Region · East Lothian
Golf in East Lothian
Nine championship links inside thirty miles of Edinburgh. Scotland's Golf Coast earns the name — and you can play three of them in two days without changing hotel.
9 courses reviewed · green fees from £55 to £400
Twenty-five miles of coast east of Edinburgh, ten serious links courses, and the densest concentration of championship-grade golf in the world outside the St Andrews peninsula. East Lothian markets itself as Scotland's Golf Coast and the marketing is, for once, justified. Muirfield has hosted sixteen Opens. The Renaissance Club hosts the Genesis Scottish Open. North Berwick West has a Redan that every golf architect on earth has tried to copy. Gullane has three courses on one estate, each playable by visitors without club introduction. And Dunbar — overlooked by most itineraries — sits on a strip of links between the harbour and the North Sea that Old Tom Morris himself laid out in 1856.
The geographic compactness is the trip-planning advantage that drives everything else. Edinburgh Airport is thirty minutes from Gullane. The eastern courses at Dunbar and Eyemouth are an hour. Three rounds in two days without changing hotel is not just possible here — it's the normal way to play the coast. The train from Edinburgh Waverley reaches North Berwick in thirty-three minutes for £7.40 return, which means even car-less visitors can put together a meaningful golf trip.
Green fees range from £55 at Kilspindie (a member-friendly nine-hole that visitors can play on weekday afternoons) to £395 at Muirfield (and only on the two days a week visitors are allowed). The Renaissance Club sits at the top end too — £350 in peak — but is a private members' club that takes visitor bookings through specific times of year only. The mid-range — Gullane No. 1 at £225, North Berwick West at £255, Dunbar at £140 — is where most rounds happen, and is genuinely competitive with the equivalent green fees in Fife while requiring less driving.
The headline courses
The East Lothian courses that visitors come for, ranked by editorial weight rather than green fee.
Hidden gems
The four budget and lesser-known clubs in East Lothian that earn the visit but rarely make the brochures.
All 16 courses in East Lothian
The headline 5 and the 4 hidden gems above, plus 7 more clubs we've covered across East Lothian — from championship venues to municipal pay-and-plays.
- Archerfield Fidra Links
Dirleton, East Lothian · links · 18 holes
£135–£185
- Gullane No. 2
Gullane, East Lothian · links · 18 holes
£100–£175
- Gullane No. 3
Gullane, East Lothian · links · 18 holes
£55–£85
- Royal Musselburgh Golf Club
Prestonpans, East Lothian · parkland · 18 holes
£45–£65
- Gifford Golf Club
Gifford, East Lothian · parkland · 9 holes
£30–£50
- Haddington Golf Club
Haddington, East Lothian · parkland · 18 holes
£35
- Musselburgh Old Links
Musselburgh, East Lothian · links · 9 holes
£15–£20
East Lothian courses — map view
16 courses plotted. Click any pin for name, type, and green fee. Scroll or pinch to zoom.
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When to play
East Lothian is the driest county in Scotland. The Forth Estuary creates a rain shadow effect — the prevailing south-westerly drops most of its moisture on the Pentlands and Lammermuirs before it reaches the coast — meaning the East Lothian links average around 580mm of rainfall a year compared with 1,200mm in Argyll. For visiting golfers, this translates into a region where May through September delivers reliable conditions and where shoulder-season rounds in April and October still play in dry weather more often than not.
Wind is the variable that matters more than rain. North Berwick West and Gullane No. 1 sit on exposed promontories with sea on three sides; the same hole can play three clubs different on consecutive days. Muirfield's flat, fast turf takes a strong wind better than most courses on the coast, but the par-3 13th into a westerly is a hole that breaks visitors who haven't allowed for it. Check the forecast the night before and let it shape which course you book if you have flexibility.
June and July are the peak months for visitor demand, particularly around the Genesis Scottish Open week at The Renaissance Club in early July. Tee times at Muirfield's two visitor days fill 18 months ahead in peak; North Berwick and Gullane fill 6–9 months. The shoulder season — May, late September, October — is when the courses are in their best condition and when visitor green fees haven't yet caught up with demand.
Where to stay
Gullane village has the largest concentration of hotels and B&Bs on the coast, all within walking distance of three Gullane courses, Muirfield, and Craigielaw. North Berwick is the second hub — bigger town, more restaurants, ten minutes by car to The Glen and the West Links. Dunbar is the underrated base for trips that include the southern courses; the town itself is a working harbour rather than a tourist destination, which keeps prices honest. Our stay-and-play guide covers the practical hotel question; for non-golfing companions, our /while-they-golf town hubs cover Aberlady, Gullane, North Berwick and Dunbar.
The train option is genuinely viable. Visitors staying in Edinburgh can play the coast as day trips — Waverley to North Berwick is 33 minutes; Waverley to Dunbar is 25 minutes on the East Coast Main Line. Bus connections from those stations cover Gullane and the smaller villages.
Off-course in East Lothian
Glenkinchie is twenty-five minutes inland and is the natural after-round dram. The Pentlands and the John Muir Way offer the rest-day walking. Edinburgh itself is forty minutes away for visitors who want a city evening between rounds. Here's where to look across the network.
Glenkinchie Distillery
The Edinburgh Malt — twenty-five minutes south of the capital, the most-visited Lowland distillery, and a sensible end to a long day at Muirfield.
On OutdoorSCOTWalks near Edinburgh
The Pentlands and the Southern Uplands — the rest-day walking from East Lothian's golf hotels.
On TripSCOTNorth Berwick town guide
Volcanic plug, harbour chippy, and the seaside town the West Links was built into.
On TripSCOTDunbar town guide
John Muir was born here. The surf breaks on the harbour reef. Worth the day on its own merits.
On TripSCOTEdinburgh to North Berwick by train
Thirty-three minutes from Waverley, £7.40 return. The cheapest way to reach the Golf Coast from the city.
On TripSCOTDunbar day trip
The East Lothian surf town that Edinburgh forgot. Thirty minutes from the capital on the train.
A 3-day East Lothian circuit
Three days is the natural unit for the East Lothian coast. The structure that produces the most golf for the least logistical overhead:
Day one runs the compact three-course circuit. Early start at Kilspindie — a member-run club in Aberlady that opens tee sheets from 7am on weekdays May through September (£55). Nine holes on the tidal estuary fringe, finished by 11:30am. Drive eight minutes to Gullane; Gullane No. 2 takes a same-day booking from the pro shop with little notice (£120 in peak). Done by 4:30pm. North Berwick West Links accepts twilight tee times from 5pm in summer (£255); the last slot that completes eighteen holes in daylight is around 5:15pm in June. Fifty-four holes across three courses on one continuous strip of coast.
Day two belongs to Muirfield. Its visitor days (Tuesday and Thursday only, booked months ahead at £395) anchor the whole afternoon — the walk takes four hours on flat, fast turf. The practical way to use the day: Craigielaw Golf Club in the morning, four miles from Muirfield's entrance, takes weekday visitor bookings at an honest green fee. Muirfield is walking-only with no trolleys and no buggies, which sounds like a restriction and is actually the point — the course is flat enough that it doesn't matter, and the absence of carts keeps the pace honest.
Day three works best anchored at Dunbar in the morning (Old Tom Morris, 1856, £140). The Renaissance Club in the afternoon is the ambition — £350, private members' club with specific visitor booking windows, hosts the Genesis Scottish Open — check availability before building the itinerary around it, and book well in advance if it's open. If Renaissance isn't available, Gullane No. 1 (£225) makes a sound afternoon pairing with Dunbar; twenty minutes' drive and a different character entirely, the clifftop exposure of No. 1 contrasting with Dunbar's harbour-side compression.
Handicap certificates
Which East Lothian courses require a handicap certificate, and what the standard visitor limits are. Requirements occasionally change — confirm with the club before booking.
| Course | Men (max HCP) | Ladies (max HCP) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muirfield | ≤ 18 | ≤ 24 | Certificate produced at the clubhouse. Visitor days Tuesday and Thursday only. |
Requirements listed are for standard visitor bookings. Contact the club directly to confirm current limits.
Getting there
By car
- From Edinburgh
- 36 min — the entire coast is under an hour from Waverley
- From Glasgow
- 1 hr 48 min
- From Aberdeen
- 2 hr 48 min
By train
- North Berwick station →
Branch line direct from Edinburgh Waverley — 33 minutes, £7.40 return.
- Dunbar station →
East Coast Main Line — Edinburgh, Newcastle and London Kings Cross all stop here.
- Edinburgh Waverley →
The hub. Every East Lothian course is reachable from here by train or bus.
East Lothian golf — common questions
The questions visitors ask us most often about playing in East Lothian.
Can I get a Muirfield visitor tee time as a single golfer?
Yes, but only on the two visitor days per week (Tuesday and Thursday). Booking opens 18 months ahead and fills fast in peak. Singles are paired into four-balls; the visitor green fee includes a forecaddie, which is excellent value and not optional.
Which Gullane course should I play if I can only play one?
Gullane No. 1 — par 71, plays from the top of Gullane Hill with views across the Forth. No. 2 is shorter and less dramatic; No. 3 is the locals' course. No. 1 was an Open qualifying venue for years; that's the credential that matters.
Is the train from Edinburgh a viable way to play the coast?
For North Berwick West and The Glen, absolutely — 33 minutes from Waverley to North Berwick station, ten-minute walk to either clubhouse. For Gullane and Muirfield, you'll need a 20-minute taxi from Drem station. Dunbar is direct from Waverley in 25 minutes on East Coast Main Line trains.
What's different about The Renaissance Club versus the rest of the coast?
The Renaissance is private — visitor bookings are restricted to certain times of year (typically October–March) at premium pricing. It hosts the Genesis Scottish Open in July. The course itself is a Tom Doak design from 2008 — heathland-ish character, more strategic than the classic East Lothian links.
Read more about East Lothian
Plan your trip
Explore other Scottish regions
Region · Fife & Angus
Fife & Angus →
The Home of Golf, plus the Angus links circuit visitors forget. St Andrews gets the headlines; the rest of the coast deserves the trip on its own merits.
Region · Ayrshire & Campbeltown
Ayrshire →
The Open coast. Royal Troon, Turnberry, Prestwick — the trio that defined links golf, plus the municipal courses that locals quietly play for a tenth of the price.
Region · Highlands
Highlands →
Royal Dornoch and the long drive north. Six hours from London, three from Edinburgh — and the most consistently brilliant links country in Scotland once you get there.
Region · Aberdeen & Moray
Aberdeen & Moray →
Royal Aberdeen, Cruden Bay, Trump International — the underrated east-coast links circuit. Plus the Moray clubs at Lossiemouth and Cullen that locals would rather you didn't write about.
Region · Borders & South
Borders & South →
The least-played golf country in Scotland — and the cheapest. The Borders has Mackenzie Ross and James Braid designs that would be on every visitor's itinerary if they were forty miles further north.