Musselburgh (Old)

Musselburgh Old course hosted its 6th and last Open Championship in 1889. This venerable old links is one of the world’s most historically important golf venues.

Musselburgh Links (Old Course) is one of the most historically important golf venues as it is the world’s second oldest golf course. The Scottish Golf History website has the first record of golf played here as 1567. The earliest recorded game was that involving Sir John Foulis of Ravelston, an Edinburgh lawyer, on 2nd March 1672 and the cost of his round was noted in an account book published in 1896 by John Kerr, the minister of Dirleton.

It was the home course in years gone by of venerable golfing greats like Royal Musselburgh Golf Club, Royal Burgess Golf Club, Bruntsfield Golf Society and The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. Six Opens were competed for here between 1874 and 1889 so any true golfing aficionado should have this added to their rota of Open Scottish venues to be played – don’t forget Prestwick too.

East Lothian Council today administers the nine-hole course and they deserve plaudits for maintaining the course. It is a mere 2,874 yards off the medal tees and consists of three par threes, five short par fours and a par five. The most remarkable aspect of the old course is the fact that most of it is contained within the track of Musselburgh racecourse – where else have you seen a Local Rule on the scorecard which states Rule 25 (GUR) applies for BALL LANDING ON A HOOF-PRINT?

This is really old-fashioned golf played over terrain that looks as if it has hardly changed a bit over hundreds of years. And at the furthest corner, the green of the par four 4th hole, you half expect the hatch to still be in operation at Mrs Forman’s, the pub next to the putting surface, where golfers reputedly sought refreshment in years gone by. You may think the golf is undemanding and it largely is until you reach the second last hole, a par three of 240 yards. Against the prevailing wind, a score of three here is good going.

This is a true golfing gem and thank goodness the local council have done their bit by preserving a genuine part of Scottish golfing history.