Musselburgh Links
{{Short description|Golf course in Musselburgh, Scotland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox golf facility
| name = Musselburgh Links, The Old Golf Course
| image = Starters Building Musselburgh Links Golf Course - geograph.org.uk - 1215823.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Old Starters Building (A new starters building was built in 2011).
| pushpin_map = UK Scotland |relief=1
| pushpin_mapsize =
| pushpin_map_caption =
| coordinates = {{coord|55|56|48|N|3|2|11|W|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| location =
| establishment =
| type = Public
| owner =
| operator = East Lothian Council
| holes = 9
| tournaments = The Open Championship (six times between 1874 and 1889)
| website = [http://www.musselburgholdlinks.co.uk/ musselburgholdlinks.co.uk]
| course1 =
| designer1 =
| par1 = 34
| length1 =
| rating1 =
| slope1 =
| record1 =
| image2 =
| imagesize2 =
| caption2 =
}}
Musselburgh Links, The Old Golf Course in Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland, is one of the oldest golf courses in the world.{{cite web|url=http://www.eastlothiannews.co.uk/sport/It39s-official-Musselburgh-golf-course.5082999.jp |title=It's official:Musselburgh golf course is worlds oldest|publisher=East Lothian News|date=20 March 2009|accessdate=10 July 2009}}{{cite web|url=http://www.pgatour.com/2009/tourlife/travel/03/23/course_of_week/index.html|title=Recognition for the world's oldest links, at last|publisher=PGA Tour|date=24 March 2009|accessdate=29 July 2009|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090402071632/http://www.pgatour.com/2009/tourlife/travel/03/23/course_of_week/index.html|archivedate=2 April 2009}} The course is not to be confused with The Royal Musselburgh Golf Club or the Levenhall Links.
Musselburgh Links is a publicly owned course, administered by East Lothian Council. Two golf clubs, Musselburgh Old Course Golf Club and Musselburgh Links Ladies Golf Club, are based at the course. 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; recently this 'record' was reassigned to St Andrews. There is documented evidence that golf was played at the links in 1672, while it is claimed that Mary, Queen of Scots, played nearby (at Seton) in 1567.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7949045.stm Links plays into the record books] BBC. Retrieved September 24, 2011
Musselburgh Links was originally seven holes, with an 8th added in 1838 and the 9th in 1870.
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,{{cite web|title=Musselburgh and Seton House|url=http://www.scottishgolfhistory.org/oldest-golf-sites/1567-musselburgh-and-seton-house/|website=Scottish Golf History|accessdate=29 February 2016}} and the course hosted six Opens in all, the first in 1874 and the last in 1889.{{cite web |last1=Sullivan |first1=Paul |title=Some Classic Golf Courses Have Fallen Off the Open Schedule |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/13/sports/golf/british-open-courses.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=17 July 2022 |date=13 July 2022}}
| class="wikitable" | ||||
| R1 | R2 | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1874 | {{flagicon|SCO}} Mungo Park 1st | 75 | 84 | 159 |
| 1877 | {{flagicon|SCO}} Jamie Anderson 1st | 82 | 78 | 160 |
| 1880 | {{flagicon|SCO}} Bob Ferguson 1st | 81 | 81 | 162 |
| 1883 | {{flagicon|SCO}} Willie Fernie 1st | 75 | 83 | 158 PO |
| 1886 | {{flagicon|SCO}} David Brown 1st | 79 | 78 | 157 |
| 1889 | {{flagicon|SCO}} 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.
Legacy
The course left a lasting legacy to the game's rules. The four-and-a-quarter-inch ({{convert|4.25|in|mm |disp=output only}}) 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.
Notes
{{reflist|group="note"| refs=
}}
References
{{reflist|refs=
}}
External links
- [http://www.musselburgholdlinks.co.uk/ Official website]
{{Open Championship Courses}}
Category:Sports venues in East Lothian
Category:Golf clubs and courses in East Lothian