West Links Course


West Links at North Berwick is where golf’s democratic spirit lives, a place where titans and everyday players alike have tested their mettle against the vagaries of the wind and the cunning of the land for over a century and a half. Situated hard against the Firth of Forth near North Berwick, the course is Old Tom Morris's seaside symphony, a rumpled linksland canvas where firm fairways tumble between rocky outcrops and gorse-lined hollows. The course is a testament to strategic golf, where imagination and guile trump brute force, especially into a prevailing wind. Although West Links retains its Old Tom DNA, notable contributions from Ben Sayers, James Braid, and most recently, Mackenzie & Ebert, have further sculpted its character. It's not a course defined by championship pedigree, yet its place in golfing lore is secured by its enduring challenge and the sheer joy of links golf in its purest form. More than anything, North Berwick is a bastion of true links golf. The club's ethos is woven into the fabric of the town itself, a community where golf isn't just a game, but a shared passion passed down through generations. This egalitarian spirit is further embodied by the club's famed "Tantallon" hole, the 16th, where a stone wall bisects the fairway, a quirk that exemplifies the course's delightful defiance of convention. After your round, the 19th hole is where the stories continue, of putts missed, shots pulled, and the camaraderie built into the very essence of the golf club.
Ranked by CV ratings from golfers who've played this course. Positions are shown worldwide, by country, and by state; the Public column compares courses anyone can play.
Best in World
Public: #7
Best in UK
Public: #5
Best in Scotland
Public: #4
Edinburgh Airport lies just forty miles west of North Berwick Golf Club, a drive of roughly an hour that traces the southern shore of the Firth of Forth before turning inland through East Lothian's farmland and coastal villages. The final miles reveal glimpses of the Bass Rock rising offshore, a volcanic sentinel that has watched over this stretch of links since long before golf was codified here. Arrival at the clubhouse - a modest, weathered stone building perched above the first tee - feels less like reaching a destination than stepping into the sport's living archive, where the game's oldest rhythms still govern the day.

FAQ
Ratings, design, and course details pulled from Course Vaults.
West Links at North Berwick Golf Club has a Course Vaults score of 9.4 out of 10 based on 247 logged golfers.
Yes. West Links at North Berwick Golf Club is listed as welcoming public or guest play on Course Vaults.
Par at West Links is 71.
West Links plays 6,464 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.
The slope rating at West Links is 141.
West Links is a 18-hole course.
West Links Course


West Links at North Berwick is where golf’s democratic spirit lives, a place where titans and everyday players alike have tested their mettle against the vagaries of the wind and the cunning of the land for over a century and a half. Situated hard against the Firth of Forth near North Berwick, the course is Old Tom Morris's seaside symphony, a rumpled linksland canvas where firm fairways tumble between rocky outcrops and gorse-lined hollows. The course is a testament to strategic golf, where imagination and guile trump brute force, especially into a prevailing wind. Although West Links retains its Old Tom DNA, notable contributions from Ben Sayers, James Braid, and most recently, Mackenzie & Ebert, have further sculpted its character. It's not a course defined by championship pedigree, yet its place in golfing lore is secured by its enduring challenge and the sheer joy of links golf in its purest form. More than anything, North Berwick is a bastion of true links golf. The club's ethos is woven into the fabric of the town itself, a community where golf isn't just a game, but a shared passion passed down through generations. This egalitarian spirit is further embodied by the club's famed "Tantallon" hole, the 16th, where a stone wall bisects the fairway, a quirk that exemplifies the course's delightful defiance of convention. After your round, the 19th hole is where the stories continue, of putts missed, shots pulled, and the camaraderie built into the very essence of the golf club.
Ranked by CV ratings from golfers who've played this course. Positions are shown worldwide, by country, and by state; the Public column compares courses anyone can play.
Best in World
Public: #7
Best in UK
Public: #5
Best in Scotland
Public: #4
Golfers say North Berwick delivers one of the most joyful and memorable rounds in Scotland, with many calling it their favorite course despite acknowledging it's not a modern championship test. Reviewers consistently praise the ingenious out-and-back routing that plays differently in each direction depending on wind, the integration of historic stone walls and burns, and especially the celebrated back-nine stretch from holes 13 through 16 (Pit, Perfection, Redan, and Gate), which many consider among the finest sequences in golf. Most note the course's timeless template holes, quirky blind shots, and brilliant green complexes that reward creativity and strategic thinking over distance. The clubhouse atmosphere, town setting, and overall experience earn enthusiastic acclaim, with several golfers describing it as pure fun that captures what the game is meant to be, though one reviewer finds the conditioning unremarkable by links standards.
9.4
247 players
Nearly a perfect golf experience with the most classic hole designs, amazing views, stunning integration into the town and history galore. Even the no alcohol near the clubhouse is cool. Could play this course every day for the rest of my life, just wished my birdie putt on the Redan hole hadn’t lipped out.
This is what golf is all about. Hot take? It’s a more interesting version of The Old Course. The wall. The original redan. 16 is one of the top 10 greens I’ve ever seen. This is one course no one should miss on a Scotland trip.
It’s one of the best days in golf. Out and In and if the wind is appreciable the golf course is two completely different experiences. Quirky,thoughtful,nostalgic and most importantly tons of fun. Half par holes throughout and there are many ways to play each of them. The Redan is most notable but 2-3-4 and 13-14-16 and 18 are so good. The majestic residences on your left going out and the sea on your left coming home. It’s all so good.
Public courses closest to West Links at North Berwick Golf Club.
Edinburgh Airport lies just forty miles west of North Berwick Golf Club, a drive of roughly an hour that traces the southern shore of the Firth of Forth before turning inland through East Lothian's farmland and coastal villages. The final miles reveal glimpses of the Bass Rock rising offshore, a volcanic sentinel that has watched over this stretch of links since long before golf was codified here. Arrival at the clubhouse - a modest, weathered stone building perched above the first tee - feels less like reaching a destination than stepping into the sport's living archive, where the game's oldest rhythms still govern the day.

FAQ
Ratings, design, and course details pulled from Course Vaults.
West Links at North Berwick Golf Club has a Course Vaults score of 9.4 out of 10 based on 247 logged golfers.
Yes. West Links at North Berwick Golf Club is listed as welcoming public or guest play on Course Vaults.
Par at West Links is 71.
West Links plays 6,464 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.
The slope rating at West Links is 141.
West Links is a 18-hole course.