We’re a competitive lot us Scots. Proud as well. On the course wagers to “liven†things up lead to feuds, gamesmanship and, in extreme cases, divorce. Off the course we fall over each other as we claim “firsts†and “oldests.†Oldest course, first links course, oldest club, oldest tea lady. It’s all up for grabs.
Now Edinburgh’s port, Leith, is getting in on the act. I live in Leith, I work in Leith and I socialise in Leith but until recently I was unaware of its golfing history. Separate from Edinburgh until the 1920’s it is a curious place. As the docks closed and the builders moved in so upmarket flats have begun to appear next to the early morning working men’s pubs. Polish immigrants live side by side with fourth or fifth generation Irish families.
Scornful of Edinburgh and facing the sea with deep pride but great bonhomie, Leith is unique. And yes, in part and in the past, it did deserve the infamy that Irvine Welsh brought it in Trainspotting.
What’s this got to do with golf? Well, Leith occupies a pivotal place in world golf. Turn right at the foot of Leith’s main artery, Leith Walk, and you may pass a pub called the Golf Tavern. You might wonder at the name but give it little more thought (and you probably won’t be tempted to go in). Cross over and you find yourself on Leith Links (another give away) and as you enjoy a pleasant walk past the football games, play parks, allotments and cricket pitches you might see a small stone cairn. Like most others, locals and visitors alike, you probably won’t investigate. Leith, like Edinburgh, has a fondness for remembrance and commemoration that allows monument fatigue to set in very quickly.
But the cairn marks the spot where the Gentlemen Golfers of Leith used to satisfy their golfing urges. And it was there, in 1744, that the Gentlemen Golfers wrote down the first ever rules of the game. That first written record, including instructions to play each shot honestly and not aim at a competitor’s ball, that the player whose ball lies furthest from the hole plays first, and that objects such as sticks and leaves should not be removed unless on the green, became the basis for the rules that are still used today.
Sadly the Gentlemen Golfers died out, some moving east as the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers and setting up home at Muirfield, and golf disappeared from the Links. Indeed it is currently banned to preserve the safety of passers by after youths began using joggers and dog walkers as moving targets. A group of dedicated enthusiasts, however, have tried to keep the flame alight by staging a four day Hickory Open each year. Using traditional clubs and period dress they play a temporary course on Leith Links governed by those original rules.
Now the organisers of that event, the Leith Rules Golf Society, have moved a step closer to getting golf back on the Links permanently. Plans are in place for a nine hole pitch and putt course that would allow everyone to play on the same stretch of land as those trendsetting Gentlemen Golfers enjoyed. Yet another statue, of John Rattray who founded the club in the 18th century, would watch over the first tee.
It is, of course, another attempt to grab a slice of the money pie that golf delivers to Scotland. But in recognising the home of the rules that have frustrated, challenged and delighted us for generations Scotland, the home of golf, would be doing a great service to the history of the game.
Hello Andy
Following your letter on directions to the origins of Golf..
“Turn right at the foot of Leith’s main artery, Leith Walk, and you may pass a pub called the Golf Tavern. You might wonder at the name but give it little more thought (and you probably won’t be tempted to go in). Cross over and you find yourself on Leith Links (another give away) and as you enjoy a pleasant walk past the football games, play parks, allotments and cricket pitches you might see a small stone cairn.”
I can recommend the following adjustment as when you say you “might see a small stone cairn” with the instructions as given you won’t.
So, follow Leith Walk to the end (Foot of the walk), turn right into Duke Street. Then turn left into Duncan Place (“The Golf” pub is just past the corner, on the right.). At the end of Duncan Place, at the northern tip/corner of Claremont Park (Leith Links) you will see the cairn (1m high / 1 m square) with a plaque indicating the original course layout.
If you follow the original instructions, you will end up at the south end of the park/links (Don’t pass the playing field, the allotments, the cricket club and don’t rely on locals to know where it is).
This said, if you visit Edinburgh, it is worth the trip.
Regards
John
😯 Fancy that…. Please give us more history about the great Scottish Golf Courses…which, to most of us, are the best courses in the whole of the world, mostly kept as nature intended, but, please do not make our American friends grind their teeth, as they are extremely jealous of our golfing heritage..:oops:
Regards Ted