East Lothian Open coast · Which to play
Muirfield vs North Berwick West Links
An Open venue that takes visitors two days a week against the quirkiest famous links in Scotland, ten minutes down the road.
| Muirfield | North Berwick West Links | |
|---|---|---|
| Green fee (2026) | £325–£395 | £220–£320 |
| Location | Gullane, East Lothian | North Berwick, East Lothian |
| Region | East Lothian | East Lothian |
| Type | Links | Links |
| Holes / par | 18 · par 71 | 18 · par 71 |
| Designer | Old Tom Morris 1891; Harry Colt revision 1925 | David Strath (expanded to 18 holes, shaped the Redan); Ben Sayers alterations 1932 |
The verdict
Which should you play?
Muirfield is the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, a club dating to 1744 playing a course Old Tom Morris laid out in 1891 and Harry Colt revised in 1925. It is the most rigorously fair Open links there is — two concentric loops, clockwise outside and anticlockwise in, so the wind is never behind you for more than a few holes at a time. Visitors play Tuesdays and Thursdays only, a handicap certificate is required, and the day-with-lunch package is an institution in itself.
North Berwick West Links is the opposite philosophy and has been in continuous play since 1832. David Strath shaped it, Ben Sayers altered it in 1932, and it is the course that gave golf the Redan — the 15th, copied on hundreds of courses worldwide — plus the Pit at the 13th, where you play over a drystone wall. At 6,420 yards it is short by championship standards and it does not care.
These are not really competing rounds, which is why anyone with two days in East Lothian should play both. Muirfield is the one you play to see what a perfectly-judged championship links looks like; North Berwick is the one you play to enjoy yourself. If you can only have one and the Tuesday or Thursday works, take Muirfield for the occasion — but be clear that North Berwick is the more memorable golf course.
Pick this one if…
Muirfield
You want the most respected championship links in the country, you can make a Tuesday or Thursday, and you have a handicap certificate.
Pick this one if…
North Berwick West Links
You want the Redan, a wall across a fairway, and a round you will describe hole by hole afterwards — bookable any day.
Green fees are the clubs' published 2026 visitor rates, shown as a range from the cheapest to the dearest tee time. They change; always confirm on the course profile before you book. We don't take a cut of your green fee — the verdict above is ours, not the pro shop's.
More: which should you play?