About the course
The Glen Golf Club, also known as the East Links, is laid out along the high coastline on the east side of North Berwick in East Lothian, looking out over the Firth of Forth. The course starts and finishes close to the town, but most of the round is played on open, rolling ground high above the sea, with the Bass Rock and its huge gannet colony just offshore. The turf is firm and sandy, and the character is somewhere between clifftop links and downland golf.
Golf has been played on this land for centuries, and a nine-hole course was laid out here in the 1890s to cope with the number of golfers drawn to North Berwick by the success of the West Links. A few years later, when the club was formally constituted, James Braid and Ben Sayers, the North Berwick professional, extended it to 18 holes. The layout they created remains the basis of the course today.
The holes are rarely enclosed, so the wind off the sea is felt on almost every shot, and the same hole can call for very different clubs from one day to the next. The fairways are generous and the bunkering is moderate, which leaves room for a bold drive, while the greens are true and quick. The best-known hole is the 13th, a par 3 called the Sea Hole, played from the high ground down to a green set just above the beach, where judging the wind and the drop in height is everything.
Why we recommend it
The Glen sits on the clifftops at the eastern end of North Berwick, with the Bass Rock and the Firth of Forth in view for much of the round. After a climb to the plateau the holes are open and fair, and the closing stretch along the cliffs is the part people remember. It is relaxed, friendly and good value, which makes it an easy partner for North Berwick West Links, about 40 km from Edinburgh.
Photo gallery
| World ranking | |
| Architect | James Braid, Ben Sayers |
| Year of foundation | 1899 |
| Par Course | 70 |
| Number of holes | 18 |