Luffness New Golf Club
Links golf since 1894, laid out by Old Tom Morris, par 70 over 6,581 yards. Visitors play Sunday to Friday, never on a Saturday.
Luffness New is a quiet, traditional links on East Lothian's golf coast.
Old Tom Morris laid it out in 1894 on the Luffness estate, between Aberlady and Gullane, and the last six holes loop out towards Aberlady Bay. The greens are small, quick and true, and Bobby Locke once called them the best in Scotland. It's a private members' club with a warm welcome for visitors, who can play from Sunday to Friday. Pack a jacket and tie if you'd like to stay for lunch in the wood-panelled clubhouse, and it's only 18 miles from Edinburgh along the A198.
The UK's first Local Nature Reserve. The first Luffness course, from 1867, lay on its east side, over the mouth of the Peffer Burn, and some of Luffness New's holes now play over its northern part.
From Gullane Hill to the Luffness clubhouse, Darwin wrote, is one huge stretch of turf, 'the finest, smoothest, and most delicate that ever was seen.'
It dies back in winter, but after a wet summer it can add several shots to a card. Keep the ball low and in play when the wind is up.
18 holes. Par 70 and 6,581 yards from the blue tees, down to 5,576 from the red.
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Luffness Mill | Saltcoats | Gullane | Long | Milestone | Quarry | Hill | March | Inchkeith | Benty | Peffer Bank | Luffness | Well | Aberlady | Freddie Tait | Warren | Plantation | Home | |||
| Blue | 330 | 447 | 192 | 572 | 360 | 152 | 323 | 413 | 424 | 3,213 | 210 | 442 | 365 | 401 | 552 | 420 | 163 | 360 | 455 | 3,368 | 6,581 |
| White | 306 | 417 | 173 | 506 | 341 | 136 | 271 | 378 | 407 | 2,935 | 175 | 432 | 314 | 379 | 504 | 352 | 140 | 342 | 409 | 3,047 | 5,982 |
| Red | 306 | 374 | 173 | 483 | 322 | 136 | 271 | 355 | 367 | 2,787 | 155 | 331 | 314 | 301 | 502 | 348 | 140 | 304 | 394 | 2,789 | 5,576 |
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 70 |
| Ladies' par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 72 |
| Stroke index | 13 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 11 | 17 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 16 | 4 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 18 | 6 | 10 | |||
| Score |
The holes tinted yellow are the highlights below. Press one to read about it.
The first five holes are on the clubhouse side of the A198. Then you cross the road for the other thirteen, which climb the lower slopes of Gullane Hill and loop back round towards Aberlady Bay.
4Long
The longest hole on the card, a gently curving par five heading back towards the clubhouse. The club warns of a deceptive hollow in front of the green, so judge the approach with care.
- 7
Hill
A short par four with a blind drive up the lower slopes of Gullane Hill. The club's line is the white stone on the hill, with a fairway bunker waiting on the right.
- 8
March
Golf Monthly's favourite hole, for the view from the tee south-west over Aberlady Bay. Favour the left from the tee, and take care with a green that slopes away from you and runs quickly.
- 15
Freddie Tait
Named after Freddie Tait, twice Amateur Champion and a founder member of the club, and the second hardest hole on the card. Keep clear of the fairway bunkers and aim for a long, narrow green, with North Berwick Law in the far distance.
- 18
Home
A long par four to finish, doglegging back towards the A198. The green has its own valley of sin, in the spirit of Old Tom's design, so a par here is well earned.
An Old Tom Morris links of 1894 between Aberlady and Gullane, with small, true greens and a view over Aberlady Bay from the short 16th.
- Holes
- 18
- Par
- 70
- Yards
- 6,581
- Founded
- 1894
Booking
No online tee sheet: send the form, email or ring with a choice of dates. Visitors Sunday to Friday, never Saturday, in morning and afternoon windows; bring proof of handicap and a £50 deposit a player.
Green fees, 2026
- A round, March to October£210
- A day, March to October£260
- A round, November to February£110
To hire
- Caddie, if one can be found£70
- Buggy, medical reasons only£40
- Push trolley£7.50
The clubhouse
Lunch in the dining room, Tuesday to Sunday, with jacket and tie; soup and rolls on Mondays.
The Smoke Room, and a small casual bar where jacket and tie are not needed.
The club is on the A198 between Aberlady and Gullane, East Lothian EH32 0QA, 18 miles from the centre of Edinburgh.
Coming through Aberlady, it's on your right after about half a mile. The nearest stations are Drem and Longniddry, and from there you'll need a taxi.
Scotland, in print.
Every photograph commissioned, every word written by somebody who went. Printed twice a year, made in Scotland.
More courses in East Lothian, and the collections this one is in.
For further reading, before you go.
- Book a roundThe club's visitor booking form, with the rules for visitors.luffnessnew.com↗
- VisitorsVisitor times day by day, the dress code, caddies, trolleys and buggies.luffnessnew.com↗
- Green feesThe 2026 and 2027 fees, and the deposit.luffnessnew.com↗
- The scorecardEvery tee, par and stroke index, with the course ratings.luffnessnew.com↗
- CateringLunch in the dining room, the casual bar, and the week's menu.luffnessnew.com↗
- Getting thereDirections by car and train, and local taxi numbers.luffnessnew.com↗
- The courseThe club's notes on every hole.luffnessnew.com↗
- The historyHow the club began in 1894, Old Tom Morris and Freddie Tait.luffnessnew.com↗
- The clubhouseThe Smoke Room, the dining room and the dress code.luffnessnew.com↗
- Golf Monthly on Luffness NewA hole-by-hole review of the course, 2021.golfmonthly.com↗
- Top100 on Luffness NewThe history, the 1894 opening and a review.top100golfcourses.com↗
- Old LuffnessScottish Golf History on the first Luffness course of 1867, and how Luffness New began.scottishgolfhistory.org↗