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GULLANE
GOLF CLUB (No. 1)
Gullane
East Lothian
Scotland |
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FOUNDED: |
1882 |
DESIGNER: |
Willie Park |
CHAMPIONSHIP
LENGTH: |
6,466
yards |
PAR: |
71 |
SSS
(Course Rating): |
71 |
TYPE: |
Links
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A veritable golfer's paradise, the
village of Gullane is surrounded by five outstanding links courses including
the renowned Muirfield Golf Club. As with many Scottish golf clubs, the
history of golf at Gullane is long and colourful. As far back as 1650,
it was recorded that groups of handloom weavers from the nearby villages
of Dirleton and Aberlady met over the links for their annual golf match.
In 1859, a group of farmers formed the East Lothian Club and from their
ranks, Gullane Golf Club was instituted in 1882.
Set
on the shores of the Firth of Forth in rugged East Lothian, Gullane offers
three superb links courses - Gullane Number 1, 2 and 3. Regarded as the
toughest and best of the three, Gullane No. 1 frequently hosts final qualifying
for the British Open and has also hosted many major amateur events.
With water hazards and trees absent, as is the norm with links golf, gorse
thickets, wind, rough, tight fairways, bunkers and well-guarded greens,
ensure the course is a fair but serious challenge. Nowhere on the course
do the panoramic views get better than the view from the top of Gullane
Hill and the 7th tee. Described by renowned writer Bernard Darwin as "one
of the best views in golf", on a clear day one can see for miles with
the Lammermuir Hills, Firth of Forth and Bass Rock making up the stunning
panorama.
Opening
with a modest par four, the challenge presented by Gullane No. 1 is about
to start. The 379-yard second hole, "Windygate" meanders up the
hill and as the name suggests is often out of reach in two. While the
third is a straight par five, the steady climb continues until reaching
the 7th tee. One of the highlights of the inward nine is certainly the
par five, 15th hole named "Pumphouse", a testing dogleg culminating
with a fearsomely sloping green.
RECOMMENDED NEARBY ACCOMMODATION:
Greywalls (2 minutes), Marine
Hotel North Berwick (20 minutes), Balmoral
Hotel (35 minutes), Sheraton
Grand (35 minutes)
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