Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society

The Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society takes its name from the common land in Edinburgh's Morningside where golfers played from the seventeenth century — but it hasn't played there since 1898, when the Links became too congested and the Society relocated north to Davidson's Mains (Barnton). Founded in 1761 by its own account, the Society disputes primacy with Royal Burgess over which Edinburgh club is oldest; both have been arguing the point, amicably, for more than a century. The original Bruntsfield Links park still exists and is worth visiting, though no formal golf is played there now.

The Barnton course measures 6,407 yards, par 71 — mature parkland on the Barnton estate with established trees framing fairways and a layout that has been refined over more than a century of continuous play. The Society has the formal trappings of the great Edinburgh clubs: a historical clubhouse with Society artefacts, strict dress standards, and a membership that takes the institution seriously in the way that institutions of 260-plus years' standing demand.

Visitor access is restricted — the Society is primarily a members' club, and visiting golfers require member introduction or appropriate credentials from equivalent historic clubs. When access is arranged, the green fee is approximately £60–80. For golf historians, Bruntsfield represents one of the pillars of Edinburgh's extraordinary golfing heritage: the Society, the Honourable Company (now at Muirfield), and Royal Burgess together constitute one of the densest concentrations of ancient golf institutional history in the world.