Braid Hills Golf Course

Braid Hills No.1 is Edinburgh Leisure's municipal course on the exposed hill south of the city, and it is one of the more honest bargains in Scottish golf. The course sits on moorland terrain — heather, firm turf, slopes that require thought rather than just power — and from several points on the round the panorama runs across Edinburgh's skyline to the Firth of Forth: castle, Arthur's Seat and the water all in one look. This is a view that other courses in Edinburgh charge considerably more to offer, and offer it from flatter, more forgiving ground. The hill has pedigree, too — Edinburgh Leisure's own history notes the course was a testing ground for James Braid and for the Edinburgh-born Tommy Armour, though despite the coincidence of names the course is named for the Braid Hills it sits on, not the architect.

The No.1 course is the testing layout; the shorter No.2 course shares the same site. No.1 is par 71 and, at 5,858 yards, plays longer than the card suggests — the elevation changes are significant, the exposed position means wind is almost always a factor, and the moorland rough is not sympathetic to wayward driving. The 5th is a short par 3 that drops from the ridge to a green with the castle rooftops and the Old Town spires filling the horizon behind the flag — one of the best par-3 views in Edinburgh. The 11th, a par 4 that climbs back into the hill in the opposite direction, uses the same elevation in reverse: the approach requires more club than the number on the card, and the slope behind the green collects anything long into a difficult chip position. It is not a course designed to flatter visitors, which is part of what makes it good.

The walk-in guest rate is £18.50 for 18 holes (Edinburgh Leisure, from April 2026) — walk-in only and cashless, with pre-booked casual rounds priced separately through the Edinburgh Leisure website. Twilight pricing covers roughly the last hour of tee times, and because the course opens and closes with the daylight that window moves with the season — around 1.40–2.30pm in midwinter, 6.50–7.40pm in high summer. Edinburgh Leisure also sells 3- and 7-day visitor Golf Passes covering six of its Edinburgh courses (listed under short-term passes on its booking site), which is the efficient route if you want the Braids plus Silverknowes, Craigentinny or Carrick Knowe in the same trip. No membership required. The lack of a formal clubhouse — there is a starter's hut and a modest facility — keeps the overheads honest. For visitors who want to understand why so many Edinburgh golfers play here regularly rather than paying more elsewhere, one round tends to make the case.

The neighbouring Wee Braids is a short 9-hole layout for beginners and less experienced players (on part of the old second Braids course, the full 18-hole version of which closed years ago), but the main Braid Hills is welcoming too, in the sense that no one is watching and no one cares about your swing. Dogs are a fixture; families with children are common; a round starting on a Tuesday afternoon in summer takes around two hours. The Braids are used as walking ground as much as golf courses, which is the original and correct relationship between Edinburgh's common land and the people of the city.

Getting there is straightforward: the entrance is at 27 Braid Hills Approach, off the south side of the hill near Morningside, with a free car park, a few bike racks, on-site toilets and vending machines. Lothian Buses 11 and 15 stop within walking distance. Club and trolley hire are available; buggy hire is not, because of the terrain — if you can't walk a hilly 18, this is the wrong course, and that is part of its character.