Played by NCG: Longniddry Golf Club

Reason for a Longniddry Golf Club review

Four of us from the Sports Publications commercial team decided to organise one trip each this year and mine was up first. Is there a better golfing destination in the UK for volume of golf courses within a 30 mile coastline? Some great pubs too for a pint!

Where is Longniddry Golf Club?

East Lothian, a 15 minute drive East of Edinburgh. 3 hours 45 minutes from Leeds with 18 holes at Goswick Golf Club perfectly breaking up the journey.

What to expect:

For the majority of golfers on trips playing pure links, Longniddry offers something a little different with a parkland style course but with some of the fun links qualities.

At 6,271 yards off the whites Longniddry isn’t long, but a double take on the card and you realise in it has no par-5s.

However birdie chances will come with drivable par-4s at the 5th and 11th – the former requiring a high towering draw 320 carry into easily one of the world’s biggest elevation two tiered greens.

The best holes are arguably the more tree-lined but the later back 9 holes are equally strong in test and give fantastic views out across the North Sea to Fife.

My best bit:

After the downhill par-3 6th you walk across a small road to the hardest hole on the course the 7th – Gorse Ridge.

Rightly so it requires a long straight drive with an out of bounds wall left and tall trees right.

The green has a friendly slope to kick your ball in from the left but if the pins there don’t short side yourself, with fast greens the best you can hope for is 10 feet for your up and down.

What to look out for:

Although short, Longniddry should be approached with caution! Too often the par-4s tempt driver out the bag chasing birdie but bring danger into play. Holes 5, 8, 9 and 12 particularly require something around 200 yards off the tee.

When I go back:

Unless you can carry the ball 300+ don’t take on the stream running across the fairway on 14, lay it back short inside the fairway bunker and accept a longer second.

The par 3 13th green slopes hugely from front to back, play for the front portion of the green to avoid a high-tariff two putt.