 |
 |
 |
| Home Scottish Links Golf The Basics Detailed information AFSD - how to determine the real length of a golf course Helpful Websites Platinum Page Upscale golfing products & services Aberdeen & Grampian Highlands Royal Aberdeen, Cruden Bay... Ayrshire Royal Troon, Turnberry, Prestwick... Just east of Edinburgh Scotland's Golf Coast Castle Park Craigielaw Dunbar Gifford Glen Gullane Haddington Kilspindie Longniddry Luffness New Muirfield Musselburgh Musselburgh Links North Berwick Royal Musselburgh Whitekirk Winterfield Northern Highlands Royal Dornoch, Brora, Nairn... St. Andrews area Other golf courses Machrihanish, Pitlochry... Links Lite Great links golf for the not-so-great golfer Donate What others say |
The Glen Golf Course ©
|
 |
| 1st tee, high above the town--a workout just to climb it ! Clubhouse down below |
If you can survive the climb up the steep 1st fairway on this one-of-a-kind golf course, you'll be rewarded with some great fun. The Glen Golf Club is a mostly parkland golf course with parkland type turf, but with more than a hint of a seaside links. Add the fact that there are some magnificent views of the Firth of Forth and a price that can't be beat, and it's easily a worthwhile play. And, as a bonus, the course was refurbished in 2003 with three new greens added, which made a good course even better. An added bonus is a new clubhouse, opened in 2007.
You will sometimes hear The Glen Golf Club referred to as the North Berwick East Links. It was founded in 1906, making it a youngster by Scottish standards where centuries old golf clubs are common, especially in this area.
Virtually all of The Glen course perches on a high piece of land that overlooks the Firth of Forth. To get there you must first negotiate hole number one. A Land Rover might help! The distance in height between the 1st tee and the 1st green has to at least 50 feet, perhaps even more (it feels like 100 feet!). No one I asked knew exactly how far it was but, let me tell you, getting to the first green is an aerobic workout! Hauling a 25 pound bag of clubs doesn't help a bit. Your tee shot will probably land at the bottom of the hill. Even if it starts up the hill give your second shot an extra club or two more than you figure because there's a long, long way to go up that hill. And be sure to catch your breath before you putt because you'll be huffin' and puffin'. The 1st hole quickly gets you up to the level where all but the 1st tee and the 18th green sit. From then on you are treated to views that are simply spectacular--and the golf ain't bad either!
 |
| Exhilarating 13th medal tee... |
Not as short as it seems
The course seems relatively short on paper at 6,243 yards but yardage can be deceptive. Always look at the par when you look at the yardage. They are tied to one another. Note this: The Old Course at St. Andrews has an average fairway shot distance (see AFSD for an explanation of this unique system) of 182 yards off the medal tees. The monster, Carnoustie has an AFSD of 186 off the medal tees. The Glen Golf Club, with a par of only 70, has an AFSD of 184 yards off the medal tees! What's so short about that? (The AFSD off the yellow tees is 175 yards.) It plays even longer than that because the parkland turf does not allow the long rolls on your drives that the true links courses do. So in this case even AFSD is not all that accurate. Trust me, it's not a particularly short course. With the constant decisions you'll have to make based on the hilly terrain and the fine layout plus the vagaries of the wind, you will have your hands full trying to tame it.
The Glen's 13th hole is like Cypress Point's 16th
The 13th deserves special mention. It's a beauty [see photo above] and immediately makes one think of the 15th at Kingsbarns or even the 16th at Cypress Point. Although not as difficult, this one is every bit as intriguing and beautiful. Perched on a tee at the edge of a rocky cliff with the wild Firth of Forth on your right, you are faced with a devilishly devious hole that, depending on the wind, plays to anything from a 3 iron to a wedge. The flag sits a mere 144 yards away (invariably blowing wildly and placed precariously close to the right edge or the back edge of the green, both of which have the ocean as neighbors) and beckons to you as seductively as the Sirens beckoned to Jason and his Argonauts: "Come and get me, big boy. Think you're man enough to aim at me instead of wimping off to the left and playing safe?" Do yourself a favor--be a wimp and aim for the center of the green. You're hitting 3 off the tee if your first ball goes for a swim and there's no guarantee than your next one won't. A good chance for a par is a whole lot better than a good chance for a double bogie or worse. |
| The par 3 awesome 13th (viewed from the 14th
tee with the tide out), is a challenging
hole on a clear day. When the wind is up, it's a monster. Photography by David J. Whyte |
 |
A feast for the eyes from any angle |
 |
| Spectacular 12th fairway | New 6th green |
This course makes an interesting tandem when coupled with the fabulous North Berwick West Course on the other side of town. And The Glen is very inexpensive. If you were to divide the price by a fun quotient, it's a great bargain. NEW CLUBHOUSE, with facilities including showers and changing area, is available to visitors. You'll have the best views in North Berwick in their good restaurant overlooking the sea, and the bar serves bar meals all day.
The Golf Nook rating -- a PAR.
Be sure to visit The Glen's beautiful newly-designed website. Lots of helpful information along with mouth-watering 3-dimensional panoramic "tours" of the golf course. You'll wish you were there right now!
www.glengolfclub.co.uk
For WHAT TO DO ALL DAY, please refer to the Golf Coast area