Gullane Golf Club No. 2 Course Review

Gullane Golf Club No. 2 Course Review
GF £75wd, £80we
Par 71, 6,385 yards
Slope 126
GM Verdict A first-rate and very varied links with something new at every turn
Favourite Hole The fabulous par-3 11th with its necklace of bunkers and the beautiful bay beyond

Gullane Golf Club was founded in 1882 and is blessed with not one but three terrific golf courses. Gullane 1 is in the Golf Monthly Top 100 and hosted the 2015 and 2018 Scottish Opens. Two holes from Gullane 2 were used to make up a composite course, the 7th and 8th.

Many actually prefer the younger sibling which was designed by Willie Park Junior and opened in 1899.

THE FRONT NINE

There are just two holes on the clubhouse side of the road, the 1st being a straightaway par 4 that should help you relax.

You then cross the A198 and play parallel to it, hopefully, on a good par 4 with a well-protected green.

It’s now time to set the controls for the sun as you blast up the short but steep par-4 3rd to its green high up atop Gullane Hill. From here there are 360-degree panoramas inland, along the coast and out across the firth. If ever you wanted golf to be slower, it is here!

Happily, a sublime par 4 will whisk you away at the next. The 4th plays down the hill but is pretty much maximum distance and so you will need two fine blows unless the wind is helping. Usually here, it’s not!

A well-bunkered par 3 is followed by a northerly par 5. The 7th is a two-shotter with a blind drive that heads up towards Gullane Point, with Fife still a surprising 11 or 12 miles away over the firth.

The 8th is a really strong par 4, slightly uphill, slightly right-to-left, and with a wide selection of bunkers to choose from. The ninth, another fine par 4, has even more!

THE BACK NINE

Your journey for home really starts at the 13th as the three holes from par-4 10th take you further from the clubhouse and through a particularly exciting sequence of golf.

This is the very definition of a strong par 3, strong in every department. It is 215 yards from the white tees, 194 from yellow and 169 from the reds. It is also often into the wind. And it is also extremely good looking. It’s the kind of hole that will hopefully leave you smiling even if you don’t play it that well.

You now head down to the fringes of the nature reserve and a wonderfully secluded green that feels like a desert island. This is a beautiful, perhaps even iconic hole, that was remodelled over half a century ago.

What goes down must go up again, and you start to climb back up Gullane Hill via another excellent par 4 at thirteen. There is then a tricky sidehill par 4 before the gently-rising par-3 15th, allegedly the easiest hole on the course!

After reaching the top of the hill via the long 16th, hope springs eternal with the elevated drive at the 361-yard 17th. It should only be a drive and a pitch, and I am sure that big hitters have been known to drive the green when the wind is helping.

The closing hole is a slightly anti-climactic par 4 where my hopes of finishing with four straight pars evaporated on the very long green when my second putt pressed the emergency stop button some way short.

For this excellent Next 100 links to be only the second best course at Gullane Golf Club seems odd and should make every member feel unbelievably proud and lucky. East Lothian, or Scotland’s Golf Coast, is packed with exceptional golf, but there is no doubt that Gullane 2 is up there with the very best.

Having spoken with various officials, members and guests during my visits, it is interesting that there are plenty of golfers who prefer Gullane 2 to Gullane 1. As I find all decision making way too complicated, I will simply say that I love them both and can imagine each would keep you fascinated and fully entertained, and I am sure play quite differently, every day.