The Glen

Glen Golf Club, or The Glen as it is known, sits to the east of North Berwick, with the course perched atop the cliffs and overlooking the North Sea.

It is a cracking downland course, first extended to 18 holes in the early 20th Century by James Braid and Ben Sayers.

With views across the Firth of Forth, out to Bass Rock and over the town of North Berwick at times, a round on a clear and sunny day at The Glen is a pure delight. 

Visit The Glen’s website here.

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Golf in this part of the world, and specifically the East Links of North Berwick, dates back to the mid-17th Century.

However, it was not until 1894 that a 9-hole course came to fruition. It would be another 12 years before The Glen was founded officially.

1906 was when the course was extended to 18 holes, with Ben Sayers and James Braid – the five-time Open Champion – designing the new layout.

With elevated views across the famous Firth of Forth, The Glen, in North Berwick, is a wonderful place to be on a sunny day. In the foreground are Bass Rock and the Island of Fidra while the Fife coastline can often be spotted. Beginning and ending in the town, in between times this is a cliff-top, downland-style course that is well-presented and offers you the chance to let rip with your driver on several occasions. It is just shy of 6,300 yards from the tips, and this par 70 gives chances, but also can snatch shots off you as well.

It begins with a trio of medium-length par 4s to ease you into your round. The opener is only 330 yards, but a bunker in the centre of the fairway must be avoided. An accurate drive will leave a relatively simple shot to an elevated green. The fairway on 2 cambers from right to left, towards the awaiting fairway trap. OOB runs down the right side, so this is a tee shot where accuracy is key. Anything long of the green will find itself rolling away down the slope. You play towards the North Sea at the 3rd, a sweeping downhill par 4 where driver is the play. Knock it as far as you can down there to leave yourself with the simplest of approach shots.

You then come to the first par 3, the 4th. It is 180 yards from the tips, but plays longer than that thanks to its uphill nature. Anything slightly right will often find the putting surface, as the land slopes in that direction. So does the green, making it one of the trickiest to read and to putt on. Following the first of the short holes, you reach arguably the toughest stretch on The Glen. Anything right of the fairway on the long 5th will bounce further away from the short grass, while the two traps are there to take in anything too far left. The green sits above the fairway, so it requires an approach that carries all the way. The 6th is the Stroke Index 1 at The Glen – a 535-yard par 5 with OOB running down the entirety of the right side. For most this will be a three-shotter, but if you play it right, this can yield a birdie putt!

There is also OOB down the right, but it would take a solid push/slice to find it. Instead, the trees further down are more in play off the tee. The 8th is the first of three par 4s of more than 400 yards, but it is arguably the best view on the course, overlooking the North Sea and out to Bass Rock. 8 often plays into the prevailing wind, so it helps that it is downhill when you reach the fairway. For some, with a strong breeze into the face, this is a hole where bogey is not a bad score. The survival exercise continues with the 205-yard par 3 9th. A solid shot is required to get closer to the green, and with anything long running away from the surface, it is better to be front left and short.

The back nine begins with a 350-yard par 4 that plays to an elevated green. The fairway also slopes from left to right, so take that into account off the tee. Avoiding the three traps in the fairway is the key on the 11th, which can yield a birdie if you do so. With run-offs on all sides of the green, the approach has to be accurate. The 12th is the longest of the par 4s, pushing back to a daunting 460 yards. The fairway cambers from right to left, but the second shot plays at least a club less thanks to its downhill nature. Don’t go long of this green! 13 is the signature par 3 at The Glen, somewhat reminiscent of a Cypress Point or Pebble Beach with the way the hole sits atop the cliffs. Everything slopes from left to right, including the green, towards the sea, so take that – and the wind – into account!

14 hugs the sea, with the beach in play for anything pushed out to the right. The tee shot is uphill, and from the right side of the fairway, the approach is blind. The green is deep, so make sure you know where the flag is to select the right club. The 15th is the Stroke Index 18, and it is a par 5 that has offered up many a scoring chance. Nine bunkers are in play throughout, with three of those in action off the tee. Two of them sit by the green, but at 475 yards, many will fancy their chances of reaching in two.

The last of the par 3s comes at 16, and it is a cracker. 190 yards from the tips, to a long green with runoffs round the left and back – only accurate approaches will do well here. OOB comes back into play on the 17th, with the markers tight into the right edge of the fairway. The danger continues through to the green, with the wall and OOB just yards from the putting surface. The final hole at The Glen offers up an elevated tee box from which you see pretty much everything on a clear day – the Firth of Forth, the islands in the North Sea, and the town of North Berwick close behind the clubhouse. Focussing on the task at hand might be difficult, but with OOB down the right once more, it needs to be done. A bunker on either side of the fairway, and then eight more down by the green, add to the danger of this fantastic final hole.

Where is The Glen located?

The Glen Golf Club is situated in the heart of one of Scotland’s best golfing paradises – the East Lothian coastline. It is just outside the town of North Berwick, while the city of Edinburgh is less than 30 miles away to the west by road. The course overlooks Milsey Beach, with views out to Bass Rock and Craigleith in the North Sea.

The town of North Berwick has its own train station, which is easily the nearest station stop to The Glen Golf Club. It is just over a mile away from the venue, with trains running to and from Edinburgh on an hourly basis. For international visitors to the region, Edinburgh Airport is around 35 miles west of The Glen, and it is the busiest airport in Scotland.

Are there any other NCG Top 100s: Scotland venues nearby?

As it sits in the heart of East Lothian’s golfing coastline, The Glen is within a short drive of plenty of NCG Top 100s: Scotland venues. North Berwick is a mile away, while the likes of Kilspindie, Muirfield, Luffness, the Renaissance Club, Dunbar, Archerfield - with its Fidra Course and Dirleton Course - and the No.1, No.2 and No.3 layouts at Gullane are all within 15 miles.

What golf facilities does The Glen offer?

There is a large putting green which sits between the clubhouse and the 18th hole, along with a small area behind the car park to practice your wedge game.

What are the green fees at The Glen?

The price of a green fee at The Glen 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 The Glen, visit their website here.