone walls creeping into the fairways to challenge your approaches. It could be the most fun you’ve ever had on a golf course.
Kilspindie
On either side of Aberlady, another two courses show how both newer and older, established ones can equally immerse you in the full links experience. Craigielaw’s open and immaculate fairways sit just over the wall from Kilspindie, and although it has recently celebrated its 21st birthday the course has more than enough maturity to stand toe-to-toe with its aged neighbours. Featuring exciting changes in elevation across the course, deep bunkers in which you can completely disappear from view and forgiving fairways that are lined by waves of tall, billowing grasses this course has hosted both Championship and Seniors Open qualifiers and will continue to do so. Out on the course, the old weathered walls of long-forgotten farms snake their way through fields of wispy fescue. At holes 11 through 14 the golfer is shown the full panorama of Fife, across the sparkling Firth of Forth, in as exposed a setting as one could imagine. The wind is ever present, demanding a decent short game to be able to take on these wonderfully sculpted greens: if you’re not sure about your chip-and-run links game, then by the end of a round here you’ll be well versed in the skills required.
Craigielaw
Those skills are helpful too at Gullane Golf Club, where three magnificent links courses wind their way around a conical hill that sits above Aberlady Bay, ensuring that the wind is never consistent on consecutive holes. As one of Scotland's most prestigious member clubs, visitors can enjoy the mix of the finest tradition with some of the most admired natural linksland in the world. The three courses are known simply by number, reflecting their age: Gullane No. 1 (1884) is a renowned championship course, including more recently Scottish Opens and qualifiers for Muirfield next door. Gullane No. 2 (1898) was laid out by the legendary Willie Park Jr. and used for Open qualifying as well as the Seniors Open Amateur. The youngest, Gullane No. 3 (1910), was also designed by Willie Park Jr. and although it is the shortest of the three courses is a wonderful test based on those learned shot-making skills rather than power.
After battling a windy day on the links there’s nothing better than relaxing with your friends in the evening and discussing the highs and lows of the scorecard still in your pocket. Again, like the contrasting courses above, there are options aplenty in East Lothian to choose from, depending on budget and party size. On a hilltop just south of Aberlady and offering spectacular all-round views across Edinburgh, the Forth and the surrounding countryside, the guests at Garleton Lodge have all the facilities of a luxury B&B / small hotel, restaurant and spa. A perfect location for the non-golfers to relax and explore the nearby countryside and historic houses, the Lodge provides golfers with a practice bunker and putting green, and club storage with a drying room should it be needed later.
Ducks Inn
Alternatively, the whitewashed walls and ivy climbing high above the main door are your welcome to Duck’s Inn, a charming converted 1638 building with the facilities of a hotel and the friendliness of a Bed and Breakfast. Its 22 ensuite rooms are complimented by a cosy bar, a fine dining restaurant and a warm, welcoming atmosphere, and perfect for an evening’s examination of your golf. Their unique “barstool putting” game, which regularly appears later in the evening as the mood mellows, is a joy to behold, bringing friends old and new together in a shared desire to have fun and reminisce about the ones that rolled away.