Royal Musselburgh Golf Club

Royal Musselburgh Golf Club is not only one of the most historic golf clubs in the world but it also is a course that you will love, from the first tee to the last.

Established in 1774, Royal Musselburgh Golf Club claims to not only be the 6th oldest golf course on the planet but also home to the OLDEST golf trophy - The Old Club Cup - that is still played every year - and is one of those courses that you will never forget.

On arrival, a beautiful building awaits you, along with a friendly welcome from the Pro Shop and Greenkeepers, and the bar staff. In addition, all the members were smiling and happy to see us.

The course is a Parkland layout and while mostly flat, there are more than enough undulations to keep wondering...just where will my ball end up?

The vista of the old stone clubhouse comes into view numerous times during your round and some of the trees bordering the fairways of the course are more than a few hundred years old too.

My stand-out holes were the 14th Par 3, with a treacherous 25ft drop to a 'bowl' on the left (if you miss it) and the 15th - a Par 4, dog-leg left to a raised and generous green. A good tee shot here, with some run, can still leave you with a 7 iron to the centre but take a moment to look back and enjoy the path you've just followed to appreciate the hole in full.

The Clubhouse still houses the FIRST ever hole-cutting device (an old pipe of 4.25 inches) which went on to set the standard for every golf hole we all now play into.

Lastly, the food was served with a smile, was reasonably priced and included all the traditional Scottish fayre including Haggis and square sausage for brekkie!

In short, if I lived close to the Scottish border, I would happily nip across and play this course over and over again, it was an honour to play at a course so steeped in the history of the game!