North Berwick Revisted Revist Rev.....

[Sean_A]

I was rereading parts of Darwin's The Golf Courses of the British Isles yesterday.  As is usually the case when reading anything which includes bits on North Berwick, I drifted toward the East Lothian chapter.  Following the elegant pre-amble the description of the course begins.  Right away, Darwin mentions a double green for Point Garry (presumably In and Out today) holes 1 & 17.  This is complete news to me and I can't believe I never noticed this before.  Not long ago I was suggesting that perhaps these two holes should share a double green.  The kicker is, back in the day, the first played to a portion of the green toward the inland and 17th toward the sea (to what I presume is the current green for #1).  A few questions.

Does anybody know when the break up of the green happened? 

What do folks think about the 1st if it was played away from the sea?  The same question for the 17th if it was played to the current 1st green?

Does anybody know if the old double green connected to the current 17th green or was the 1st green in a slightly different position?  For instance, I can imagine the old 1st green to be  slightly left and a bit forward. 

Finally, as I know there isn't much love for the 1st around here - though I reckon the hole can't be bad with a green site like it has - would folks think differently of the hole if it were a par 3? 

Ciao

[Ally Mcintosh]

Without answering any of your questions Sean, I'll give you a bit of additional information...

Apparently, the 1st hole was until the relatively recent past a much more strategic challenge... The entire right hand side of the green used to be much lower meaning that there was a big hump to the left side that kicked everything right towards the sea... The only way to approach the green safely was to play the tee shot as near to out of bounds as possible... The usual complaints that it was unfair saw the right side of the green filled and raised by a good few feet meaning an approach from the left (though still blind) is in effect as easy as one from the right...

My last round I lipped out for my one leaving me a tap-in eagle (after registering my eagle on 18 in the morning round)... Couldn't resist in sharing that... Apologies for my lack of humility...

[Rich Goodale]

I knew about the double green but never did much thinking as to what it might have looked like, although I assumed it was just mowing between the two greens as they exit today.  The tee for the first used to be 100+ yards or so back from what it is today, near the public putting green.  I think I remember it as being a par/bogey 6 in those days.