East Lothian is one of my favorite golfing areas in the
world. Ever since I played my first round on "Scotland's Golf Coast," I have made it my goal
to knock off every note-worthy course in East Lothian. I have been lucky enough
at this point to have played North Berwick, Archerfield (Fidra), Renaissance Club,
Muirfield, and Gullane (1, 2 & 3). The next course to knock off
the list was Dunbar Golf Club.
I had heard great things about the course and was eager to
make the train journey with my ever-present golfing buddy Matt to play a round. We made the walk from the train station to the golf course, had a
pair of “36 Hole Burgers,” and proceeded to tee off on a cold Tuesday
afternoon.
One of the most interesting features of Dunbar Golf Club is the routing. There is a large stone wall separating the course from Broxmouth Park that runs parallel to the beach through the entire course. All but four holes are wedged between the beach and the wall in a traditional "out and back" layout. The first three holes and the last hole are on the inland side of the wall.
The opening hole (seen above) is a par 5 working away from the clubhouse. The tee shot looks challenging visually with a line of bunkers seemingly dissecting the fairway. A winding burn in front of the green is very reminiscent of the first hole on the Old Course here in St Andrews.
The third hole could be considered the course's signature hole. It is a downhill 173 yard par three with a very interesting green complex. The view is stunning with the sea, clubhouse, and coastline all being visible from the elevated tee.
The fourth is the first hole on the course to be on the left side of the Broxmouth Park wall. The tee shot is deceptive due to the fairway running out abruptly on the left. There is plenty of room right, and my slight pull off the tee ended up settling onto the beach (right from where the picture was taken).
I thoroughly enjoyed the interplay of the wall with the course, but it presented problems at points for the routing. The fifth hole was a weak, short par 3 that seemed out of place, jammed between two holes due to lack of space. It was one of the few weak holes on the course.
Both the 6th (pictured above) and the 7th holes incorporate the wall along the entire right side of the fairway and green. If you have a problem losing the ball right, you're going to struggle at Dunbar.
The 8th hole breaks away from the wall and presents a different style of par 4 from what had been previously seen in the round. The bunkers lining the fairway and surrounding the green penalize any errant shots and reward accuracy.
The 9th hole requires a blind tee shot, but once the hill is crested, there is a gorgeous view to be seen. A good drive on the 532 yard hole still leaves a long shot into the green.
The view down to the well-bunkered 9th green is only tarnished by the massive mining and industrial structures in the near distance...
After the 11th hole, the direction of play turns around to swing back towards the clubhouse. The sea is now on the player's right, and the views get better and better. The 12th hole, seen above, is another tricky tee shot, with the fairway running out on the right side. Aim very far left for this tee shot. My never having seen the course resulted in a number of lost balls during the round, this hole included.
The 13th hole on the course has a blind shot to a very unique green. The green is sunk nearly fifteen feet below ground level and slopes severely from back to front. The green complex (minus the bunkers) reminded me of the famous coffin green of the 14th hole at Cruden Bay.
The elevated 14th tee box provides a beautiful view of the hole with the "Mill Stone Den" and the famous Bass Rock in the background.
The fifteenth hole only required a 3 wood off the tee, but made for a challenging approach shot to yet another interesting green complex. The sea off the right hand side of the green doesn't really come into play, but it is still visually intimidating and, as with many of the holes coming down the stretch, it subconsciously creates a desire to err left.
The 18th hole on the course jumps back to the inland side of the Broxmouth Park Wall. It is a challenging 435 yard par 4. Tee shots played close to the wall are rewarded with a superior angle into the difficult, raised green.
Dunbar Golf Club was yet another very fun East Lothian golf course. There was a mixture of strong and weak holes, but the round was extremely enjoyable. I will definitely be looking forward to playing another round at Dunbar at some point. Are there any recommendations for the next East Lothian course to knock off the list?
