Kilspindie Golf Club

Kilspindie is what golfers used to mean by a links — a short, sharp, sea-flanked course of around 5,500 yards, set out on a narrow promontory between the village of Aberlady and the firth. Par is 69. There are seven par 3s, which sounds dismissive but is actually the point: the course is built around precision rather than length, and the par 3s are the holes you'll remember.

Founded 1867, Kilspindie has the layout of a Victorian links and largely the original routing. Most holes play within fifty yards of the high-water mark; almost every hole sees the wind in some form. The 4th, a par 3 played across a small bay, is the signature hole. The 7th and the 12th are the others worth talking about.

What sets Kilspindie apart is the clubhouse atmosphere. Many East Lothian clubs treat visitors as a necessary inconvenience; Kilspindie treats them as the point. The bar is open all day, the food is straightforward and good, and the pro shop is happy to suggest a local round to chase your day with. £55 visitor weekday makes it one of the better-value links rounds within forty minutes of Edinburgh.

Pair it with Craigielaw, Longniddry, or one of the Gullane courses for a day on the East Lothian Golf Coast. Kilspindie suits a player who prefers sharp, precise, scenic golf to length-and-power tests. It is, as the locals say, a 'fun round' — and that is harder to find in this part of Scotland than it should be.