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Rhodes/North Berwick Burgh Golf Clubs, East Links Course. (1894 – WW2)

Nine-hole course that opened in April 1894.

The course went into abeyance in the 1890s

The East Links course was taken over by the Burgh Council in 1906 and the North Berwick Burgh Golf Club came into being. They shared the course with the Rhodes Golf Club who continued to play on the course until the late 1930s. 

The current Glen Golf Club appeared in the early 1930s.

Reports on the opening of the course in April 1894.

Dundee Courier Tuesday 17 April 1894. Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

"Golf" Friday 4 May 1894. Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Ordnance Survey Map from the 1890s showing East Links and Rhodes Braes.

O.S Map Revised 1893; © Crown Copyright {year of publication 1895}.

From the Edinburgh Evening News Saturday 12 May 1906 - "North Berwick - Rhodes Club - With the object of instituting a new golf club in connection with the Corporation links to the east of the town a meting of shop-assistants and others was held last night at the Oddfellows' Hal, North Berwick. Mr White presided over a large attendance. It was unanimously agreed that a club be formed with the title Rhodes Golf Club, and the necessary arrangements were made thereon."

George Dalziel was the first captain of the North Berwick Burgh Golf Club.

Golf’s Missing Links worked closely with the authors, John F Moreton and Iain Cumming, who wrote “James Braid and his Four Hundred Golf Courses” published in 2013. We particularly assisted with defunct Braid courses.

Following is the article from the book on the visit of James Braid to the East Links, North Berwick, on 25 November 1905 - “Although some authorities cite this course as one of Braid’s first attempts at course design in 1894 Golf Illustrated reported in December 1905 that James Braid and Ben Sayers joined forces to lay out the charming cliff top course known as the East Links in the Scottish town. This is also the home of the North Berwick Golf Club which plays on the West Links, an historic course and cradle of many famous amateur and professional golfers. Rhodes Farm and the old Rhodes course was the site of the new course, which was owned by the town, which saw it as an amenity for both townsfolk and visitors and a relief course for the popular West Links.

Once the first hole, with its steep climb up to the green, has been negotiated, the golfer is presented with views of the Bass Rock, Tantallon Castle, North Berwick Law and the Fife coast across the Firth of Forth. However, originally, Sayers and Braid’s immediate concern was the the ravine to be crossed by the tee shot to the second, a par 3. Unfortunately, this hole has been changed and is now a par 4 which takes a player on to the old Rhodes course. Mackenzie Ross remodelled the course but retained much of its original charm and character, including the spectacular “Sea Hole”, which was the fourteenth but is now the thirteenth. In the long account of the course in Golf Illustrated 8 December 1905, a “Special Correspondent described it as; as full sport as any golfer could wish for. The tee is on a promontory at the eastern limit the Rhodes course, and huge boulders and an arm of the sea have to be crossed to reach a prettily situated green.

The seventeenth is a very strong hole coming in, a sliced second shot having a chance of finding either a car park or the beach. The eighteenth takes the player back down the hill with a grateful drive to a generous fairway. While not as demanding as the West Links, the course is a bracing and enjoyable test. Ben Sayers was renowned as a club maker but sadly the factory of the firm he founded no longer functions in North Berwick. He claimed to have laid out a number of courses but one suspects he needed Braid’s skills in devising his home town’s new amenity.”  

Edinburgh Evening News Saturday 2 December 1905. Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Edinburgh Evening News Thursday 15 November 1906. Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Report on the North Berwick Burgh Golf Club in December 1906.

The Scotsman Saturday 8 December 1906. Image © National World Publishing Ltd.

In January 1907 Mr Haldine M.P. presented a cup for competition for members of the North Berwick Rhodes Golf Club. A trophy was also gifted to the club by Robert Maxwell, amateur champion.

The Scotsman Monday 4 February 1907. Image © National World Publishing Ltd.

Rhodes Golf Club play over the new 18-hole course on the East Links.

The Scotsman Saturday 27 August 1907. Image © National World Publishing Ltd.

A 36-hole professional tournament was played in June 1908 to celebrate the official opening of the Burgh golf course. Leading scores and prize money; J G Sherlock, Oxford, 36-hole score 137 (£40); A Herd, Huddersfield, 158 (£20); J H Taylor, Richmond, 161 (£10); D Kinnell, Prestwick St Nicholas, 163 (£5); P Mackenzie, Gullane; W Hunter, Richmond; R Thornton, North Berwick, all scored 164 (£4/3s/4d); Arthur Grant, Biarritz and George Pulford, Hoylake, 166 (£2/10s); Ben Sayers jun., Wimbledon; David Grant, Biarritz; George Duncan, Ealing, 167 (£16s/8d). Special prize of £5 for best round went to J H Taylor, 74.

Competition played in June 1911.

Southern Reporter Thursday 29 June 1911.Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From the 1912 Nisbet's Golf Yearbook two clubs play over the East Links.

Rhodes Golf Club; Instituted 1906; Members 50; Hon. secretary - Chas Johnston, 16 Melbourne Road, North Berwick.

North Berwick Burgh Golf Club East Links Course; Instituted 1906; Hon. secretary - A D Wallace, Town Clerk's Office; Entrance fee, nil; Subs, 21 shillings original members; new members, 30s; 18-holes; Visitors, 1s a day, 4s a week, 10s a month; No Sunday play. This 18-hole course, situated to the east of the town, on  high ground overlooking the sea, commands a magnificent view. Although it has only been open three years. the course has already proved a great boon to visitors, and is expected to rival in popularity to the famous links to the west of the town. 

Further changes were made to the course in 1914. The Scottish Professional Championship was played over the revised course in May 1914. Robert Maxwell, North Berwick, advised on the new layout.

The Scotsman Friday 29 May 1914. Image © National World Publishing Ltd.

It was reported in February 1915 that the committee of the North Berwick Burgh Golf Club had decided not to hold any competitions during the continuance of the war.

Daily Record Tuesday 30 August 1927. Image © Reach plc. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

From the 1928 Golfer’s Handbook; The Corporation have acquired an 18-hole course at the east end of the town and visitors are allowed to play at a charge of; (June to September, 2s a day); (October to May 1s/6d a day) 8s/6d a week, 12s/6d a fortnight, £1 a month, £1/10s a year; Professional, A Gilholm; Course records; Amateur, D Motgomery, 67; Professional, W Watt, 68.

Death of a founder member in 1935.

The Scotsman Monday 15 April 1935. Image © National World Publishing Ltd.

From the Edinburgh Evening News Saturday 4 February 1939 – “The Rhodes Golf Club held their annual meeting in the in the Forrester’s Hall, North Berwick. The following trophies, won during the past season, were presented; Tantallon Medal; John Fender; Haldane Cup; Jas. Thompson; Farquharson Scratch Medal; John Fender; Coronation Championship Cup; John Flynn; Maxwell Shield; W Leggett; Dalziel Medal; A J Ford. The following office-bearers were appointed for the ensuing season; President, R Smith; Vice-president, A J Ford; Captain, C W Thomson; Hon. secretary and treasurer, Jas. Ritchie.”