And One More East Lothian Great: Gullane

Wrapping up the week of light posting and celebrating all things East Lothian golf, the final course to be highlighted is Gullane. By no means the only other course that is required viewing, but on this trip I had the opportunity to play with some colleagues and came away with a new appreciation for the No. 1 course here. (Nos. 2 and 3 are swell too, but No. 1 is the world class experience).

Architecturally, Gullane doesn't have the features that you find on North Berwick but instead the overall experience of starting in town, playing up the hill, then taking in the views up high before playing some splended holes closer to the sea, before a brutally difficult inward stretch that ends back in town. Somehow it all works, though Gullane is a difficult exam, especially with its robust roughs (great soil, no more rabbits munching on it).

One favorite element of Gullane is the sight of teeing off-golfers silouetted through the round. You never feel like you are teeing off on unnaturally perched tees, yet everytime you turn your head at Gullane you see a few golfers atop a tee, whapping away at their tee ball. ESPN.com's Bob Harig wrote about our round but out of kindness, left out the number of times I pointed this out.

If you go, there are other elements that will make your trip even better. As I noted in my Golf Digest story, The Golf Inn, Old Clubhouse and a visit with Archie Baird are all musts. There is also a splendid German bakery on the corner of the intersection with the signal. But finally, you also will just want to wander around the town and the Children's course to experience what it's like to be in a town that leaves and breathes golf. You'll see kids walking the streets with the clubs and overhear people talking about their games. It reminds you what a great community we are apart of.

Some photos from 2012 and 2013, including inside Mr. Baird's museum. Reminder: all of the East Lothian posts can be found by searching above, going to topics East Lothian, and also the Photos page to see the images. And Golf East Lothian's website is your best bet for trip planning help.