Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society

The verdict

Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society is living history. Formed in 1761, it ranks among the very oldest golf clubs in the world, and a round here is a chance to walk inside the heritage of the game rather than merely beside it. The society long played on the open Bruntsfield Links beside the Meadows, then moved west, and since 1898 it has occupied a gracious parkland estate at Barnton on the western edge of the city. The clubhouse, a former mansion house with views to the Forth, sets a tone of quiet grandeur that the golf lives up to.

For the traveling golfer this is the cultured Edinburgh round, a parkland counterpoint to the famous links of East Lothian a short drive east. It is welcoming to visitors, who are treated as members for the day, and it pairs beautifully with the city itself. Play Bruntsfield for the sense of occasion, the genuine pedigree and a well bred test of golf, then drive out to the coast for the links. Few clubs let you feel the long arc of the game so directly.

The holes worth the trip

Barnton is a mature, tree lined parkland that asks for position and patience rather than brute length. Generations of fine architects have left their mark, from Willie Park Jr's original routing to Alister MacKenzie's eye for greens and contour and later refinements by James Braid, Fred Hawtree and Mackenzie and Ebert. The result is a course of variety and good rhythm, with established trees framing the holes, subtle changes in elevation, and greens that reward the player who studies their tilt.

There is real substance to the test. The par 4s are the backbone, several of them demanding a precise drive to hold the fairway and a controlled mid iron to greens that are well guarded and often pitched away from a careless approach. The short holes are clever rather than long, asking for crisp contact and the right club in a swirling parkland breeze. As the round closes back toward the old mansion clubhouse, the golf tightens and the pleasure of a good score has to be earned.

What stays with you is the blend of calm and quality. This is not a links thrash into the wind but a thinking golfer's parkland, refined over more than a century by some of the best names in design, played out on ground a stroll from the center of a great capital city. For many visitors it becomes the round that anchors an Edinburgh golf trip, the heritage piece around which the coastal links are arranged.

Where to stay nearby

Edinburgh gives you one of the great city bases for a golf trip, from landmark hotels on Princes Street to quieter retreats in the West End and Barnton itself, all within easy reach of the first tee. A stay in the capital lets you fold world class dining, history and the links of the coast into a single, civilized few days.

Bruntsfield is best played as the cultured heart of an East Lothian and Edinburgh circuit. The obvious pairings are the great links a short drive east, from the trio at Gullane No 1 to the modern coastal test of Craigielaw and the seaside classics of North Berwick West Links, with Luffness New a fine member of the same family.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts around Edinburgh and East Lothian.