The Missing Links: November 2014

Thursday, 20 November 2014

North Berwick West Links, Scotland

www.northberwickgolfclub.com

SSS White tees
Red tees

There are views of the Bass Rock and the islands of the Forth Estuary

This course is so steeped in golf history that it is difficult to choose what to include. It lies on ground between the town of North Berwick and the Firth of Forth on Scotland's East Lothian 'golf coast'. The North Berwick Golf Club was formed in 1832 making it one of the oldest in the world. Golf is reputed to have been played on the same terrain since at least the start of the seventeenth century or possibly even earlier. Originally a six hole course over which the members played three rounds in their medals, it was gradually extended to its current length in 1895 and after a redesign supervised by Ben Sayers in 1932 became the present day course. It has long attracted the rich and famous and in 1903 it is recorded that the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the House of Commons, four Members of Parliament, two Bishops of the Church of England, three eminent Professors, a Field Marshal, two generals and a famous Tibetan explorer were all on the course at the same time. The links boasts the oldest open junior golf competition in the world, the Elcho Medal. The current Children's course started life as the Ladies' course and is the oldest nine hole ladies' course in Scotland.

North Berwick West Links has been described as being from a 'primitive age' and is certainly a traditional links course which appears to have evolved from the raised beach with a straight out, straight back layout. The first nine head out into the prevailing wind which assists the golfer as he turns back at the tenth tee. We were lucky to play the course as guests of Caroline and Mike Johnstone on a calm, bright day which afforded lovely views of the islands in the Forth estuary including the famous Bass Rock which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of its gannet colony.

The 2nd tee

There are many memorable holes on this course requiring a full repertoire of shots from a drive over the beach at the 2nd, reminiscent of the 1st at Machrihanish, to negotiating the approach to the green at the 18th with its deep swale reminiscent of the 18th at the Old Course. The most famous is the par three 15th hole 'Redan' named so after being likened by a serving officer to a formidable fortress in the Crimean War . It requires a shot which carries all the way to the diagonally left to right sloping green and finishes below the hole or a three putt is almost certain. An ability to negotiate the several stone walls which cross the course is essential - at the 13th ('Pit') the wall presents a particular challenge as it crosses diagonally in front of the green. North Berwick West Links is a true links experience and steeped in history.

The 13th aptly named 'Pit' with one of the many stone walls which have to be negotiated

Worth a visit? It is a must play.

The Links Project

There are 246 true links golf courses in the world and this blog is a record of our attempt to play all of them. My husband Ron and I are keen golfers and I came up with the idea of this project after he gave me the book by George Peper and Malcolm Campbell 'True Links' which lists them all.

The commonest question we are asked about our project is 'How do you define a true links course?' This will be debated by aficionados for long after we have (hopefully) completed our quest and there will never be a correct answer. The strict definition is from the British Golf Museum:

1. The course must be beside a river estuary

2. It must offer partial or occasional views of the sea

3. It must have few trees

4. It must have numerous bunkers

5. It must have nines that run out and back, the front heading to a far point and the back returning to the clubhouse

Peper and Campbell defined their list as follows:

Terrain - how close is the course to the sea? Do the fairways run fast and hard? Do the greens favour a run-on approach? How open is the site? How natural? Is there a freedom from trees? Is the invasion of gorse and brush controlled? How light is the environmental footprint on the land?

Turf - is there a sand base? What grasses are dominant on the fairways and greens? Is the rough managed ( creating biodiversity for flora and fauna)? How well does the course drain?

Weather - how exposed is the site to the elements? What are the typical wind conditions? Does the course play hard and fast all year round? Must temporary greens and tees be used in winter? Is the course susceptible to winter closure?

Peper and Campbell included courses which supplied the correct answers to most of these questions. But however defined, to me the poem by Sir John Betjeman encapsulates the feeling of links golf.