EAST LOTHIAN: A GOLFERS PARADISE? |
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October 2020
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East Lothian: A Golfers Paradise?...
Hello Everyone!
With The Masters at Augusta National just around the corner and more people than ever currently taking up the sport, I would like to welcome you all to Adams & Butler's new bi-monthly Golf Newsletter - don't worry our regular newsletters will be continuing. Firstly, a big congratulations to this years first two major champions Collin Morikawa, winner of the 2020 PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, and Bryson DeChambeau, winner of the 2020 US Open Championship at Winged Foot. Secondly, let me introduce myself. My name is Jamie and I am in the in-house golf specialist at Adams & Butler. I have met and spoken to some of you before, but for those of you who I haven't had the chance to meet yet, I just want to say hello and I look forward to meeting you all at some point in the future. I joined the Adams & Butler team in early 2019 and what an incredible journey it has been so far.
When Siobhan first floated the idea of me writing a golf newsletter, I'm not going to lie to you, I was apprehensive. I don't see myself as a natural writer, and I tend to ramble on a bit too much rather than get to the point (just like I'm doing here). As such, my idea for this newsletter is for it to be viewed as more of a personal blog and discussion with you all rather than a newsletter. I will share my favorite golf courses with you all, some hidden gems I've found and a bucket list course I am yet to play. With each addition I would love to hear back from some of you on where you would like to play, and maybe if we share a course on our bucket list, we can play it together.
In this first addition I will take you through my experience of golf in East Lothian, Scotland. I was lucky enough to enjoy a trip here last October during Scottish Golf Tourism Week, and I am going to share my thoughts with you here. I would be delighted to hear from you on any of your favorite courses in East Lothian or if you have a bucket list course you wish to play, drop me an email and let's start a discussion!
Best wishes and take care,
Jamie Hore
Travel Designer & Golf Specialist
Adams & Butler
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Much like myself, first time visiting golfers to Scotland would often want to flock to St. Andrews, and who can blame them? The mecca of golf is here - The Old Course St. Andrews. Often, when visiting for a second time, visitors tend to head west, to Ayrshire, to play the likes of Trump Turnberry, Royal Troon and Prestwick. What people are starting to find is that both St. Andrews and Ayrshire have begun to become crowded and tee times are hard to come by. This leaves visitors to look for an alternative.
Located just east of Edinburgh, you will find the Scottish county of East Lothian. Previously thought of as the hidden gem of Scottish Golf, this idea has started to change over the past few years with more and more people visiting and playing here. Being less crowded than St. Andrews and with twenty-two golf courses on a 30 mile stretch of jaw dropping coastline East Lothian, or Scotland's Golf Coast as it is now known, may be the rival that St. Andrews didn't know it had.
For more information click here.
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This was quite a difficult decision to make as there was quite a few courses that I came close to choosing as my favorite (Muirfield, Gullane and the Renaissance Club) alas I finally settled on the West Links at North Berwick. For some reason I had never heard of this course until about 5 years ago, perhaps I'm showing my age here, but once I had heard of it it was a must visit. The first thing that strikes you is how close to the main street the 1st tee and 18th green are, a mini St. Andrews of sorts. The golf course is slightly raised above sea level and therefore offers you excellent views throughout your round. The first thing I noticed about the golf course is how short the rough is. The club like to keep playing times to around 3 hours, as such the rough is kept relatively short to speed up play and in turn make your round a much more enjoyable experience. There is nothing worse than spending your day hacking out of the traditional, deep, thick, links style rough.
It may not be the longest course in the world but it certainly is a unique experience. My favorite feature of the course are the stonewalls that weave through it - the 13th hole, known as Pit, is my personal favorite hole on the course, purely because it has character. With a stone wall protecting the front and right of the green and two mounds protect the left and back of the green you will need an accurate approach to set up a birdie chance. Throughout your round you will also have to negotiate deep pot bunkers, burns, blind shots and all sorts of humps and hollows. The clubhouse offers a warm welcome for everyone who visits and has views out to sea, while overlooking the 1st tee and 18th green. It is the perfect spot to enjoy a post round drink and a spot of food as you watch your fellow golfers come down the 18th hole with the sun setting over this most charming of links courses.
For more information click here.
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For me this was perhaps the easiest decision I had to make while putting together this newsletter. My hidden gem for golf in East Lothian is Glen Golf Club, also known as the East Links of North Berwick. I would argue this was my best overall experience of golf in East Lothian. From the very moment we arrived a group of members were waiting to show us around their club. We were all assigned a personal guide and straight out to the course we went. The first hole is nothing to write home about, a short par 4, with the approach to the green taking you 50 feet up a steep hill. But once you reach the top of the hill the course unveils itself, and what a sight to behold. High above the sea level the course is more of a clifftop course than true links and offers amazing views out towards Bass Rock, North Berwick's answer to Turnberry's Ailsa Craig. The front 9 takes you inland for the most part, but once you hit the 9th tee you head for the clifftops, with holes 9,12,13,14,17 and 18 all memorable. The course isn't overly difficult, distance wise it's not long and the rough is long but whispy so relatively easy to find your ball and get it out. The one thing that you could argue holds the course back is the turf quality and the relatively flat greens in comparison to the other courses in the area, although for me this isn't too much of an issue. My personal favorite hole was the 13th, a blind par-3 along the cliff down towards the beach - truly one of the most dramatic in Scotland. The clubhouse was perhaps the most welcoming, and very much had a homely feel to it. I would have happily spent the rest of my day there chatting to the members and enjoying a few drinks.
I had never heard of the Glen Golf Club before my trip and not many people I know had. I now make sure anyone who is thinking of visiting Scotland for golf knows about Glen Golf Club. It is one of the most underrated golf courses in Scotland in my opinion.
For more information click here.
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A Course for the Bucket List |
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Maybe a surprising choice for some, but I have decided to pass up the chance to add Muirfield to my bucket list and I have added Kilspindie Golf Club. A short golf course at 5,480 yards and par 69, I came across Kilspindie while watching the No Laying Up "Tourist Sauce" video series a few years ago. Side note - if you are into your golf, like myself, I highly recommend listening to the No Laying Up podcasts and subscribing to them on youtube to follow their video series'. The impression I got was that Kilspindie was a golf course for people of all abilities, it is golf in its simplest form, a step back to the old days. This is a type of golf course that I feel I haven't experienced much, but something I feel will help me appreciate the game more.
For more information click here.
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We're so delighted to announce that CEO and founder of Adams & Butler, Siobhan Byrne Learat, has once again been included on the Travel + Leisure A-List as a Top Travel Advisor for the Ireland, UK and also Africa. Adams & Butler work closely with our trusted suppliers and valued partners, and it is they who make us who we are. https://bit.ly/34hjb0L
"This Ireland and United Kingdom specialist is the CEO and founder of luxury travel design company Adams & Butler. Based in Dublin, Learat knows the right people all over the region. She can introduce clients to locals of all stripes - authors, athletes, farmers, specialty-food producers, even the owners of grand old estates, many of whom are happy to host for dinner or a stay. Learat also has a home in Kenya, and does double duty as an advisor for that country, as well as other East African destinations, including Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. Whether planning a trip in Europe or in Africa, every one of her itineraries emphasizes conscious and responsible travel. "Clients don't want to simply see and do, but rather feel and engage with real people at all levels," she says. "We work with a lot of one-man-band-type local suppliers and guides. That always adds vibrancy to a trip.
For more information click here.
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The Adams & Butler's Promise
Adams & Butler will be there to hold your hand 24/7 before, during and after your stay.
Our client is you the guest, not the property, so we will always put your interests first.
We will negotiate the best possible rates for you, and offer you many complimentary exclusive benefits.
We will discuss, not just the positive, but also the negative aspects, so that we chose together the perfect option for you.
Adams & Butler has a long standing relationship with the owners built over years of successful bookings for our clients, they appreciate our business and love our clients - so they will spoil you!
Our expertise and knowledge extends beyond the property into the local villages, towns and countryside where we will curate a customised itinerary for you, filled with as many activities and private visits as you desire.
We also have a 100% credit postponement policy and a generous cancellation policy to allay any concerns.
Rest assured that your health, happiness, and well-being are our top priority.
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Contact Us
Telephone:
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Siobhan Byrne Learat is a
Conde Nast Traveler Top Villa Specialist , a Travel + Leisure A-List Advisor, a finalist at the Irish Green Awards 2020 and winner of best professional at the Irish Travel Industry Awards 2020.
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2 Aspen Court,
Dublin, D18 K3T2 Ireland
+353 86 2329932
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