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Gullane (No.2), Scotland |
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Gullane Golf Club
Gullane
East Lothian
EH31 2BB
Scotland |  | Willie Park, Frank Pennink |  | Alasdair Good |
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 | +44 (0) 1620 842255 |  | 18 miles E of Edinburgh on A198 |
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Golf Club Website
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 | Welcome, contact in advance |  | Stephen Anthony |
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"Having played on Gullane No.2 in the morning and No.1 in the afternoon, my mind is in an agreeable jumble between the two," wrote Bernard Darwin in his 1934 book, Playing The Like. "I am inclined to think I am the fonder of No.2, but here again there may be a personal motive; it is decidedly the shorter. There is, of course, a strong family likeness between the two, because on both we have (like the Grand Old Duke of York of the poem) to march up to the top of the hill and march down again."
Golf at Gullane dates back to 1650 but the club wasn't founded until 1882. The then current Open Champion, Willie Park Jnr, laid down Gullane No.2 in 1899 for ten guineas.
Gullane No.2 runs parallel to No.1 for the first seven holes. It's a flat beginning and then a steady climb up the hill. At the 11th, the charming view of Aberlady Bay opens up but don't let this distract you too much because this is probably the best short hole on the course, which invariably plays into the prevailing wind to a front-to-back sloping green. Frank Pennink remodelled the 12th hole in 1969 and it takes you on a journey to the edge of the secret and picturesque nature reserve. "We feel as if we were playing in a little world of our own - ours and the gulls' and the rabbits'," wrote Darwin.
There's an overriding feeling of openness at Gullane. The sky is big and the course seems wide and open, but it is an illusion: each hole has its fair share of trouble and it lulls you into a false sense of security. Gullane No.2 has played host to Open Championship Final Qualifying, so it's certainly not a pushover. Play No.2 along with No.1 – you'll have a memorable day on Gullane Hill. | |
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If the above course review article is not accurate, let us know by clicking here |
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 |  | | Average Reviewers Score: |  | | | Gullane village is a must visit for all golfers. Gullane's 3 courses, Muirfield, Loughness, Renaissance. If Gullane was a county in England it would be classed as one of the best golfing counties in England. Never mind being a sleepy village of 3,000 people.
Played no.2 in October (brave i know). We were the only people on the course. Views amazing, course in superb condition with fairways even better than Muirfields, greens immaculate.
Clubhouse nice, but to get true atmosphere head to the 'old clubhouse' pub overlooking the village par 3 course!
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| 17 September 2012
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| | Gullane No.2 was my first experience playing a links style course as we don't have many of this type of course where I live in central Canada. The course was in wonderful condition in August 2011 when we played, adding no doubt to an overall wonderful experience. Most memorable was the severely down hill 17th ( if I recall correctly), where the tee shot seems to be airborne forever. I would strongly recommend this course to golfers of all skill levels. Staff very helpful and friendly. Truly outstanding. |
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| 28 August 2012
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| | Gullane is a wonderful place and #2 course is sheer golfing heaven. The 4th might just be my favourite hole in the world but there are so many fine holes here. This is pure links golf - and on a clear day there is nowhere I would rather be. |
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| 15 January 2012
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| For a links course that has such notable changes in elevation there are many holes that seem very similar and play the same way.  Holes 1, 18 and 5-10 are all located on less spectacular land but seemingly every other hole offers a slope of one kind or another that few links courses can match or better. The flat 18th coming back to the clubhouse still has plenty of character with out of bounds present down the entire left hand side and a charming final green complex. The greens were of a good medium pace and true in their roll. The etiquette on display was the best I have experienced anywhere with locals and tourists alike all playing with a smile on their face and with consideration for others, with faster groups being called through immediately. A joy to play, although it may not be everyone’s cup of tea. |
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| 14 September 2011
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| | What a lovely course, well maintained and in prime condition, you could have played snooker on some of the greens they were that good. My friends and I had a great day , blessed with superb weather as a bonus.
One of our party was playing here for the first time and he was impressed, having played at the highest level in professional football and played some great venues, that says a lot for this course!
It truly is a golfing mecca, not outdone at all by its neighbours in anyway. We will be back !
GTC |
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| 10 May 2011
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| I just love this place as it represents totally unpretentious,  great value for money golf – where the club even accepts the Top100golfclub card four days a week for this course and its little sibling, No.3! Once you’ve made the steep climb up the hill at the short par four third hole, it’s traditional links golf all the way until you tumble back down the hill at the 17th. The course was in exceptional condition when I played here yesterday - in fact, I don’t ever think I’ve seen the greens in poor condition in over half a dozen visits in recent years. There are plenty of bunkers in play to punish the more wayward golfer but, all in all, No.2 offers a very fair test where you should be able to play close to handicap if you stick to the closely mown grass. I love returning to Gullane year after year as it’s simply one of the finest venues in the country to play golf. Jim McCann. |
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| 10 May 2011
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| First of all I would like to offer a groveling apology to Gullane, mainly courses 2+3. Let me explain. I tend to treat Gullane 2 + 3 like the guy you phone when you can’t get a 5 a side team together. The pal that is always available, the one that never lets you down, the one you take for granted. You have your plans to play the courses in the winter that you can’t afford to play in the summer like the North Berwick’s or the Carnoustie’s of this world. So you plan to play them in the November-March slot, weather permitting of course. But often these plans don’t come to fruition and it is at this point I always utter the well-worn line “We can JUST go to Gullane! As if it is some second best chore or inferior fall back. Well never again. In fact, I hereby promise to make Gullane an annual pilgrimage in the same way as I do with Elie. I will not take her for granted again.
As you are no doubt aware the weather has been horrific  for golf in the last couple of months but we were in need of a fix so Gullane 2 was booked as we knew it would be open for business. As we drove past Luffness New and Gullane loomed in to view, shining like a jewel in the sunshine the heart leapt, spirits soared, well it was like a lottery win and considering the aforementioned weather the old girl was in fine fettle but then again, she normally is.
A gentle par 4 gets you underway before circumnavigating the traffic on crossing the main road to play another short par 4 second. The horrible uphill par 4 follows but this is more than made up when you stand on the 4th tee when your eyes feast on Aberlady Bay to your left and straight in front of you, across the Firth of Forth, stands the Kingdom of Fife, Leven, Lundin Links, Elie et al, it is one of the greatest sights in Scottish golf. The hole itself is one of the finest on the course with 5 greenside bunkers standing like a defensive wall at a free kick. The rest of the front 9 flows effortlessly, one quality hole after another, with the 7th and 9th particular stand outs.
The inward half is, if anything a bit better in quality, with holes 11-13 my favourite stretch of holes. I do hope that I have been successful in sealing Gullane 2 to you. It didn’t need selling to The recently deposed Hibernian FC manager and the scorer of Scotland’s opening goal at France 98 who were playing together, 3 or 4 groups behind ours. Like me, they no doubt, came for the quality of the course, the great welcome and food that you are guaranteed to get at the visitors’ clubhouse. Forget the what is better Gullane 1 or Gullane 2 debate, (I can see merit in both and I still can’t decide) just accept that Gullane is Scottish golf at its very very best and a place that more than holds its own in a exclusive golfing neighbourhood. MPPJ |
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| 24 January 2011
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| | Thoroughly enjoyed a game on Gullane No.2 on 24/4/10. It was in great condition with slick, true greens. At only 6000 yards off the yellow tees, it is not the toughest test of golf - at least on the relatively calm day we had. I can imagine it would by very different played in a stiff breeze off the back markers. There are some lovely holes and excellent bunkering throughout. Gullane village breathes golf and we soaked up the late afternoon sun with a beer at the Old Clubhouse just a couple of hundred yards away. Magic! IS |
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| 27 April 2010
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| With four days to go until Christmas and snow lying heavy all over Edinburgh and the East Lothian coast I made the short trip to Gullane wondering whether I would get out on the course at all. I needn't have worried as when I arrived the Gullane courses were open and in immaculate condition as usual - they always are without the need for either mats or winter greens.
Like Gullane # 3, Gullane # 2's opening and closing holes are on the visitors' clubhouse side of the road although in this case it is just the 1st and 18th that lie inland. The first is a gentle opener at just over 350 yards before the golfer must cross that road to the second tee. A sloping fairway lies in wait for accurate drives with anything off target likely to find the shaggy rough that lines the fairway. Well-positioned bunkers guard the approach green and care must be taken to avoid these if a good score is to be posted. The third hole is similar to the fourth on the # 3 course and a blind drive must be fired up the hill to reach the green, but at 233 yards the hole still offers a good birdie chance. The fourth is a fine hole with an elevated tee and a green guarded by five front cross bunkers meaning that the approach must be threaded through, or more likely flown over, these traps to reach the green. With heavy rough to the left of the green and a couple of swales to the right accuracy is of paramount importance on this hole, firstly to give yourself a shot at the green and secondly to avoid the trouble surrounding it. Holes 6 and 7 are both relatively straight holes of differing lengths (498 and 358 yards respectively) and the tailwind that I enjoyed greatly assisted my scores on these holes. The views when walking to the slightly downhill 7th green are fantastic with the famous # 1 course to the right and the sea, dunes, shore and Aberlady Bay to the left and front. The final two holes on the front nine were played into the wind and the tight 8th green is difficult to get to unless the drive is pinpoint accurate and is well worth it's status as the S.I. 3 hole on the course.
The back nine begins with the 340 yard tenth hole - the drop in elevation from the tee to the middle of the fairway then the slight rise back up to the green makes this hole play longer than it appears on paper. One of my favourite holes on the course was next up; the par three 11th. The approach is downhill to the green surrounded by bunkers laid out almost like a clockface and again the views across the linksland were fantastic just as a light shower came down from above. Another raised tee box on the 12th allows the golfer to open up on the drive and with the green at the lowest point on the course the approach (hopefully) shouldn't be from too far a distance if a favourable bounce is achieved. Unfortunately, going downhill on the 12th means that the golfer must go straight back up the slope to the 13th green and two solid strokes must be played to even think about getting near the green on this near 400 yard hole. Anything short is likely to roll 50 yards back down the hill so make sure the second or third shot into the green stays up there. The right to left dogleg 14th hole was another enjoyable one for me and shape of the green meant that again that the golfer has to take enough club to avoid the ball trickling back down to fairway level. I found the par three 15th remarkably similar to the 13th on the # 3 course which sits adjacent to it and requires a solid strike to reach the flattish green. The next hole was also reminiscent of the 14th on # 3, an uphill par 5. The mirror image of the last two holes is broken when arriving at the 17th tee box - this time a par 4 awaits instead of the one shotter found on # 3. The slope is so severe that a decent bounce can carry the drive near enough on to the green by the roadside - another good, fun hole. Back on the clubhouse side of the road the sub 300 yard finishing hole offers a decent chance to finish the round on a high and be careful not to overshoot this time as the green is tightly tucked away right infront of the visitors clubhouse where the round began.
Gullane # 2 is a good course in excellent condition all year round and it certainly was one of the better tracks that I played over the winter period last year. Having said that, I was torn when rating this course as I feel it is either a strong 4-ball course or one of the weaker 5-ball courses, it could easily fall on either side in my opinion. On this occasion I have plumped for a four-ball rating; there were a few holes that were quite similar to that of the course's little brother but this is no slight on # 2 as it is still a strong course and definitely not a poor relation to the more well known Gullane # 1 course. All I can say is that the members of Gullane Golf Club are very fortunate to have this fine course available to them as their "second" course and it is well worth fitting into your golfing itinerary. DM |
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| 23 March 2010
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| | Gullane is golfing heaven. Many courses to choose from but all of outstanding quality.
I never tire of playing number 2. After an unspectacular start, the 3rd hole brings you to the top of Gullane hill with wonderful views over the Firth of Forth. the 4th is a wonderful downhill long par 4 with the front of the green guarded by 5 deep bunkers. The 5th is a great par 3.
The highlight has to be holes 11 and 12 down in Aberlady Bay which are very challenging in strong winds.
The course is great value, particularly during the winter or in twilight hours during the summer. I played in early June, not finishing until well after 9pm and the sun was still shining strongly! |
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| 20 July 2009
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| | Played it after playing No 1 - only £25, which was brilliant value. This is a proper golf course, not a weak supporting act to No 1. Play it and enjoy it, whatever the weather! |
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| 21 May 2009
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| | Played Gullane No 2 in a howling gale (50mph gusts!), but absolutely loved it. Superb greens, and some truly memorable holes and stunning views once you get to the 3rd green. Best hole has to be the 4th, a wonderful par 4. Holes 5 and 11 are fantastic par 3s that would grace any links course. 17th tee shot is the most fun - I pitched mine on the green on a 360 yard par 4 (downhill with gale behind!!). The best deal is the "twilight offer" from May-Oct - after 4pm, you can play this course for 27 quid. Outstanding value for a terrific, top quality links course. Very highly recommended. |
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| 10 May 2009
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| | If you like looking for your balls in thick rough just off the fairway, then this is the course for you!!! I found this no fun at all to play, granted it was a howling wind and difficult to keep your ball straight. The course suits a golfer who slices as a slight draw will be punished due to the prevailing wind. I have played approx 30 courses in Scotland, mainly links, and I must admit this is by far the worst. So whats good? The greens are true and of good if not fast speed, bunkers are soft and sandy, and the views are fantastic. If you want my opinion play The Glen or Dunbar for about the same price you will have a much more enjoyable day!! |
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| 16 July 2008
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| Response: | | | Jim McCann | 17 July 2008 | | I find it hard to believe that Gullane #2 would come last in a list of 30 courses that someone has played in Scotland - unless that person has played all their golf on courses in the top 50? | | | Andrew | 05 October 2008 | | Yes most of the courses have been in the top 50, but a lot have not, I stand by my review, much better courses in the area for better value. | | | Matt | 12 May 2009 | | I too played here in strong winds on a bitter October morning. Yes the rough is thick but on the longer holes the fairways are plenty wide enough that only errant shots will be punished. I had my fair share but loved the course. A stern yet fair test that rewards strategy. |
| | | Gullane No 2 is sheer golfing magic! This is one of my favourite courses with many memorable holes. Scenery is amazing and the course is always in good condition. Wind can be a challenge but that is links golf for you. clubhouse always provides a friendly welcome! |
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| 10 January 2008
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| | Gullane 2 left me gasping for breath, mainly due to the seriously steep climb up the third fairway! Arriving on a grey but relatively still day, the Gullane visitors clubhouse is modern and not overly appealing, compared to places like Panmure or Montrose, and the area around the clubhouse doesn't inspire feelings of wonderful links golf, it's pretty flat and not overly appealing! However, having played the 1st, a fairly comfortable par 4 the course then started to rise, with the second over the main road and then, as I mentioned, the third going straight up what felt like a vertical cliff. Once 'on the top', we realised what all the fuss was about as the coast stretched out in front of us with Edinburgh off on the distance to our left and the rolling hills on which Gullane 1 and 2 had been built stretching out all around! At this point we were very glad that the day was pretty still, because when the wind blew this place looked very exposed! Anyway, Gullane 2 is a good not great course, it uses the contours excellently and the greens were true and in great condition if a little slower than we were used to on our trip. There seemed less links style bunkering, especially on the fairways than one would expect and the rough was long but not too long, wayward tee-shots were usually found and often a reasonable shot could be played. All in all, Gullane 2 is a good course and worth a visit especially if you play the number 1 course as well, that'd be a good day! |
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| 29 June 2007
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| | Gullane = golfing heaven. There is no finer feeling than walking from the 3rd green to the 4th tee drinking in the fabulous views of Edinburgh and Fife. Played here twice last week on beautiful spring days and as always loved every minute. # 2 course is my personal favourite though the other two are wonderful also. The 1st has been greatly toughened by the introduction of out-of-bounds on the left, and the 4th may be the best par 4 in the land. The 5th is a terrific par 3 and the 11th as good. To round it off you get to drive straight down Gullane Hill at the 17th! Relax over the pie, beans and chips in the clubhouse beside the 18th green and you will immediately start planning your next visit! |
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| 01 May 2006
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| | Sits perfectly along beside No1 but certainly does not lie in the shadow of it. The course will test your long irons especially the par 3 11th, a huge 211yrds which although downhill plays usually into the prevailing winds. A joy to play with two great closing holes. |
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| 15 December 2005
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| | For sheer variety and the need for shotmaking No 2 doesn't offer the challenge of No 1 for me. Many holes I felt were mundane. That said the 4th is a cracking par 4 and the 11th a superb downhill Par 3. The others didn't really get the pulse racing apart from the 13th which I thought was a fantastic uphill Par 4 requiring a precise 2nd shot. The greens seemed to be suffering from some disease, especially the 10th which was disappointing. However, on the whole a fair test of golf with penal rough. |
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| 12 July 2005
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| Tell me when you've played golf when the ground is completely covered in white frost - tees, fairways, greens, the lot!  Well I've done this here just before Christmas 2002 and there were PLENTY of others out on the course playing too. That is a measure of how well this place satisfies the golfing appetite of those who will play in all conditions, at any time. I had already played #2 in more conventional circumstances and have since played the other two but this course remains my favourite. Why? No.1 is too hilly and overpriced whilst no.3 is just too short (but charming nonetheless). Gullane is just so geared up to visiting golfers. It has an excellent visitors clubhouse, the greens are always in tip-top condition and the amount of winter work that is done on new bunker facings is just unbelievable - they must have an army of people looking after the place. The setting next to Aberlady Bay is magnificent and if you have not yet visited this unsung golfing mecca round the corner from Muirfield then you want to get your act together and do so soon. Buy a day ticket for #3 and #2 and make a day of it, you'll love the place. James McCann |
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| 21 January 2005
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| | Undoubtedly the second best course at Gullane, but worth playing nevertheless. Some wonderful views after a flat(ish) start. It's a bit bleak out here, especially when the wind blows. You get a real feeling of space and escape. Excellent greens and tremendous value for money too. Play No 2. as part of a day ticket...it works out cheaper overall. |
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| 24 September 2004
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