The SOCIETY Newsletter #85

The Seaside Links That Lost the Sea

In the heart of East Lothian lies the ancient links of Musselburgh —a place steeped in golf history. For centuries it was considered a true links course, a sandy strip shaped by wind and tide along the Firth of Forth. It was here that the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers played before moving to Muirfield, and where the Open Championship was contested six times between 1874 and 1889.

But there’s a strange twist in Musselburgh’s story. Unlike St Andrews, Carnoustie, or Troon, this “seaside links” is now landlocked—a links course that no longer touches the sea.

From Coastline to Coalfields

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, East Lothian’s economy was powered not just by golf and fishing but by coal mining. To fuel the Industrial Revolution, mine operators dug deep into the seams beneath the land between Musselburgh and the sea.

(If you look closely at the 1945 aerial of Musselburgh Links above, you can see the beginning of the coal spoils taking root. As of this 1945 aerial, Musselburgh was starting to be separated from the Firth of Forth.)

The byproduct was a mountain of spoil—waste earth and rock hauled out with the coal. Instead of being carted away, much of this spoil was tipped onto the shoreline itself, gradually creating a new landscape where sand dunes and sea grass had once rolled.

(A modern aerial view of Musselburgh Links (above) gives us an idea of how the coal spoils changed the landscape. The Ancient Links of Musselburgh, once on the shores of the Firth of Forth is now ½ mile away from the shore).

Over time, this man-made barrier cut off Musselburgh Links from the water’s edge. The seaside links became a course in name only, separated from the sea it once embraced.

An Open Championship Venue in Transition

When Musselburgh hosted the Open in the 1800s, spectators could look out across the links and see the glimmering waters of the Forth. Champions like the great Willie Park Sr, Mungo Park, Bob Ferguson, David Brown, Willie Fernie, and Willie Park Jr. holed their putts on ground kissed by the salt air.

But as coal spoil piled higher, the view and character of the course shifted. By the early 20th century, Musselburgh was no longer the seaside course of memory. It was still sandy underfoot, still windswept—but cut off from the very element that gave links golf its name.

A Living Relic, Shaped by History

Today, Musselburgh is both a living relic and a curiosity. It remains one of the world’s oldest continuously played courses, a place where you can swing hickory clubs and walk in the footsteps of Open champions. Yet, it also stands as a reminder of how industrial progress reshaped even the most sacred golfing ground.

Coal built fortunes, powered cities, and changed coastlines. At Musselburgh, it also stole the sea from a seaside course. In a sad bit of irony, Museelburgh’s 5th hole, a hole said to be a favorite of Bobby Jones is named the Sea Hole because its green was often kissed by the salty froth of high tide. Now the sea hole is almost a mile from the sea.

To stand on Musselburgh’s turf today is to feel a mix of pride and poignancy. You play a links laid out centuries ago, but the rhythm of the waves no longer beats at its side. It is golf’s great irony—a seaside links where the sea has slipped away.

How would the view from Musselburgh Links Look Today?

To answer that question, let’s take a close look at John Smart’s beautiful painting called “In Pandy Play Two More” painted in 1888 and compare it to the view from what is left from the coal spoils.

How might Musselburgh Links be viewed today if she still sat upon the Firth of Forth? A true seaside links with 6 Open Championships under its belt.

In truth Musselburgh Links has been robbed of its roots in more ways than one. It’s been robbed of its major, it’s lost its historical clubs, its clubmakers, its ballmakers, it’s been robbed of it’s life blood, the sea and for many, it’s been robbed of its legacy. It was at one time the second hub of golf in Scotland and now it’s a footnote.

Imagine how taking away the sea would effect Pebble Beach - it’s a loss that can’t be understood with mere words because it’s a loss of one’s heart, especially for a links course.

I want to do my best to change this story.

An Unkind History for a Historic Links — And a Dream to Make a Difference

Musselburgh Links has endured a difficult 125 years. Some might say its zenith came in 1874, when it proudly hosted its first Open Championship. But soon after, the cracks began to show. The links became overcrowded, and the four historic clubs who once shared its fairways began to drift away.

The first departure was the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, who in 1891–92 abandoned Musselburgh—taking with them the 1892 Open Championship that was originally slated for the links. Just two years later, the Royal Burgess Golfing Society left for its new Old Tom Morris design. In 1895, Bruntsfield Golfing Society followed suit, establishing itself on a Willie Park Junior course. The last to remain was the famed Royal Musselburgh, founded in 1774, but even it succumbed to the march of time, moving in 1922 to a James Braid design—leaving behind the nine-hole links, which by then seemed unfashionable.

As these historic clubs departed, so too did the artisans—the ball makers and clubmakers—who had thrived in Musselburgh. In scarcely a decade, the Links that had once stood as one of golf’s great pedestals was reduced to a relic, a seaside course that slowly began losing even its seaside.

And yet…

I believe there is hope for the Ancient Links of Musselburgh. My dream is to establish a new club here—simply called The Society. A club of stewards, working alongside the Musselburgh Old Course Golf Club, the city, and those entrusted with this sacred ground, to restore Musselburgh to its rightful place in golf’s pantheon. A club that honors history while acting as a responsible neighbor to the racetrack that shares the land.

It is a dream—but one that feels within reach. To purchase and restore one of the old clubhouses as our own. To bring Mrs. Forman’s back to life, its welcoming light shining once more on the 4th green. To rebuild Pandemonium Bunker. To reclaim, piece by piece, the glory of Musselburgh.

This is more than nostalgia. It is an investment in the very soul of golf. A chance to save history by becoming its custodian. To create not just a clubhouse, but a home—a place where members of The Society can gather, knowing they stand on the cradle of the game itself.

Musselburgh Links is known as the “Cradle of Golf.” But perhaps now, at long last, it is time to wake this sleeping giant.

A BIT OF MUSSELBURGH GOLF HISTORY:

The Origin of the 4.25-Inch Golf Hole

Every golfer, from weekend hacker to Open Champion, plays to the same target: a hole measuring 4.25 inches in diameter. But have you ever wondered why it’s exactly that size—and not larger or smaller? The answer takes us back to the early 19th century and the historic links at Musselburgh, Scotland.

The First Standard Hole – Musselburgh, 1829

In 1829, the golfers at Musselburgh Links faced a practical problem. They expected new hole locations to be cut regularly, but without a consistent tool, holes varied in size and depth. To solve this, a man by the name of Robert Gray fashioned a hole-cutter from iron and utilized a section of drainpipe that happened to measure 4.25 inches across.

The simple tool created holes that were uniform in size, depth, and shape. By chance, that drainpipe diameter would become golf’s most enduring standard.

From Local Practice to Global Rule

The new cutter worked so well that Musselburgh’s hole size quickly became the accepted norm across Scotland. As golf grew, so did the need for consistency. When the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews reviewed the rules in the late 19th century, they adopted the Musselburgh measurement of 4.25 inches as the official size in 1891.

From that moment on, every hole in the world—from Augusta National to your local municipal course—was bound by the same dimensions first introduced at Musselburgh.

A Small Hole with a Big Legacy

The 4.25-inch hole remains one of the most significant—and underappreciated—standardizations in golf history. Without it, putting would vary wildly from course to course, and the very nature of the game would be inconsistent.

What began as a clever greenkeeping solution on a nine-hole links inside a horse racing track became the foundation for modern golf, ensuring fairness and uniformity across the sport.

Final Thought

Next time you stand over a putt, remember: you’re aiming at history. That little 4.25-inch circle is more than a hole in the ground—it’s a piece of golf’s legacy, handed down from Musselburgh Links nearly two centuries ago.

SOCIETY UPDATES:

• We are working to formalize the Society of Golf Historians which will include membership and an Annual Meeting. Due to demand our Annual Meeting will reserve the initial registrations spots for members and then will be open to non-members.

• Our annual meeting is tentatively scheduled to be held at Belleair CC, the oldest golf course in the state of Florida on January 19, 2026.

• We are a couple weeks away from offering Society of Golf Historians merchandise that is inspired by the Golf Posters from the 1920s.

• For more information email me at [email protected] 

Thank you for taking the time to read our weekly newsletter. If you have ideas or would like to contribute to the newsletter please reach out to the email above.

Yours in Golf History,

Connor T.