Gullane (No.1)

The No.1 Course is named so because it was the first course to be designed and constructed at Gullane Golf Club. It also happens to be the championship offering and the best of the trio.

 

It was established in 1884, and is the oldest of the three courses at the club. It has played host to the Scottish Open and Women's Scottish Open among plenty of other high-level events.

 

The town of Gullane has a population of around 2,000 people. Those people are blessed to have five incredible links courses on their doorsteps. Muirfield is commonly regarded as one of Scotland’s finest courses, while Luffness is a great challenge. And then, there is the small matter of Gullane Golf Club, which has three stunning golf layouts...


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Gullane Golf Club was founded in 1882, but the sport had been played in the town for over two centuries prior to the founding of the club.

The No.1 Course at Gullane was opened a couple of years after the club was founded and it has gone on to host a number of major events. 

The Scottish Open was held on the No.1 in both 2015 and 2018, with Rickie Fowler and Brandon Stone being the victors. The latter year also saw the Women's Scottish Open held at Gullane, with Ariya Jutanugarn reigning supreme.

 

Other names, including the likes of Babe Zaharias, Peter Thomson, Bernard Gallacher and Catriona Matthew have been victorious at Gullane throughout the veune's long and storied history.

Willie Park Jr, the two-time Open Champion, was the man who designed both Gullane No.2 and No.3, which opened in 1898 and 1910, respectively. 

 

As you would expect with the location that Gullane Golf Club finds itself in, each of the three courses at the venue are proper links layouts. The No.1 Course comes in just shy of 6,900 yards, which means that it is certainly not the longest course to have ever hosted a DP World Tour event. Don't be fooled into thinking it will be an easy ride, though, as that length mainly comes from the back nine, which is 400 yards longer than the front nine.

The opening hole is driveable for the longer hitters at only 302 yards long, but there are nine bunkers to avoid if you're taking it on. The 2nd, which is 110 yards longer than the 1st, requires an accurate drive to have any chance of finding the putting surface with the approach. The 3rd is the opening par 5 on the course, at 525 yards. A trio of fairway bunkers sit to the right side of the landing zone for anything pushed in that direction. The 4th is the first short hole on the No.1 Course, at 164 yards, with a couple of bunkers sitting in front of the green. Cover those, and you'll be putting for birdie!

5 is the hardest hole on the course, and plays as a dog-leg to the left and 450 yards long. A total of ten bunkers are in play on the 5th, including a trio on the inside corner of the dog-leg. Two more sit in front of the green, but there is space in between them for those that run the ball up with their approach shots. 6 is a short par 4 with the sea as a stunning backdrop to the hole. Again, avoiding fairway traps is the key to playing this hole well. The same can be said of 7, which is just shy of 400 yards. Traps line both sides of the short grass, with four more dotted around the green.

 

The 8th is one of the holes that has recently gone under the knife. Now at 471 yards, it is a strong par 4 in which golfers drive towards the 9th tee, before the hole turns right towards the new green. The front nine closes with a short par 3, where there are no fewer than eight bunkers dotted around the green. The 10th is the opening hole on the back nine, and the hardest. At 466 yards, it is long, but there is not much danger if you keep the ball straight. To make matters worse, the 10th is often played into the prevailing wind, making it feel longer than 466 yards.

 

11 and 12 only have a nine yard difference. The 11th is a tough par 4, while the 12th is a reachable par 5. The 13th is in the same vein as the 9th, a par 3 with plenty of sand trouble. However, 13 is 180 yards in length, making it a bit trickier. 14 is the longest par 4 on the No.1 Course, measuring 480 yards from the Championship tees. A pair of fairway bunkers, one on either side, sits 240 yards from the tee, and in play for many...

That is followed by the longest hole on the course. 15 measures at more than 575 yards, with the fairway pinching in the further it goes. The green is the most undulating on the course, just to add to the challenge. 16 is the final par 3 at Gullane No.1, and at 194 yards, it is also the longest. With a back flag, this par 3 pushes past 200 yards, so make sure you take enough club! The No.1 Course ends with two shorter par-4s, both less than 400 yards, but both with plenty of danger on them. 17 has a trio of cross bunkers around 60 yards from the surface, while the closing hole has OOB encroaching on its right side by the green thanks to the road.
 

Where is Gullane Golf Club located?
Gullane Golf Club is situated in the village of Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland. The course looks out across the eastern coastline of the country, and out to the North Sea. North Berwick is five miles to the east, while the capital city of Edinburgh is only 20 miles west of Muirfield.

North Berwick and Drem are the two nearest train stations to Muirfield. Both stations sit on the East Coast Rail Line, which sees trains run from Edinburgh through to London. For international travellers to the eastern side of Scotland, Edinburgh Airport is approximately 45 minutes from the golf club. It is the biggest and busiest airport north of the Scottish border.

 

How many courses does Gullane Golf Club have?
Gullane is blessed to have three 18-hole layouts, along with the Children's Course, which opened in 2010. Along with the No.1 Course, the venue is also home to the No.2 Course and the No.3 Course.

 

Are there any other NCG Top 100s: Scotland venues nearby?
Gullane is one of several stunning venues in East Lothian, and not the only venue to have multiple layouts on the NCG Top 100s: Scotland list either... Next door to the east are Muirfield, The Renaissance Club and Archerfield - the latter being home to the Fidra Course and Dirleton Course. Luffness and Kilspindie are to the west of Gullane, while North Berwick is within a five-mile drive as well.

What golf facilities does Gullane offer?  
If having 54 holes to play wasn't enough, Gullane Golf Club also has world class practice facilities. There is a full-length driving range with both matted and grass tees depending on the weather. There is also a recently-improved short game area, which is next to the range, between the opening holes of the No.2 and No.3 Courses. There is also a putting green, there, along with a putting green by the start of the No.1 Course as well.
  

What are the green fees at Gullane?
The price of a green fee at Gullane changes throughout the year, depending on the season. It is also different depending on whether it is a weekday or weekend. 

 

For more information on current green fees at Gullane, visit their website here. 

Visit Gullane's website here.
Go back to the NCG Top 100s Homepage.