Tom:
Interesting. I might go and check them out this week as I haven't played either.
Jon:
Winterfield has both the hardest and worst opening hole in golf. Having said that I can think of another par 3 over a huge chasm that gets rave reviews... They have lots of VERY long par 3s so the par of the course is low but scoring in relation to par is not. I once incurred the wrath of the opposition junior convenor when I was 17. I made a pretty cheeky comment about what I thought of the place on the 1st tee. I've matured a little.....
12 is a half decent hole with an interesting green. Little left to right dog-leg along along the side of a ridge, then a long narrow green that falls away into the corner of the course. 14 is a good par 3 right out on the peninsula with cracking views and a good green site with a thought provoking mound infront. 15 is another half decent par 3 with the beach to the left and the green sited under a huge rock face. Thats about it though.
I'm glad you are in agreement with Longniddry. I think Longniddry, Kilspindie, Luffness New are interesting enough to class above 'filler' courses whenever you are in East Lothian for a decent amount of time. The latter two being a truer form of links than the former.
Royal Musselburgh was actually better than I had remembered. It does suffer from poor drainage that obviously muddied my memory of the place. Pun fully intended. The back 9 is interesting, with nice changes in elevation and some decent greens. The history of the club itself dates back to 1774 which is reason enough to pop in if you have time on your hands in the area. One of the trophies that dates back to the start of the club is thought to be the oldest competition in golf that is still played.
Niall:
Yes, a bit harsh. Now that I think about it, 13 and 14 are fun holes. That's yer lot though! I heard the usual East Lothian whispers which I always take with a pinch of salt. I'd be lying if I said I knew what was happening.
Craigielaw, which is better as a course, shares the same story as Whitekirk but with a better ending to said story due to location.
Both courses were built when there was huge demand for golf memberships in East Lothian, with a lack of supply. It would take 8 years to get into North Berwick, 11 to get into Gullane. These golfers had no where to play so the memberships at Whitekirk and Craigielaw were snapped up by guys who wanted to be members indefinitely, or those that wanted somewhere to call home while they waited to get in somewhere else. Now even the hardiest of NB and Gullane members have had to cut back the waiting times are down to 2-4 years at NB and about 5 years at Gullane. People tend to get their names on the list and then ditch places like Whitekirk and Craigielaw when they get in.
Simon