Edinburgh & East Lothian

The most fun round in Scotland and it isn't close. You play over stone walls, around a beach, across a burn, and onto the original Redan — the par 3 that every architect since 1880 has been ripping off. Some of the green complexes are borderline absurd; embrace it or you'll spend the day complaining.

Climbs Gullane Hill and the views from the 7th tee are the postcard shot of the whole coast — Firth of Forth, Edinburgh skyline, every links between here and Muirfield. Firm, fast, properly testing, and the sort of course that hosted Scottish Open qualifying for a reason. If you can't get on No. 1, No. 2 is no consolation prize.

Visitors play Tuesdays and Thursdays only, and you need to apply in writing months ahead with a handicap certificate. Worth the hassle if you get in: cleanest, fairest links routing in Scotland, two loops of nine running opposite directions so you never get the wind from the same angle twice. Lunch in the clubhouse is part of the deal and it's a tradition worth keeping.

Two parkland-into-pines courses tucked behind the dunes, built newer than everything else around here and it shows — wider corridors, less penal, easier on tired legs after three days of links. Fidra is the headline track. The clubhouse is a Robert Adam mansion, which sets expectations about the green fee.

Founded 1794, Old Tom Morris had a hand in it, and it sits on a strip of coast below the town wall that's barely 80 yards wide in places — sea on one side, stone wall on the other. Quietly one of the best links in Scotland and it costs half what Muirfield does. The 12th and 13th run right along the rocks and the wind off the Firth makes both holes a different course every day.

Tom Doak design from 2008, hosts the Genesis Scottish Open, and sits right between Muirfield and Archerfield on the same stretch of coast. Private club but they take a limited number of visitors — call ahead. Plays more strategic and less penal than the older links nearby; if your group has a high handicapper who's getting beaten up by traditional links, this is where they recover.

Newer (2001) Donald Steel design at Aberlady, on the same coast but a touch inland with proper links sand under the turf. Half the price of the marquee names and you can usually get on without booking weeks out. Solid filler round when Muirfield says no and you still need 18 holes that day.

Nine holes, claims to be the oldest playing golf course in the world (1672), and sits inside a horse racetrack on the way out of Edinburgh. It's a curiosity round more than a serious test, but they rent hickory clubs and you can play the whole thing in 90 minutes. Great half-day add-on, not a centerpiece.

The clock tower hotel above Waverley Station — basically the front door to Edinburgh. Splurge tier, but the location means you can roll out of dinner in Old Town and be in the lobby in five minutes. Right call for the trip where the partners are coming and the golf is half the agenda.

Recently renovated grand seaside hotel that overlooks the West Links — you can literally watch the 16th green from the bar. If you want to base out near the courses instead of in town, this is the obvious choice. Saves you the daily 35-minute drive out of Edinburgh and back.

Georgian terrace on Charlotte Square, walking distance to George Street and Princes Street, and the rates are usually well below the Balmoral for a room that's nearly as nice. The bar (BABA) is good enough that you'll end up there at least once whether you planned to or not.

Stay on the Archerfield estate itself — main house suites or self-catered cottages on the property. Right move for a foursome that wants to play the Archerfield courses and not move the car for three days. Cottages sleep 4-8, kitchen, fireplace, walk to the first tee.

Small inn in Aberlady, ten minutes from Gullane, fifteen from Muirfield. Restaurant downstairs is one of the better spots on the coast. Think of it as the buddies-trip version: clean rooms, good food, you don't need a concierge.

For groups of six or more, renting a townhouse in North Berwick proper makes more sense than splitting hotel rooms — you get a kitchen, a place to drink whisky after the round, and walking access to the West Links. Plenty of inventory on VRBO and the local agency Coast Properties.

Tom Kitchin's Michelin-starred spot in Leith. Nature-to-plate Scottish ingredients done seriously — order the tasting menu and the wine pairing and don't fight it. Book weeks in advance, especially in summer. This is the big-night dinner.

Best seafood in central Edinburgh, on the Royal Mile. Get the shellfish platter, the langoustines, or whatever the day boat brought in. White-tablecloth without being stiff — easier reservation than The Kitchin and almost as good.

Glass box on Calton Hill with a 270-degree view of the city. Small modern Scottish menu, often game-forward in season. Go at sunset, drink the wine pairing, and it doubles as the activity and the dinner.

On the coast in Aberlady, walking distance from Kilspindie GC and a short drive from Muirfield. Honest cooking — fish from the Forth, local beef, proper game in season — and the kind of place where the chef will come out to the table. Best post-round dinner on the coast.

Walk-up shack at North Berwick harbour, summer only. Lobster roll, crab roll, fish and chips, eat it on the wall looking at Bass Rock. Lunch after the West Links — there is no better answer.

North Berwick coffee roaster, also breakfast and lunch. Eggs, sourdough, proper flat white — the place to fuel up before an early tee at the West Links if you don't trust the hotel breakfast.

Old Town pub with 300+ whiskies and a serious cask ale list. No food beyond a pie, no music, no TVs. This is where you go when someone in the group says they want to learn about Scotch — sit at the bar and let the staff guide you.

Family-run, Michelin-starred, in a converted warehouse off Lothian Road. Fermentation-forward, wood-fired, more relaxed than The Kitchin. The kind of meal you talk about on the flight home.

Bombay-style café in the St Andrew Square building, open all day. Bacon naan for breakfast, black daal for dinner, and the line moves faster than it looks. The non-Scottish meal of the trip and a welcome break after three days of game and seafood.

Tom Kitchin's Stockbridge gastropub — same kitchen DNA as The Kitchin, half the price, twice the comfort. Fish pie, Scotch egg, Sunday roast. Right call for the casual night when nobody wants to dress up.