The classic par-4 13th known as the 'Pit' at North Berwick GC
the town and the Firth of Forth, with scenic island
views of Fidra, Craigleith and Bass Rock.
North Berwick Golf Club is steeped in tradition
and golf has been played over the historic West
Links well before the club was formed in 1832. We
discover that playing the West Links is a unique
experience and it proves very useful having two
members to point out the lines and supply some
tips. With its variety of holes and obstacles, the
course requires a full repertoire of shot-making to
negotiate hidden greens, stone walls, burns, deep
bunkers and all manner of humps and hollows.
A hole that sums up the quirkiness of the West
Links is the 13th, called ‘Pit.’ This 362-yard par-
4 requires an imaginative approach to a narrow
sunken green, protected by a sand dune on
the left, mounds on the back right, and most
dramatically – by a three-foot-high stone wall that
runs completely across the front and sides. One
of the world’s most famous and most copied holes
is the 15th – a par-3 called ‘Redan’ (a military term
meaning ‘guarding parapet’). The blind tee shot
must carry all the way to a strongly sloping green
set at a 45-degree angle behind a long deep bunker.
At the following hole, the par-4 16th, you need to
carry the burn from the tee, but the real trouble is
the putting surface – narrow, raised and dissected
by a steep gully. The drivable, short par-4 18th with
the clubhouse behind the green and out of bounds
on the right, is reminiscent of the closing hole at
St Andrews, and concludes an invigorating finishing
stretch of golf.
After walking off the final green, we enjoy 19th
hole refreshments in the clubhouse bar and then
drive a few miles towards the attractive town of
Haddington to check in for the night at Letham
House, one of East Lothian’s finest country houses
offering 5-star accommodation. We finish off
our day with a meal at the Waterside Bistro in
Haddington, known for its good food and range
of craft beers. The low whitewashed building is
idyllically situated on the banks of the River Tyne
with swans drifting by, and pretty views across
the water to St Mary’s church from the handful of
outdoor tables.
Volume 4 • Issue 43
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