North Berwick (West Links)

North Berwick is one of the genuinely fun golf courses of Scotland. Ancient stone walls dissect many of the holes, exposed rock surfaces on a number of the fairways, and stunning views frame large sections of the course. The town of North Berwick is charming in its own right, and the locals become part of the experience as they spill across the golf course onto the adjacent beaches. The experience of playing North Berwick is very memorable, and because of this, it has gained a cult following among many of the better travelled golfers in the world. It is rare to find a knowledgable golfer who doesn't love the quirkiness and design of North Berwick.

North Berwick Golf Club clubhouse

Four golf clubs play their golf over the North Berwick West Links, but it is North Berwick Golf Club that manages the course and serves as the major club in the area. I have been treated incredibly well every time that I have visited North Berwick Golf Club. A sign outside of the clubhouse reads, "Your green fee ticket entitles you to temporary membership of the North Berwick Golf Club where you will be made welcome by the members." The membership and staff take on this creed wholeheartedly, making guests feel genuinely welcomed and at ease.  

The famous painting "Golf At North Berwick" by Sir Francis Grant

The North Berwick West Links are filled with character and exemplify the story of many historic Scottish golf courses. Organized play began on the links in 1832 with a course comprised of six holes. Land was acquired from one of the members in 1868 to extend the course to nine holes, with one of the new holes being the famed Redan. Course development then escalated with the same family allowing nine new holes to be built on their land, expanding the layout to eighteen holes. Many of those eighteen holes were very short, and a final expansion in 1895 gathered enough land for a course of respectable length. Ben Sayers oversaw routing changes in 1932 that established the layout seen today, albeit with minor changes. This amalgamation of design changes and course growth created something a modern course designer simply cannot replicate.

Hole #1 - 312 yards - "Point Garry (out)"

Picture taken from the back of the raised first green

The start to the round immediately alerts golfers to the quirky and unique course that lies ahead. The blind green is marked by the white pole in the distance, and a long iron off the tee sets up an approach from the area of the exposed rock on the left. The beach runs down the right side of the hole and is in play as a large hazard. The green, also seen above, is deceptively large and offers an excellent view of the beach and the Bass Rock in the distance.

Hole #2 - 414 yards - "Sea"

The 2nd hole hugs the beach and the white flag can be seen in the distance once the photo is enlarged (click on photo). Golfers can bite off as much hazard as they dare, but hearing the waves crash next to the tee subconsciously moves the aiming point further and further left.

Hole #3 - 460 yards - "Trap"

The approach shot on the 3rd hole is the golfer's first introduction to the ancient stone walls criss-crossing the course. Strategy is affected as longer golfers can get fairly close to the wall with their tee shot and the wall can be difficult to clear off the tight links turf. The wall is approximately 155 yards from the green, so laying well back from the wall leaves a lengthy approach.

Hole #4 - 168 yards - "Carlekemp"

This par 3 becomes even more difficult when heavy summer rough surrounds the green. The green complex is particularly interesting with an open entrance and well bunkered left and right sides. Because the putting surface is so narrow, a very accurate tee shot is required to hit in this green in regulation.

Hole #6 - 139 yards - "Quarry"

The 6th is another strong one shot hole at North Berwick. A valley, or old quarry of sorts, lies between the tee and green with a deep bunker sitting at the bottom. The green is very large, and with the wind into our faces during our round, I hit my 175 club into this back pin.

Hole #7 - 344 yards - "Eil Burn"

Longer hitters should be aware of this tee shot during the summer months. Long running shots can end up in the burn, which is just short of the green. I found this out during my first round at North Berwick, when I ripped a drive down the center and found my ball swimming in the burn. The best play is to lay back on this hole, leaving a full club into the green rather than a half shot flirting with the burn.

Hole #9 - 502 yards - "Mizzentop"

The angle from which I took this photo does not portray the sharp dogleg left shape of this hole. Two bunkers guard the inside of the dogleg and deter longer hitters from attempting to cut off the corner. The raised green is heavily bunkered, but a backstop saves longer approach shots from running over the green. These holes at the turn were part of the later expansions on the course, and I really like them. That being said, they have different character from the original sections of the course. More specifically, holes 6-12 have a different, but not necessarily weaker, feel than the rest of the course.

Hole #10 - 153 yards - "Eastward Ho" 

The downhill approach shot to this well bunkered green leaves golfers particularly exposed to the wind. This is another great par 3 green complex at North Berwick. Although it was not initially apparent to any of the golfers in our group, the putting surface slopes from right to left. This heavy slope, disguised partly due to the raised green and bunkers, caused misreads and three putts in our group.

Hole #13 - 362 yards - "Pit"

Looking forward while approaching the green

Looking backwards from the green towards the tee

The 13th is one of the most famous holes at North Berwick and is certainly one of the most photographed. One of the course's many stone walls runs directly in front of the green, cutting off the fairway from the putting surface. The green is sunk, and a large dune frames the back of the green. This is one of the most distinctive holes on the course. A modern course could never get away with having a wall directly in front of the green. There is a real urge to drop a handful of balls and practice approach shots to this green while standing in the fairway.

Hole #14 - 358 yards - "Perfection"

The 14th is said to have been named "Perfection" because it required two perfect shots to hit the green. With modern club and ball technology, the hole has become quite short, but two good shots are still required to hit this green. Bunkers stand in the fairway about 225 yards from tee, and a 135 yard approach is left in from that point. After hitting your approach shot at the white marker post, an amazing view is found at the top of the hill looking down at the green and the Firth of Forth beyond. In firm and fast conditions, a running ball landing short of the green is the best play.

Hole #15 - 178 yards - "Redan"

The Redan hole is the last par 3 on the course. The hole is famously the most replicated hole in golf course architecture. A large number of the top 100 golf courses in the world feature a Redan hole, but the original stands alone. The Redan hole features a green that slopes from right to left and away from the player. Landing a shot on this raised right hand side will propel a ball down and left towards the heart of the green. Bunkers can be found short of the green and off the lefthand side of the green. There are many ways to play the Redan hole, depending on the pin position, which is one reason that it is such a great design. Once you begin to look for Redan layouts, you begin to see them on many of the great courses of the world.

Hole #16 - 360 yards - "Gate"

The green at the 16th hole is the most unique green on the course. It is made up of two islands, with a massive trench dividing them. The photo above is taken from the rear island, and the pin can be seen on the front portion of the green. Both of the putting areas on this green are very small, and it is difficult to hold approach shots anywhere near the pin. The trench dividing the two sections of green is nearly four feet below the higher levels of the putting surface.

Hole #17 - 405 yards - "Point Garry (in)"

The 17th is a fairly nondescript tee shot with the correct line being the Bass Rock seen in the distance. A single fairway bunker guards the landing area from which the blind approach shot is struck towards the large green. The red flag seen on the horizon line in the top photo is the 17th flag. The green is a bowl shape, sloping heavily from back to front and running off on the left side. Excellent views can be seen from this raised green.

Hole #18 - 269 yards - "Home"

Berwick Law, an ancient volcanic plug, dominates the skyline.

Some write off the finishing hole of the course as weak and short, but I find it to be part of the charm of North Berwick. It is reminiscent of the St Andrews Old Course's finishing hole, with cars lining the right side, clubhouse in the background, and a "valley of sin" guarding the front of the green. The hole is certainly a birdie opportunity for longer golfers. Interestingly, visiting golfers are issued a card with the club's insurance details to produce when they hit the cars lining the fairway. Thankfully our group went damage free on the last hole.

You're covered if you take out a windshield with a drive on the 18th

The recognizable Bass Rock off the coast at North Berwick

Many golf writers and other members of the media played North Berwick while visiting the 2013 Open Championship at Muirfield. The response to the course was overwhelmingly positive, and their reviews and photos added to the following that North Berwick has gathered over the years. There are a number of unique Scottish courses that fall into a similar category as North Berwick, most notably Cruden Bay and Prestwick. These courses will not be hosting the next Open Championship, but after playing most of the great links courses of Scotland, my rounds at these unique courses stand out as some of the most memorable. 

What is a Links Golf Course?

 The question of “What is a links golf course?” has been posed to me countless times during my time in St Andrews. After a round on the St Andrews Old Course yesterday in 45MPH+ winds, I felt inspired to write a definitive answer to this repeated question. In addition to answering the question of what technically makes a links course, I also aim to explain the mindset that accompanies a pure links experience.

North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland

In the most basic sense, the land upon which it is built defines a links golf course. Robert Price wrote in his book Scotland’s Golf Courses, “Scottish links land occupies a relatively narrow zone (often less than one mile wide) along the coast. Since the source of the sand is the adjoining beach and the mode of transport is on-shore winds, the distance the sand extends inland is not great. It tends to accumulate in dune ridges, which are usually ten to thirty feet high, and, on average, rarely occur higher than seventy-five feet above the present sea level... The fairways are found on the short grass of the inter-dune system while the dune ridges and their tough marram grass form areas of “rough.”

Askernish Golf Club, South Uist, Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Simply put, a links course is built at sea level, in the sandy dunes (or linksland) that run parallel to the beach at sea level. The sandy soil conditions lend to very firm, fast conditions requiring a plethora of shots not found anywhere else. After reading this definition, a number of links course imposters will immediately come to mind. “Links style” is completely different from a true links course.

Royal Aberdeen Balgownie Links, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Additionally, there are a number of other factors that accompany a links golf experience. Lorne Rubenstein wrote in A Season in Dornoch, “Golf on a Scottish links consists of enduring and even welcoming the conditions, allowing them to influence the shots one plays. To play links golf is to acknowledge that nature, not the golfer, dictates play.” Wind and rain are the true defenses of a links golf course. As the Scots say, “Ney wind, ney rain, ney golf.”

Machrihanish Links, Mull of Kintyre, Scotland

Playing a true old Scottish links encompasses so much more than merely the style of the design and the proximity to the sea. It is the respect for the game in its simplest form, the abandonment of scorecards, walking with no carts, and the lack of commercialism, which among many factors, make it so special.

Cruden Bay Golf Club, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Many of Scotland’s great links are succumbing to decisions made in the corporate boardroom. Such decisions may not affect the quality of the courses, but they can have significant impact on the aforementioned factors that make these links courses unique. On a golf trip to Scotland, play the great resort courses, but do your best to play at least one hidden course. Get the true taste of Scottish links. Go find a course with an honesty box – a box on the first tee in which you are to deposit your small green fee due to the absence of staff or clubhouse.

"Honesty slot" at the trailer clubhouse of Askernish Golf Club, South Uist, Scotland

Famous golf writer George Peper sums up this idea so well in his quote spoken to the Fife Golf Association; “Someday I hope to bring my grandchildren here to Scotland – not to show them what golf is but what golf isn’t – that it isn’t $200 million resorts and $200,000 membership fees, that it isn’t six hour rounds and three day member-guests, that it isn’t motorized buggies, Cuban cigars, and cashmere headcovers. It’s a game you play simply and honorably, without delay or complaint – where you respect your companions, respect the rules, and respect the ground you walk on. Where on the 18^th green you remove your cap and shake hands, maybe just a little humbler and a little wiser than when you began.”

Renaissance Club

While sitting on the train to North Berwick on my way to Renaissance Club, I fully expected to compare every aspect of Renaissance Club to its neighbor, Archerfield. On the train back to St Andrews post-round, I had come to realize that the golf at Renaissance Club offers something different to the club just down the coast. Archerfield’s two courses are there for the entertainment of the members, but at Renaissance, Tom Doak created a challenging world-class course, worthy of fighting its way into the upper half of the UK's top 100 courses.

Renaissance Club opened up in 2008 with a similar ethos to Loch Lomond. Different from most Scottish courses, a largely international membership base is able to fly in and relax in a golfing haven, hidden from society, while being provided with anything of which a golfer could dream. To exemplify this, we overheard the chef asking a member, “What would you like for dinner tomorrow?” to which the member replied, “Lobster would be good...” The chef answered, “I’ll have one brought in.”

         
The temporary clubhouse would make most permanent clubhouses jealous. Marble floors, sinks, and showers in the locker room make me wonder what the permanent locker room will be like. (Could we see a PowerShower rating of 10??) I could go on about the club’s offerings and treatment of the exclusive membership, but what really stood out was the golf course. (Click on the pictures to see full, large detail.)

The hole in the above picture is the 4th. After a strong first three holes, this fourth sets the tone for the round. The fairway has plenty of room to the left, but the left tree forces the golfer to favor the right side of the fairway. The green complex is something of genius with bunkers short right, and a massive backstop on the left side of the green, again encouraging the right side of the fairway for an optimal angle into the backstop. 

The 7th hole is a dogleg right with the picture above being taken right at the bend of the dogleg. The green was extremely large with a tree guarding far left pins, slopes guarding the front, and bunkers guarding the right side. 

The 8th hole (green above) is a drivable par 4. It is also the first place that the original stone walls surrounding the course come into play. The green, like many others on the course, is massive and very undulating. None of these pictures do the slopes justice. The unfinished clubhouse can be seen in the background... It will be extremely impressive. 

At the turn, a member of staff came out to offer us tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and snacks.

                           

There wasn't a single weak hole on the back nine. The 10th, pictured above, is a long dogleg right requiring a carefully placed drive on the left side of the fairway. In another stroke of designing skill, Doak placed the last bunker on the hole at 185 yards out. How many par 5s have you seen without a single bunker around the green? Instead of bunkers, large slopes guard the green. 

The 11th hole was my favorite hole on the golf course. It was an extremely strong hole, which carefully straddled the balance between too difficult and enjoyable. The picture above is taken from the tee, while the picture below is taken looking backwards from the green. The pictures don't do the massive scale of the hole justice. 

Another massive green is found at the 11th with bunkers forty yards out, thick grass and dunes left, and slopes filtering towards the ancient walls to the right. A common theme seen at the course is open, harmless entries to the greens, but miss left or right, and you're in trouble. 

The 14th hole puts a premium on accurate driving. I know this personally, as I was stuck in a deep fairway bunkers on the right side of the fairway (look carefully in the picture). A "figure 8" style bunker guards the dead center, but a natural chute on the left side of the fairway will slingshot a good drive past it. 

The 18th hole was playing downwind during our round and I took full advantage with a high flighted "North Carolina" style drive. The wall running across the fairway makes for a distinctive last hole that will not soon be forgotten. A shelf on the back left portion of the green makes for an interesting pin in a "make or break" situation. 

As you can tell from this writeup, I can only say good things about Renaissance Club. I was treated extremely well and everyone was extremely friendly. The course was in perfect condition, although the greens were slow. I can't wait to go play again when the greens are running fast on a less windy day. I found myself wanting to write about every single hole on the course.

Looking over the 14th, 13th, and 11th holes on the course.

After reading about the course and hearing me sing its praises, you may ask yourself, why isn’t Renaissance higher in the Top 100 in the UK? The main reason is that, due to its young age and high level of exclusivity, much of the golfing world has not seen Renaissance Club. That is how the membership likes it. Another reason would be the lack of seaside views, like those found at Kingsbarns or Castle Stuart. According to my host, once the new seaside holes are finished, they will welcome the ranking panelists. At that point, I would be shocked if Renaissance doesn’t place solidly within the top 100. 

THE NEW HOLES:

There are a number of new holes in the process of creation at the course. They will change the routing fairly drastically. I am going to focus on one hole in particular that will likely be the signature hole. It is a par four with the sea down the entire left side. I was told by my host that the range of tee boxes will allow the hole to be made barely driveable if hosting a Scottish Open or other event. I cannot wait to play the course again once these holes are complete. 

Tee box set within the dunes

New fairway being shaped right beside the beach

New green with grass growing immediately ocean-side