Dunbar (East Links)

Overview: Dunbar East Links is an 18-hole coastal course on a narrow piece of ground between a red sandstone wall and the North Sea. The shoreline, rocky edges and exposed wind give the course a strong sense of place, while the fairways and greens move through a landscape that has supported golf for centuries. At 6,597 yards and par 71 from the published figures used here, it is not dependent on brute length to create its challenge. The changing coastal angles, firm running ground and need to play beside the wall or toward the sea make accuracy and imagination important throughout the round.

History: Dunbar Golf Club has been based on the East Links since 1856, and the town has more than 400 years of documented golf history. The first club course had fifteen holes; an 18-hole layout followed in 1880. Old Tom Morris altered seven holes in 1894, the Deer Park land was incorporated in 1905, and James Braid with Ben Sayers laid out the course that is largely played today during the 1922 to 1924 development. The course was later extended to 6,597 yards in 2008, adding a modern layer to a very old links setting.

Did You Know? Dunbar has attracted an extraordinary line of historic golfers, including James Braid, J. H. Taylor, Harry Vardon, Willie Park and Old Tom Morris. In more recent decades the club has also welcomed major professionals such as Vijay Singh, Colin Montgomerie, Paul McGinley, Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia for championships, qualifiers and exhibition matches.