I was up early on Friday hoping for some warm, sunny weather. And the Golf Gods rewarded us with just that. A mid-morning tee time at another of Scotland’s hidden gems awaited.
East Lothian is rich in historic and famous golf clubs. Muirfield and North Berwick are the most famous courses but there are many more in the area but few golfing tourists take the plunge to try somewhere that isn’t in the Open Rota or in the top 100 rankings.
We like to take the plunge, take a chance on something different, something new. As long as it offers us good golf. We had that today at The Glen East Links which is right down the road from Muirfield and just a long par five from North Berwick.
The Glen sits right on the cliff-side bordering the Firth of Forth and is more a headland course than a true links. It was a little greener than most links and had some serious elevation changes but there were plenty of links style characteristics throughout.
But what all golfers who play The Glen will recall fondly are the amazing views of the sea from just about everywhere on the course. We played North Berwick in ’16 and when the weather allowed, the views were wonderful. The Glen may not top it’s neighbor as far as the golf course itself but it wins hands down in the views and the vistas that surround the course.
Tom Doak called some of it plain and uninspired “but just for once let’s forget about that and revel in the setting.” It’s easy to do just that.
The Glen starts off up hill and then we spent the day going up and down and around hitting punches and run ups and blind shots….and blind shots. All the while mesmerized by the sea the sun and the expansive views that the Glen is famous for.
The warm weather agreed with us and we had the closest match of our trip. 
I birdied their signature hole, a scenic downhill, blind par three with a bit of luck. I pulled my tee ball left towards a bank along side the green and it got a fortuitous bounce onto the green. A twelve footer for birdie and I almost felt guilty, almost.
George’s bird came at the fifteenth hole, a par five alongside the sea and he played it like a pro starting his ball way right and let the wind move it back towards the fairway. He actually did that with his driver and his approach, truly he has been here long enough to have mastered the Scottish winds.
Neither of us ever had a lead greater than a one up and George’s par on seventeen pulled him to All Square.
I had seen a flyover of the eighteenth and it had intimidated me then. Standing on the last tee staring you have a great view of the water and the clubhouse sitting right beside the green.
It’s an elevated tee, very elevated that plays down to a well bunkered fairway. If I could find the fairway I’d then be faced with that shot into the green where anything right has a good chance of clocking a member lunching at clubhouse or practicing on the putting green. These finishing house are quaint but terrify a hacker like me.
I followed George into the fairway, hooray and even got some good roll. We both stayed out of the bunkers. I only needed a nine iron to get to the green, certainly I can hit that club straight. Don’t look right, keep it left, don’t look at all the members hanging around the club…just hit it!
Hit it I did and it landed short but bounded on the green, hallelujah!
George, showing no nerves whatsoever, wedged it on with a pro-like, one bounce and stop.
It comes down to a putting contest with an audience of golfers and members looking on. George hit a great putt from about twenty feet but it stopped half a ball short of the cup. Ouch.
I had one just a bit shorter from the other side of the hole. I got a read from George’s near miss. With the eyes of The Glen upon me I was just thinking to make sure I got to the hole. It had plenty of pace as it rolled close but looked to run out of steam just as George’s did. But it had a bit more pace and inched forward barely reaching the lip to drop in for my winning birdie. The crowd approved, I doffed my hat.
Success at The Glen in so many ways.
Related Articles
