Musselburgh Links
Musselburgh Links, The Old Golf Course in Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland, is generally accepted as being one of the oldest golf courses in the world.[1][2] The course is not to be confused with The Royal Musselburgh Golf Club or the Levenhall Links.
 Old Starters Building (A new starters building was built in 2011). | |
| Club information | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Coordinates | 55°56′48″N 3°2′11″W |
| Type | Public |
| Operated by | East Lothian Council |
| Total holes | 9 |
| Tournaments hosted | The Open Championship (six times between 1874 and 1889) |
| Website | musselburgholdlinks.co.uk |
| Par | 34 |
Musselburgh is currently a publicly owned course, administered by East Lothian Council. The course has nine holes, and is a par 34.
History
Musselburgh was once certified as being the oldest golf course in the world by Guinness World Records (but more recently they reassigned this 'record' to St Andrews). There is documented evidence that golf was played at the links in 1672, and it is claimed that Mary, Queen of Scots, played nearby (at Seton) in 1567.[3]
Musselburgh Links was originally seven holes, with an 8th added in 1838 and the 9th in 1870.[4]
Musselburgh was one of the three courses which staged The Open Championship in rotation in the 1870s and 1880s, alongside Prestwick and the Old Course at St Andrews. It was selected because it was used by the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, [5]and it hosted six Opens in all, the first in 1874 and the last in 1889.
| Year | Winner[note 1] | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | R2 | Total | ||
| 1874 |  Mungo Park 1st | 75 | 84 | 159 |
| 1877 | Jamie Anderson 1st | 82 | 78 | 160 |
| 1880 | Bob Ferguson 1st | 81 | 81 | 162 |
| 1883 | Willie Fernie 1st | 75 | 83 | 158 PO |
| 1886 | David Brown 1st | 79 | 78 | 157 |
| 1889 | Willie Park, Jr. 2nd | 78 | 77 | 155 PO |
When the Honorable Company built a private club at Muirfield, Musselburgh dropped out of the rotation for the Open.
On 14 July 2010, the course became a temporary heliport, when fog in Edinburgh forced the helicopter used by Elizabeth II and Prince Philip to land in front of the first tee.[6]
Legacy
The course left a lasting legacy to the game's rules. The four-and-a-quarter-inch (108 mm) diameter of a golf hole was the width of the implement used to cut the holes at Musselburgh; in 1893, the Royal and Ancient adopted the measurement as a mandatory requirement for all courses.[4]
Notes
- Superscript number beside the player's name is the number of the Open Championship in their respective careers.
References
- "It's official:Musselburgh golf course is worlds oldest". East Lothian News. 20 March 2009. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
- "Recognition for the world's oldest links, at last". PGA Tour. 24 March 2009. Archived from the original on 2 April 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
- Links plays into the record books BBC. Retrieved September 24, 2011
- "Course History". Musselburgh Links. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
- "Musselburgh and Seton House". Scottish Golf History. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- "Unexpected Royal Visitor". Musselburgh Links. 2010. Retrieved 2012-12-17.