Renaissance Golf Club

About the course

The Renaissance Club occupies part of the Archerfield estate beside the sea in East Lothian, between Dirleton and the Firth of Forth. Much of the site was once covered in dense forestry plantation, and the course was carved out by clearing thousands of tonnes of trees, leaving selected stands to frame the holes while the land closest to the shore is open linksland.

Tom Doak designed the course, his first in Scotland, and it opened in 2008. A later land exchange with the neighbouring Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers at Muirfield gave the club an area of coastal ground to the north, and new holes built there now form the most dramatic part of the round. Since 2019 the course has been the regular venue of the Scottish Open, staged jointly by the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour.

The round begins inland among the trees before working out towards the coast, where the holes on the newer ground run along the shoreline with long views across the water. The mix of holes is unusual, with five par 3s and only three par 5s, which keeps the rhythm of the round varied. From the championship tees the course exceeds 7,300 yards, a length set up to test the professionals who arrive each summer. Late in the round the par 5 sixteenth offers a genuine risk and reward choice for those willing to take on the green in two, while the stretch of coastal holes from the tenth is the part of the course most visitors remember.

Why we recommend it

The Renaissance Club is a private members’ club on the East Lothian coast, next door to Muirfield, and it has become the home of the Scottish Open. The layout mixes open linksland by the Firth of Forth with tree-lined stretches, firm fairways and large, rolling greens. Guests generally play with a member, although the club runs a limited one-time experience for non-members, so it suits golfers planning well ahead. It sits within an hour of Edinburgh.

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