This Week at TravelGolf.com: April 30, 2009

Golf-rich East Lothian in Scotland is full of golf meccas in links golf country

Golf is synonymous with Scotland, touching the far reaches of the country, from Campbeltown to the remote Highlands and anywhere in between with a little sandy soil.

Sure, it seems practically every town has a century-old golf course, but in a handful of them, the game is the livelihood of daily life.

East Lothian, just east of Edinburgh and home to more than 20 courses have several that not only boast exceptional links golf, but the golf is on the mind of everyone, everywhere you turn.

Gullane is famous for being the home of Muirfield, but the town is lively enough there is little need to get inside the gates. The A 198 coastal road into town leads you past Luffness New and Gullane Golf Club's three courses - all serving a village hardly bigger than a single street. Here, stop off and see a living legend, Archie Baird, who will give you a tour of his Heritage of Golf Museum: a concise, entertaining and free history of the game in under 30 minutes.

Just to the east, North Berwick features a West Links that starts and ends in the heart of town, much like the Old Course in St. Andrews. Up the road, there is the East Links, plus two public putting greens, a children's course (you can play it, but only if you're with a wee warrior) and scores of small pubs in the small center like the Golfer's Rest.

Further towards Edinburgh, Musselburgh (now home to three clubs) boasts a history of the game few places anywhere can match. Before St. Andrews, it was the epicenter of the golfing universe with more than 60 area clubs calling the nine-holer inside a race track home. Today, you can smack the ball around the same course with some hickories, followed by a pint in Mrs. Forman's Pub, or the restored clubhouse where Willie Park and four other local Open champs would guzzle post-match whiskies.

The accents may be different and the locals may be better with the bump-and-run in these towns, but as long as you've got spikes on, you're welcome in their community. So keep the chip shots low and don't be shy.

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