Musselburgh Links - the Old Golf Course

YELLOW 141 Yards, Par 3
WHITE 240 Yards, Par 3
SI 17
RED 142 Yards, Par 3

This hole requires an accurate shot to what can be considered a well-defended green. You may experience some right to left cross winds, and due to the raised green, make sure you take enough club.

History Trivia: This hole was added in 1832, becoming the course’s eighth hole at the time.

YELLOW 317 Yards, Par 4
WHITE 348 Yards, Par 4
SI 15
RED 332 Yards, par 4
SI 9

Beware of the two hidden bunkers on this hole.  They are approximately, three quarters of the way down the fairway!

History Trivia: It has been suggested that this may have been a burial ground for soldiers who died at the Battle of Pinkie in 1547.  They were buried on Musselburgh Links to discourage golfers from playing there, as golf was frowned upon at that time.

YELLOW 298 Yards, Par 4
WHITE 357 Yards, par 4
SI 3
RED 313 yards, par 4
SI 11

This is a tricky par 4.  With heavy gorse bushing on the left and the racetrack on the right, it’s important to get a clean drive.  There are also a few bunkers down the fairway, just to catch you out!

History Trivia: This hole is called Barracks Entry due to it being opposite the road leading to the barracks in Pinkie Road.

YELLOW 412 Yards, par 4
WHITE 431 Yards, par 4
SI 1
RED 322 Yards, Par 4
SI 1

With a difficult semi-blind tee shot, and an awkward approach Mrs Forman’s is another hard par 4 to be aware of. The green is a great example of a traditional putting area, meaning there are often few straight putts.

History Trivia: This was a most popular resting point on the course and drinks used to be served to the golfers through a window adjacent to the green.

YELLOW 167 yards, par 3
WHITE 183 yards, par 3
SI 11
RED 177 Yards, par 3
SI 17

A lovely but tricky par 3, due to the numerous bunkers which protect the green.

History Trivia: This hole has been copied and incorporated in many courses (more than any other hole on the Links) with sleepers protecting the green.

YELLOW 316 Yards, par 4
WHITE 326 Yards, par 4
SI 9
RED 321 Yards, par 4
SI 5

The 6th is a great hole, offering stunning views of Arthur’s Seat.  The recommended line of this hole is down the left side of the fairway, which will give you a straight shot onto the green.

History Trivia: The formidable “Pandy” (a euphemism for pandemonium bunker). Willie Park Junior used to enjoy playing this hole as he was a long hitter and could easily carry a “Pandy” bunker and he normally played his second to the foot of the table plateau green.

YELLOW 457 Yards, par 5
WHITE 479 Yards, par 5
SI 13
RED 472 Yards, par 5
SI 3

This hole provides the best opportunity for a birdie.  The wind can play a big factor in this hole, so be mindful of your approach and certainly try and avoid  the bunkers. The green is very large and can make for having some awkward pin positions, so your putting technique can be put to the test.

History Trivia: This hole received its name because a bathing coach stood near to the green for many years.

YELLOW 220 Yards, par 3
WHITE 240 Yards, par 3
SI 5
RED 229 Yards, par 4
SI 7

Another tricky par 3 to master.  The hole is slightly uphill and tee shots are often going into a prevailing wind.

History Trivia: This hole was previously the ninth hole and was added in 1870 in preparation for the course holding the Open Championships.

YELLOW 340 Yards, par 4
WHITE 364 Yards, par 4
SI 7
RED 357 Yards, par 4
SI 15

The 9th, called The Gas Hole is another bunker favourite with nine bunkers in total and long rough siding the fairway for good measure.

History Trivia: This hole was so called due to the gasworks being situated behind the green.

The earliest documentation of golf being playing on Musselburgh Links is from 1672. However, it has been reputed that Mary, Queen of Scots played on Musselburgh even earlier in 1567.

Musselburgh Links was originally seven holes, with another added in 1838 and the full nine-holes coming into play in 1870. The first three holes stretched eastwards from the grandstand at the racecourse, the site of the former clubhouse of the Honourable Company.

To the right is the main traffic route through Musselburgh, onto which the Musselburgh golfers used to slice their shots, then played back to the links using brass-soled clubs. The metal plate on the ‘brassie’ wooden club was invented in Musselburgh in 1885 to deal with such shots.

At the fourth green there still stands Mrs Foreman’s Inn. There used to be a hatch in the wall through which refreshments could be passed to the early golfers.

The course turns northwest with the next three holes following the coastline and the eighth returning south towards the Home Hole, which is now the present first hole.

The four and a quarter inch diameter hole became standard during the 19th century, its seemingly random size was just that, it happened to be the width of the implement used to cut the holes at Musselburgh and in 1893 the R & A made the size mandatory.

In its dominant days Musselburgh Links had a regular, undisputed slot in the Open Championship circuit.

The routine returns to Musselburgh Links for the Open were only disturbed when the Honourable Company decided to move their play away from Musselburgh Links to take up a new home at Muirfield.

When the club moved out, there was confusion about who was to continue to run the Open, and on which course it was to be played.   When the decision to move came in 1892, to the distress of the Musselburgh players, the Honourable Company assumed that the Open would move from Musselburgh Link to Muirfield with them.

Not unreasonably, the Musselburgh golfers organised another rival ‘Open’ competition prior to the Muirfield event, one with greater prize money. The new course at Muirfield had not won universal approval and the devotees of the seaside game dubbed the new Muirfield course as an ‘auld water meadow’ so clearly did its green, springy turf contrast with the hard links familiar to the regular tournament players.

During their stay at Musselburgh Links, the Honourable Company sponsored and ran six Open Championships. Apart from Ferguson and Fernie, the winners were Mungo Park, from the famous golfing family of that name; Jamie Anderson of St. Andrews; D. Brown of Musselburgh; and W. Park, Junior; the last named having the best aggregate with 155 for 36 holes. Willie Park also held the record for the course of 32.

Origins

The Open was first called the ‘General Open Competition’ and had its origins in the rising enthusiasm for golf at Prestwick. These natural west coast links had lain largely unused for golf while it was a winter game played on the east coast.  So in 1860 Prestwick decided to organise a tournament themselves.

The activist in these endeavours was J.O. Fairlie, an Ayrshire landowner, who was a regular player on the east coast. The Open was to be open to acceptable players only and the description of the event used the word ‘caddie’ and ‘professional’ interchangeably. The prize was in the form of a belt, in the usual fashion of a prize-fighter’s boxing trophy. Fairlie had, single-handed, set up a competition, which was to prosper and grow into the world’s greatest golf tournament.

The open competition was held over Prestwick Links up to, and including 1870, when the champions belt became the property of Tom Morris Jnr, who had won it three times in succession. There wasn’t a competition in 1871, but from 1872 up to 1892 the Open Championship was played alternately on St. Andrews, Prestwick, and Musselburgh Links. The competition was played over 36 holes: 2 rounds of 18 holes at St Andrews, 3 rounds of 12 holes at Prestwick and 4 rounds of 9 holes at Musselburgh Links.

Format

The idea – a stoke-play championship open to professionals – seems obvious now, but it was not self-evident then. Professional match-play challenges were then the vogue and were exciting for the punters.  Stroke-play made for dull wagering, especially with a strong favourite. Since there was no prize money for the first three years of this competition, we might suspect that the tournament was not quite what it seems in retrospect and that the players had other reasons for attending. The clue is that the professionals’ tournament was attached to the Prestwick Club’s own domestic competition that week.  The attending professionals playing for the trophy would also earn a few days’ work caddying for the gentlemen.

The Claret Jug

The famous claret jug, the Open Championship trophy, was subscribed for by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club, the Prestwick Club and the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers who played at Musselburgh Links after young Tom Morris had won the Championship Belt three times in succession from 1868 and it became his property.

Willie Park Senior (1833 – 1903)

On 16th October 1860 just eight professionals set out to play the first official British Open at Prestwick. Willie Park Senior from Musselburgh won the first Open at Prestwick with a score of 174, his prize being a leather belt. He then went onto win the Open three more times in 1863, 1866 and 1875.
Born in Wallyford, Willie’s golfing started when he was a young boy as a caddie. The caddies would play together during the long summer evenings. Willie soon established himself as a leading player, going on to challenge the great players of the time, Allan Robertson, Willie Dunn and Old Tom Morris.

In 1870 Willie established a firm of club and ball makers. He made wooden clubs, drivers, play clubs, spoons and putters. He was also involved in laying out golf courses, some alone and some with his brother Mungo and with his son Willie Park Junior.

Willie Park Junior (1864 – 1925)

Young Willie a player, designer and manufacturer of clubs and balls, course architect, writer, businessman and personality, was to become one of the outstanding professionals of his generation.

From 1880 to 1894 Willie served as assistant pro/greenkeeper under his uncle Mungo at Ryton in England. He then returned to Musselburgh, joining his father in the club and ballmaking firm of W. Park and Son.

Continuing to refine his game, he won the Open in 1887 and in 1889 at Musselburgh.

He laid out links and courses with his father and uncle, and later on his own with construction assistance from his brothers Mungo and Jack Park. Two of Willie’s courses, Sunningdale GC and Huntercombe GC, became landmarks in the history of course architecture.

Willie first travelled to the USA in 1895 and worked there until 1898 promoting golf and laying out courses. When he returned to the USA in 1916 he became inundated with requests to design and redesign courses, and successfully worked on over seventy courses.

David Brown

David or “Deacon” Brown, as he was known, won the Open Championship in 1886 at Musselburgh. The story was told that he was a slater to trade and John Anderson, who was secretary of the Musselburgh Club at the time, sent for him to make up the numbers.

When he arrived at the Royal Musselburgh clubhouse he was as black as a sweep and was given a bath, then a pair of striped trousers, a frock coat and a lum hat. This did not prevent him from winning.

After this great feat, he went to England and was attached to the Malvern Club. He played in subsequent Opens and featured prominently. Later he went to America and in 1903 tied for first place in the American Open with a score of 307 against Willie Anderson.

Mungo Park (1835-1904)

Mungo Park was born at Quarry Houses Musselburgh in 1835. He was one of five sons. The brother of Willie Park Senior, Mungo learned golf at an early age but abandoned it for a period of 20 years while he was working as a seaman.

Returning to Musselburgh in the early 1870s he found his golfing skills were unaffected by the long layoff, and he won the 1874 Open at Musselburgh Links, with a low score of 159. He spent the rest of his life serving as a clubmaker and teacher at various British clubs. He laid out several golf courses during this time, including Alnmouth, where he remained after its opening as its first professional.

Mungo died in 1904 and the gold medal he won in the Open Championship of 1874 is today played for as the scratch prize at Grimsdyke Golf Club.

Bob Ferguson (1848-1915)

Bob Ferguson, born in Musselburgh in 1848, won the first of his three Open Championships over his home course in 1880.
Bob who was a caddie nearly all his life received £7 for his first Open win. When he was only 18 years old, he won the first prize in a tournament at Leith Links (1866) with borrowed clubs, against a strong field of top pros. He also defeated old Tom Morris six times in challenge matches.

He was a brilliant putter and on many occasions used his putter from off the green. So famous was his versatile use of this club that it became known as the “Musselburgh Iron”.
Bob never made much money from the game despite reaching a high standard as a player, but he treasured the gold medals he won for each Open and also the extra medal he won for winning the Open three times in succession.

A bout of typhoid cut short his playing career and he was later appointed custodian of the Musselburgh Links. Ferguson died in 1915 from chronic bronchitis. The eighteenth hole on the Monktonhall course is named Old Bob and a marble water fountain was erected in front of the clubhouse in his memory.

Jamie Anderson
Jamie Anderson’s first success was to win the Open at Musselburgh in 1877, he then went on to win the championship in 1878 and 1879.
Jamie was of St. Andrews and came from a famous club making family, David Anderson and Sons of St. Andrews.

Fiery

Fiery who’s real name was John Carey, was so called because of his ruddy face.

He was one of the most famous caddies in the history of golf and was, what could be described as, a professional caddie. Willie Park Junior never played in an important match, home or away, without his famous caddie.

Fiery was always attired in his Balmoral bonnet and was a man of few words. He never gave the golfer full credit for his shots or match. He rarely congratulated or praised but indicated his approval by a slight but significant nod of the head. He had a fairly stern expression, which rarely ever changed, even in big matches when everyone was milling around and getting excited.

Unlike many caddies of the day he was well spoken and well-mannered. He was in great demand and caddied for many of the distinguished amateurs and professionals of his time.

The Dunns

The Dunn twins, Jamie and Willie Senior were born in Musselburgh in 1821. They both took up employment with the Gourlay family as apprentice ballmakers at Bruntsfield.

They both played in many challenge matches between 1840-1860. Willie Dunn was keeper of the green at Blackheath Links until 1864 when he returned to Leith Thistle before settling at North Berwick.

Willie had two sons who were Tom and Willie Junior. Young Willie served as professional at Westward Ho! for a few months in 1886, before moving to Biarritz. It was while he was in France that the Vanderbilt family invited him to Shinnecock Hills on Long Island as greenkeeper and professional. The course was a 12 holer to which Willie added a ladies course and then in 1895 combined the two into 18 holes. Willie remained at Shinnecock for several years and won the first unofficial US Open in 1894.

Willie Campbell

Willie was born on 14th July 1862 in Musselburgh.

Working as a caddie he caught the eye of Bob Ferguson, who taught Willie the finer points of the game and was sure that one day Willie would win the Open. His great moment came in 1886 when he was in a strong position playing the last nine holes at Musselburgh, but drove into Pandy bunker and took seven, losing the championship by two strokes.

He played his first big money match in 1884 winning by seven holes over Musselburgh and St Andrews. He then played a series of six matches against J.O.F. Morris in 1885-86 winning all but one.

He emigrated to the USA in March 1894, where he gained fame as an instructor and player. He lost the first unofficial US Open by two shots in 1894 to Willie Dunn.

That same year he became the first professional at the Country Club, Brookline Massachusetts. He established the foundations of its present course and planned other courses in the North East of America. His designs were very basic, completed in a matter of hours or days, but he was among the earliest to design golf courses in America. He moved onto Myopia Hunt Club in 1896 and then in 1897 was put in charge of the public links at Franklin Park, Boston.

Willie’s wife Georgina Campbell was the first ladies golf professional in the USA. Mrs Campbell followed in her husband’s footsteps as instructress at Franklin Park in 1900, she had previously assisted him in the shop and in teaching the ladies. She also found time to instruct at Wellington Hill a spot adjoining the public links. It was nothing for her to be up at 6am and to teach until darkness fell.

John Gourlay

Gourlay was famed as a feather ball maker. He was not only the greatest authority on the rules of golf, but had a perfect style as a player, and as a man was held in the highest respect. For years he managed the course at Musselburgh, saw to the greens being mowed, and the holes renewed when they grew rugged and uneven. His house in Millhill Street was the haunt of many choice amateurs who made up their matches, recorded their wagers and kept their clubs there.

The Gourlay family acquired great fame as ballmakers. They operated at the Bruntsfield Links before going to the Royal Musselburgh Golf Club. The Gourlay name was known throughout the British Isles by the middle of the eighteenth century and a ‘gourlay’ became an accepted synonym for the best set of balls – to the extent of using the name in poetry and song.

The Royal Musselburgh Golf Club has six highly prized specimens and one was donated by William Currie the then captain of the club, to the U.S.G.A. Museum and Library. It bears the name ‘Dougla’ on one side and ‘Gourlay’ on the other side.

The McEwan Family

The McEwan family business of club making started as far back as 1770. James McEwan set up his business at Leith around 1770 and was to be the first of six generations of the family engaged in club making.

James was succeeded in the family business by his son, Peter, who married a daughter of Douglas Gourlay, the ballmaker. Peter’s son Douglas took over the business and was then followed by the great-grandson of James, Peter. Peter’s son, Douglas and great-great-grandson of James, carried on the traditional craft, while Peter McEwan, his son, also a clubmaker and professional, was the great-great-great-grandson of the founder.

This was a unique family totally involved in professional golf, who though they were principally clubmakers were also first-class players.

McEwan’s factory at Musselburgh in the latter part of the last century was a hive of industry and many of the finest clubmakers served their time there. Peter McEwan, the last of six generations, was professional at Nairn for many years and prior to that was at Preston and Barassie.

Musselburgh Links has also been the home of four of Scotland’s oldest and most prestigious clubs. The Royal Musselburgh was formed here in 1774 and was based at the Links from then until 1925.

The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers was also based at Musselburgh Links from 1836 to 1891 followed by the Royal Burgess Golfing Society from 1874 to 1895 and the Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society from 1875 to 1895.

In addition there were approximately sixty smaller clubs and societies which played their spring and summer meetings over Musselburgh Links, including The Edinburgh Thistle, The Musselburgh Ladies Club, The Musselburgh Merchants Golf Club, The North Esk Golf Club,

Musselburgh Zingari Golf Club, The Edinburgh Clerk Club, The Baxter Club, The Edinburgh Northern Merchants Club and The Levenhall Golf Club.

A notable first for the Links came in 1811. The world’s first golfing competition for women took place on New Year’s Day in that year when a Creel and Skull were competed for by the town’s fishwives. The Links also hosted one of the first Scottish Amateur Championships which took place at Musselburgh in 1898.

Around the turn of the Twentieth Century the four Clubs formed a Green Committee to take over control of the golf course. Each Club had two representatives on the Committee and had to contribute funds according to the size of their membership.

Up until then, The Honourable Club bore practically the whole expense of the upkeep of the course.

The Royal Musselburgh Golf Club

1774 The Musselburgh Golf Club was founded

1774 The 1st Old Cup is played for

1811 The 1st Lady Golfer competition held at the Links, the prize was a Creel & Skull and 2 of the best Barcelona silk handkerchiefs

1834 The club issue a new set of rules

1872/73  The first club house at the Links on Links Place (Balcarres Road)

1876  Became The Royal Musselburgh Golf Club

1908 Merged with the New Club and moved to vacated Honourable Company Club House on Links Place

1922/24  Moved to Prestongrange onto the course designed by James Braid

The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers

1774 Gentlemen golfers of Leith, Edinburgh, played at Leith Links from 1774 up to 1830

1795  The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers was formed

1830  The Honourable Club wound up

1836 The club is revived and moved to Musselburgh Links, the first club house is within the racecourse grandstand

1868 Moved to a larger purpose built club house to accommodate 300+ members at 8 Links Place (Balcarres Road). This was called the ‘Golf House Club’ of which all members of the Honourable Company would be members. It was built at a cost of £2115

1891  On 6th November 1891 the last medal was played at the Links

1891/92  Moved to Muirfield at Gullane, East Lothian. Players who wished to stay at the Links could do so, The Honourable Company paid an annual fee of £150 for 5 years to ‘The New Club’ for use of 100 club boxes and all privileges of the club.

1893  The ‘Golf House Club’ club house is disposed of.

The Royal Burgess Golfing Society of Edinburgh

1735 The Edinburgh Golfing Society was formed (This was started at Bruntsfield Links, but there was a difference of opinion between some of the members so The Burgess Society founded The Bruntsfield Association)

1874/75  Moved to Musselburgh, 10 Links Place (Balcarres Road)

1887  The Edinburgh Burgess Golfing Society was formed

1894/95  The club moved to Barnton onto a course designed by Tom Morris

1929 The Royal Burgess Golfing Society became Royal by Decree – King George V (Duke of York played on several occasions)

The Bruntsfield Golfing Society

1760/61  The Bruntsfield Association was founded by The Burgess Society. They played at Bruntsfield Links, Edinburgh, which they shared with The Burgess Society

1845  Played at Musselburgh Links, The Cairns Medal

1874  Moved to Musselburgh Links

1875  The Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society was formed

1868/69  The valuation role shows a club house in the name of Bruntsfield Golf Club at Mill Hill at a rental of £20 per year

1895/98  Moved to Davidsons Mains, Edinburgh, adjacent to The Royal Burgess Golfing Society of Edinburgh onto a course designed by Willie Park

1567 – Mary Queen of Scots is said to have played on the Old Course prior her surrendering to the Confederate Lords.

1603 – James VI played here while visiting.

1650 – Oliver Cromwell set up camp on the course.

1672 – First documentary evidence of golf played on the Links

1774 – Society of Golfers Silver Cup played for.

1788 – Baillie John Cochran appointed Keeper Surveyor General of the Links.

1811 – First ever Women’s Golf Competition played by local fisherwives.

1829 – First hole cutting instrument in use on the course. (Made by Robert Gray – Cost £1.00)

1832 – Improved to 8 hole course (previously 7)

1870 – Extended to 9 hole course, new hole being “Hole Across”

1892 – Town Council took over control of the course.

1937 – Last Musselburgh Amateur Championship played here.

1982 – Musselburgh Old Course Golf Club founded