Craigielaw Golf Club is situated on the East Lothian coast only 30minutes drive from Edinburgh on the same stretch of coast as Muirfield, North Berwick, and Gullane. The course affords the visitor some spectacular views across the Firth of Forth and Gullane Hill towards Edinburgh and Fife. Opened in 2001, the golf course was designed by Donald Steele, and in its short history been a host to several professional tournaments such as the 2018 ‘Staysure’ Scottish Seniors Open and the 2006 Scottish Amateur Strokeplay Championships.
Craigielaw Golf Club does not have the tall dramatic dune complexes of some of its more illustrious neighbor courses, but it is no less challenging nor enjoyable. Steele has created a superb test of golf with some punishing bunkers adding to the complexity of the golf course. The greens at Craigielaw are also excellent, many of which have two and three tiers with subtle burrows and severe run-off’s increasing the risk of finding one of those bunkers mentioned above. Quite a few of the greens are of the ‘upturned saucer’ variety so they can be hard to hold for the average golfer. The front portion of the many greens rise to the flag, so any shots not hit with accuracy will inevitably find themselves feeding back to the fairway. The absence of high dunes means that Craigielaw is exposed and when the wind does blow, you feel the full force of it across these links. Add to the mix a variety of burn’s, ditches and stone walls, and you can appreciate the test and the character of Criagielaw.
The inward nine holes are a good test of golf, with the 11th holes being the Pro’s favorite of the lot. This 540yard Par five downhill hole requires a strong tee shot strategically positioned in the right half of the fairway to have an opportunity of taking the green on in two shots. The more sensible play is a 180yard layup to miss the fairway bunkers and present a relatively straightforward chip up the green that is very well protected.
