The West Links at North Berwick

In the changing rooms at North Berwick there is a drying unit. This is the sort of thing that I have only ever encountered previously on ski trips. From our experience of the day, however, https://thegolfingpilgrim.com/muirfield/it was money well spent.

We had enjoyed a glorious afternoon in the sun at Dunbar and had largely escaped the rain at Muirfield. It seemed only right that we should get a taste of proper links weather. We arrived in North Berwick around 1030, about 90mins before our tee time. On checking-in with the starter, she suggested that we might want to get going early. Apparently this would allow us to take advantage of the best of the weather. Given that the wind was already blowing at around 25mph hard off the water and there was a fine rain in the air, this news was a little disheartening.

Playing golf in these conditions is tough. Taking photos is even trickier!

Nevermind. We were here to play. Beanies and bucket hats, waterproofs, double gloves all assembled, we set out for the first tee …

No golf on the Sabbath

The first records of playing golf in North Berwick date back to the 17th century. The Kirk Session books record the punishment of Alex Lockhart and Thomas Gowan in 1611 for “playing at the goulf”. This constituted “profaning the Sabbath” and they were required to repent by … “humbling themselves on their knees and craving god forgiveness [sic.]”. The day in question was Sunday 6 January 1611. I suspect they had rather better weather than we did!

There are 3 clubs in North Berwick – the North Berwick Golf Club, the Tantallon Golf Club and the Bass Rock Golf Club. The gentry founded the former in 1832, followed by the merchants in 1853 and the artisans in 1873. Each of the clubs retains playing rights across the West Links and has a separate clubhouse. The North Berwick Golf Club, however, takes charge of the maintenance of the course and resides in the grand building that overlooks the 18th green.

Consequently, much like St. Andrew’s, there have always been plenty of opportunities to play the course. Continuing the theme, the West Links is the next after St. Andrew’s for hosting continuous organised golf. It was originally laid out as a 6-hole course played over the “common land” that extends to the “March Dyke”. The club acquired additional land in 1868 to provide space for a further three holes. As a result, competitions now consisted of 2-loops around the 9, rather than the previous 3-loops.

The West Links becomes an 18 hole course

The club entered into two subsequent agreements – the first in 1877 and the second in 1895 – to acquire enough land to accommodate 18 holes. The first 18 hole layout measured just 4841 yards and had seven holes under 200 yards. The acquisition of the land west of the Eil Burn increased the length to 6095 yards and the shortest hole was now 243 yards.

The final extension took place in 1954 when the Town Council acquired an area of land from the Archerfield Estate. The course now runs to 6140 yards, with a par of 71 incorporating four par 3s and three par 5s. It is the variety of the par 4s, however, that really sets the course apart. They include blind shots, drivable holes, greens protected by walls, swales and bunkers and a green separated by a deep trench.

The most striking thing about the West Links is how natural everything feels and looks. As a result it is not hard to imagine all those who have played the course through the years. I suspect that, unlike many other courses, the West Links would be very recognisable to those playing it over 100 years ago.

Matchplay on the West Links

We were back to matchplay for today’s game. Eminently sensible given the weather conditions and probably better to forget about par! The line-up for today was me with Willo and DTH with Chris. As noted above, I did my best with the photos, but the constant rain and obviously dark skies don’t show the course in its best light. Very keen to get back there in better weather …

Hole 1

Traditionally, links courses have a relatively gentle opening hole and it is usually clear how to play it. The first hole on North Berwick’s West Links is an exception. The starter gave us some hints and we all look at the layout on the course guide. Even after that, I think we would all like to have a go at playing it again!

The first is a relatively short par 4, but with a blind approach shot. This requires a level of trust, especially when the wind is howling off the sea. There’s a path which runs across the hole at about 205 yards and is roughly 110 yards short of the green. There are numerous ways to approach this, but we all took the advice of the starter – laying up short of the path. Given the wind, we could all have taken more club!

Being closer to 150 yards back and playing into a howling gale it was a miracle that any of us got close. As noted above, the second shot is blind as you play over the ridge to a raised green which feels like it might actually be on the beach. One you get up and over the ridge, the green is enormous and is rather more room on the left than on the right.

Bogeys from Chris and Willo kept the match at all square.

Hole 2

The second tee shot takes you across the beach and dares the golfer to take on the carry. At around 410 yards, this is a strong two-shotter and unless you cut off a lot of the corner you will be attacking the green with a long iron or fairway metal.

There is a cluster of bunkers around the green that encourage you to play the approach all the way to the green. This is difficult in the wind when it is much preferable to run the ball in low.

DTH and Willo both played the hole well to collect pars. Nothing to separate the teams so far.

Hole 3

The third hole is listed as stroke index 1. It is clearly difficult to prepare a stroke index for a course like this, but at 440 yards this is a strong par 4. The hole plays along the shoreline, albeit much less in play, and there is a solitary bunker short and right of the green.

The old boundary wall crosses the fairway at about 290 yards. At about 3 feet high it really shouldn’t pose too much of a hazard, but I very nearly suffered at its hands! Having hit a very good drive right up the middle, I thinned a 3-iron that barely got over the wall. Fortunately it did, and my direction was good. Visibility was particularly poor at this point in the round and I was delighted to find my ball on the green, pin-high about 10 feet away. Sadly, I couldn’t convert for birdie, but a 2-putt par was sufficient to win the hole.

Hole 4

We were greeted on the 4th by a course marshall who was impressed and amused that we had decided to play. He gave us the yardage and then said it was playing about 25 yards shorter because of the wind. Helpful advice which Chris, Willo and DTH followed perfectly – all on the green. This was also the first scene of the DTH club-throw … on this occasion, the ball ended up where he was aiming!

The 4th is a beautiful par 3, played across the wall and framed with gorse bushes on the left side. The green is long and narrow with two tiers and three bunkers on the right side. At 50 yards, the green is the longest on the course and so it is important to check the flag location.

Hole halved in par 3s.

Hole 5

The fifth looks like a fairly straight forward par 4. At around 350 yards, it is not long, but it ranks as the 5th hardest hole on the course. There is a triangle of bunkers protecting the landing area for your tee shot and then topography of the green means the hole plays a little longer than it looks. The green sits on a raised platform with run-off areas on three sides. The false front will reject anything that is short.

We still had the benefit of the wind at this stage and so were able to clear the bunkers comfortably. DTH and Willo comfortably found the green again. No birdies as yet, but solid pars to share the hole again.

Hole 6

Playing straight back towards the beach, this par 3 is an absolute beauty. Much like the famed 15th “Redan” hole, the 6th green is well-protected. This hole, named “Quarry”, requires a solid shot that must carry across the deep hollow and trench bunker. It is the shortest of the par 3s, but still requires plenty of attention.

There is another large green and further bunkers providing protection – 2 on each side.

I rejoined the game at this point (having drifted for a couple of holes) and hit a good tee shot just to the left of the flag, leaving about 20 feet for birdie. Chris and DTH followed me onto the green, with DTH just inside my ball and Chris about 15 feet further away. Par was not good enough to get anything out of the hole today, however, as Chris drained a bomb from the back left of the green.

Match back to all square.

Hole 7

The 7th plays out across the Eil Burn that was once the boundary of the course. It now runs in front of the 7th green, making the approach that bit more difficult. In particular the second plays slightly down hill which makes it even tougher to hold the green if you have the wind at your back.

On the day, both Chris and I were quite short off the tee and so decided to lay-up rather than take on the burn. Had we known that there was actually less trouble the other side of the stream, I think we would both have taken more club and just gone long. Something to note for next time – especially as we both ended up hitting the downslope and running into the water anyway!

Willo and DTH battled out the hole, whilst Chris and I were flailing around in the stream. Willo came out on top with a two-putt par securing the hole and restoring our lead.

Hole 8

For what is quite a short course, it was a surprise to find two of the three par 5s on consecutive holes. Nevertheless, given the variety of the par 4s, this doesn’t detract from the enjoyment.

The 8th is a reachable par 5, but with all of the jeopardy on the 2nd shot. The only trouble off the tee is a solitary bunker at about 235 yards. Very much in play today, with the wind helping us, as Willo found to his cost.

If you can avoid the bunker, you are likely to have around 230 left to the green. The decision is whether to take on the bunkers or lay-up. The design is such, however, that a lay-up is not necessarily the safe option. There is a diagonal line of bunkers running from the right (140 yards) to the left (80 yards). The green is then encircled by 6 more bunkers. Again, the safest miss here is actually long!

The four of us each played the hole slightly differently, but all ended up with par 5s. Hole halved.

Hole 9

At just under 500 yards the 9th is also not a long par 5 and is again reachable in the right conditions. It plays at a right angle to the previous hole and effectively joins the front nine to the back nine.

Like the 8th, don’t miss left. This time there is OB running along the left edge. The bunkers this time are in the middle of the fairway. No ranger going to the right, but you will make the hole a little longer.

An approach from the right side will also bring into play the three right side bunkers. One of these is 120 yards short of the green and is there to collect an errant lay-up. The other two are closer to the green.

The wind is now hurting and off the right – pushing the tee shot towards the out of bounds fence. It is fair to say that DTH, Willo and I struggled a little on this hole. Chris, however, played it perfectly – reaching the green in regulation and walking off with a comfy two-putt par.

All square through 9.

Hole 10

Two par 5s, followed by a par 3. The 10th is supposedly the easiest hole on the course. The wind and now persistent rain meant that there was nothing easy across the back nine, however.

The tee shot is played from a slightly raised teeing area to a well-protected green. There are 5 bunkers surrounding the green, each with a raised lip creating a down-slope and what looks almost like a punch-bowl green. The wind is now coming hard off the sea to the left and into our faces.

Only Chris was able to find the putting surface and his par won as the rest of us came away with bogeys. Chris and DTH take the lead for the first time in the match.

Hole 11

The 11th saw a second club-throw from DTH … this time the result wasn’t quite as good. I struggled as well and we left Willo and Chris to fight it out.

At around 550 yards, this is the longest hole on the course and was made even longer by the wind. The major down-side with an “out-and-back” course is that you know the wind will continue to hurt you. The hole itself runs along the shore line, with the dunes providing a small amount of protection. It is the best bunkered hole on the course and is a great demonstration of what can be achieved with just a few well-placed hazards.

If you can navigate the bunkers and reach the green, you will find another huge putting surface. It is another green that extends beyond 50 yards front to back. Its protection is provided by a large trench bunker running most of the length of the right side. As the green slopes off the dunes from left to right it will feed the ball towards the bunker.

Willo’s well made bogey (worth at least a stroke if not two more on a calmer day!) won the hole and restored parity to the match.

Hole 12

Tom Doak, in his treatise on golf course architecture, wrote … “The paradox of strategic design is that the simplest golf holes produce the most interesting play.” In his view, the best strategic holes present not two options but a myriad. There should be one clear hazard, but multiple options as to how one can overcome it. The 12th hole is, to Doak, the perfect example.

From the tee box, the hazard is clear – there are 4 bunkers on the left side of the fairway. The route to the hole is, however, not clear. As the green tilts from right to left, the further you play to avoid the bunkers the more you will be pitching onto the downslope of the green. If you are too straight, however, you will need to negotiate the two bunkers on the centre and left of the green.

It’s fair to say that none of us quite conquered this hole. The wind was now hurling itself at us from left and reaching gusts in excess of 45mph. Playing back into that was no joke. The 12th has a very exposed green as well and the wind was so strong as to make putting difficult too. A solid set of 6s and we walked on to the 13th with the match remaining all square.

Hole 13

The “Pit” is one of the most recognisable holes in golf. It starts a stunning run of holes which is perhaps the finest closing stretch anywhere. It is certainly the most memorable.

The tee shot looks fairly straightforward, but this is all about the angles. Today these were exacerbated by the ferocious wind. Generally, a drive up the right centre of the fairway will leave you with a short(-ish) iron into the green. Yes, you have to contend with the wall, but there is enough space the other side that you don’t need to get too cute.

We all struggled here again. Both Chris and I had left ourselves about 150 yards to the green, but the wind repelled our approach shots. It took me another two shots to get over the wall. This was some seriously tough golf! Another set of double-bogeys left the hole halved and the match all square.

Hole 14

It is said that the 14th hole requires perfection. Today, even perfection wouldn’t have been good enough. This was a hole measuring 360 yards that was playing more like 450 yards. Whichever way you looked at it, it was a solid 3 shotter!

For the first time on the back nine, the tee shot looks extremely daunting. It may have been the visibility, but it was really not clear where we should aim. With the wind continuing its mission off the left, I fear I could have aimed out to sea and still not held the fairway! In normal circumstances, a good tee shot will hold the fairway on the right side giving the best angle to approach the green.

The approach is blind. There are two bunkers at the bottom of the ridge which you do not want to visit. It was bad enough to get to the top of the ridge and have my bucket hat ripped from my head and run back down into them!

Two more doubles from me and Willo. Chris and DTH were back in the game and their bogeys took the hole and restored their lead.

Hole 15

The “Redan” is reputed to be the most copied hole in golf. I’m sure that it is a great hole, but today we could barely make out the putting surface from the tee box. We certainly couldn’t see our tee shots!

The premise is that the green is well-defended, usually by a large deep bunker on the front left. The green slopes from front right to back left and there is a hump on the front right to repel balls back. It is a formula which has been used numerous times, but the 15th on the West Links at North Berwick is the original.

I would like to go back simply to have another go at this hole! I ended up way right and had a full length pitch to try and get it onto the green. Willo also struggled and we both carded 5s. DTH and Chris were rather more successful – indeed Chris’ tee shot looked absolutely perfect. Both were on in two and their bogeys extended the lead.

Hole 16

The 16th has everything – the wall is back in play, as is the burn and then there is the remarkable green. The first thing to decide is whether or not to take on the burn. In normal circumstances, I suspect this is not a difficult decision. Today, it was 195 yards to carry it and that was playing around 215 yards.

There is also out of bounds along the right side. Again, probably not normally in play, but the wind today put it firmly in everyone’s mind. Once you have negotiated the tee shot you then need to think about the approach. The green is split, with a deep swale running through the middle. It is raised on all sides and narrow. Even if you find the right section it is tough to hold! The club’s website states that the “hole needs accuracy or luck”.

Remarkably, I managed to find the putting surface in two … and then promptly took three putts to get the ball in the hole. So close was the hole to the middle gully I was petrified of going past it and falling off the edge! Nevermind, a bogey was good enough to halve the hole and leave us 2-down with two to play.

Hole 17

After the excitement of the last two holes, the 17th presents a nice wide fairway and very few initial hazards. The hole plays back up the hill and requires strength and imagination to get the ball to the green. The green is hidden over a ridge at the top of the hill, beneath which runs a 60 yard trench bunker. The green is one of the smaller putting surfaces on the course.

Today we were again struggling with the wind. It was hurting and coming across from the left. This effectively made it a three-shotter and it was going to down to who could negotiate the wind best. I ended up going into the green from 135 yards with a 6-iron and still only just getting to the top of the ridge.

Willo played the hole beautifully. His lay-up was 20 yards short of the trench bunker and approach to 10 feet left him with a good look at par. He nailed the putt into the heart of the hole – no mean feat given the flag was nearly bent over double! His par won the hole and gave us a chance to level up the match down the 18th …

Hole 18

The 18th is often referred to as a par three and a half. At just under 270 yards, playing down hill and with no bunkers, it is definitely a “green-light” hole. The two main hazards are out of bounds along the right (usually several Range Rovers are in play) and the deep valley in front of the green. A drive up the left side is therefore best and, if you don’t quite have the distance, will give you a good angle of attack.

We finally had the wind behind us again and I took full advantage. I unleashed a fierce and remarkably straight drive without my usual high ball flight. It scuttled up the left side and finished just short of the green. Willo went a little further left but was in good shape as well. Chris went up the right side but left himself with a full shot into the green. DTH went over to join the Range Rovers … 3 balls on the green in two and it was a putting competition for the spoils. None of us excelled, but Willo and I both secured par 4s and with them the hole. Match halved.