Chapter 19 – Dunbar

I’m very lucky as a member at Dunbar GC, a top quality links course in East Lothian that has hosted many professional tournaments, including final qualifying rounds when the Open Championship is played at Muirfield.  Dunbar is a stiff test in its own right but is sometimes by-passed by visitors more attracted to Muirfield, Renaissance, Gullane 1, or the quirkiness of North Berwick’s West Links.  This is a general view of the first few and the last holes, with the town of Dunbar in the background.

Various changes have been made over the years since the original 15 holes were laid out in 1856, including changes made by Old Tom Morris in 1894 and by James Braid and Ben Sayers the early 1920’s. The photo above shows the current Holes 1-5, the 17^th green and Hole 18 with the existing red roofed clubhouse and an ancient wall that runs through most of the course. The club has plans to build a new clubhouse, 9 hole Par 3 course and driving range on land to the left of this picture adjacent to the current 2^nd fairway and it’s hoped that work will start in early 2024.   I’ve kept my membership at the Glen and only joined Dunbar a few years ago, some years after Polly had changed her own club membership from the Glen to Dunbar.  Although the Glen is a really good course with outstanding sea views, is playable all year round, it’s not a true links and plays mainly as a clifftop parkland course, with some links-like holes on the back 9 that run closer to the sea. Dunbar is a true links, is the better course overall and will get even better once the new development is complete and a minor change to the playing order of the course is in place.

Dunbar starts with a couple of Par 5’s.  The 1^st is relatively straightforward, the only significant issues being strategically placed fairway bunkering and a stream that runs across the fairway 20 or so yards short of the green. Without that stream the hole would be a very easy opener.  The 2^nd plays directly into the prevailing west wind and is a far more difficult proposition. Ball losing rough along the left of the fairway is ever present and the steeply sloping green makes putting tricky. The 3^rd is the first of 4 Par 3’s and is one of the best holes on the course. The prevailing wind narrows the shot required and strong bunkering protects the long and narrow green. From there, play switches to the seaward side of the ancient wall that runs through most of the course and you’re on that exposed section of the course until the 18^th, played from the landward side of the wall. 

The 4^th looks innocent enough, as a short 353 Yard Par 4, usually played downwind.  However, the wall to the right of the fairway is OOB and anything landing on the left side of the fairway may drift over onto the beach, so accuracy rather than length is your priority for the tee shot. The 5^th is normally just a mid-iron Par 3, but the bunkers play bigger than they look due to slopes around the plateau green. The 6^th is Dunbar’s Stroke Index 1 hole, thanks to a wide stream right in front of the green and OOB over the aforementioned wall and one of the largest sloping greens on the course. By this time you might be wary of the wall, which really bites into your line of play on the 7^th. Big hitters will try to cut the corner of the dog leg here but don’t be silly, just aim to finish your drive short of the middle bunker in the far distance. That will leave you a totally blind second shot to a sunken green that starts 3 feet left of the wall and OOB, as shown here.

The 8^th is a short uphill Par 4 that might involve a semi-blind second shot, but this is one of the easier holes, for me at least. I need that relief, because the 9^th can be a beast. This is a 532 yard Par 5 involving a blind drive to the top plateau of an old sand dune, a second blind shot avoiding hidden fairway bunkers and a third to an elevated green protected by strong bunkering. The 10^th is probably the most difficult of the Par 3s for most players, being a slightly downhill 202 yarder, usually played downwind. Make your par and walk away quietly, since another time this hole will surely extract its revenge. So far, Dunbar might have played relatively short for an Open Championship Final Qualifying standard course but rest assured, you’ll get enough length over the next couple of holes, which are 460 and 457 yard Par 4’s played directly into the prevailing westerly wind. The 12^th is particularly exposed to the wind and anything remotely right of centre might run alarmingly close to the beach. There’s tons of room to the left but going there just makes approach shots to the green even more difficult. These are usually bogey holes for me unless my short game is better than normal, but I’m having fun, so I don’t worry about such trivia.

The 13^th is the oddest hole on the course. It’s only 377 yards, but ideally your tee shot should hug the left of the fairway or even drift across to the 12^th, in order to simplify your shot into the sunken green. Second shots from the middle or right of the fairway need to flirt with bunkers to the right of the green. However, the sunken green itself is hidden behind a hillock and slopes steeply uphill front to back, as shown below. Par here is good enough for me.

The 14^th is a really strong 432 yard Par 4 hole, played downhill from an elevated tee, directly into the prevailing wind. However, the last 4 holes can play a bit easier, so if you’ve still got a score going, chances are you’ll be OK. The 15^th is slightly downhill and your second shot played to the infinity green looks as though anything even slightly over-hit might be in the sea.  There’s a few yards more to play with than you might think, but this is a really good fun hole, as shown below.

The 16^th is the last of the Par 3s and although it’s only 163 yards from the White medal tee, it can be tricky.  That wall comes into play again only a few feet left of the green and the sea awaits anything played even slightly too far right. So, can you hit an absolutely straight shot directly into the prevailing wind and avoid all of the bunkers? And you can forget the tip that links green usually run towards the sea on this particular hole. The slope here runs away from the sea but if there’s a straight putt on the green, please let me know. By this time the whole course is around 20 yards wide, between the wall and the sea so in your experience is there a narrower course out there somewhere?

The 17^th is a 375 yard Par 4 that I normally play off the yellow tee in bounce games, from a far more manageable 320 yards.  The hole plays into the prevailing wind and there’s a little stream 20 yards short of the green that comes into play, particularly on a windy day i.e. most days at Dunbar can be windy! And so to the last hole, a 435 yard Par 4 with OOB over the wall on the right side of the fairway. This is a really good hole if you can avoid the bunkers and avoid a 3 putt.  Tip - the green goes slightly uphill front to back.

I’ve played this course many times over the years and never tired of it.  There’s such a variety of holes out there, all with their own strengths and subtleties and as with all links courses, the wind and other weather conditions ensure that no two days are the same. In fact, if there was only one course I could play for the rest of my life, it would be here.  Maybe Dunbar isn’t what many would rate as their favourite course in Scotland. Most might opt for more prestigious names but for sheer fun, familiarity, playability and conditioning I’d be very content if that was to be my fate.  My lowest score over Dunbar is a gross 74, twice. However, lowest isn’t always best and I’ve played far better and scored significantly higher on other more inclement days. The current layout is 37 out, 34 back and after the planned redevelopment of the clubhouse etc. is finished, the current 2^nd will become the 1st hole, meaning that the layout will become 35 out, 36 back. I’m looking forward to that, and sitting at a window of our new clubhouse, looking out to sea, over the new layout.