Useful Links

Scotland

Many of the courses listed here are within an hour's driving of Edinburgh, which is a popular base for visiting Scotland. Local events, tours, shopping and other accommodation are available from Visit Scotland - Edinburgh and Lothian's official website.

However, for courses in the north or south west of Scotland, it is advisable to stay locally, such as in Inverness or Aberdeen or Prestwick.

The British Golf Collectors Society is the golf club for those interested in collecting golf memorabilia and researching golf history. It arranges golf matches and meetings, particularly hickory competitions, and trade events. Though based in UK, it has thousands of members from all over the world. 

They publish a quarterly magazine call Through The Green on matters of golf history, which can be accessed via their website.  The website also contains links to businesses in golf memorabilia including auction houses, museums, sisters clubs, trophies, books and hickory golf clubs. For the sake of convenience the other golf historical society links are copied here.

See also the Society of Hickory Golfers in USA - see below.

There is now a China Golf Collectors Society. It has no website yet, but the BGCS has details of contacts.

The Czech Golf Federation supports hickory competitions and a hickory society.

International Blind Golf Association

The International Blind Golf Association overseas international golf competitions and draws together organisations in several countries for blind and visually impaired golfers. There are links to the Australian, Canadian, English and USA Blind Associations among others on the members' page. 

Blind Golf Scotland have launched their own website with new branding and Facebook page. BGS is a registered charity whose purpose is to provide access to training, support and competitions to registered blind and visually impaired people in Scotland. They are an associate member country of IBGA and are recognised as a governing body by the Royal & Ancient.

Clubs

Scottish Golf Club websites 1735 - 1885 and those researched or referenced in this website are listed here. 

Golf Club websites for the rest of the world 1776 - 1885 and those researched or referenced in this website are listed here.

Golf's Lost Golf Courses

There are two sites documenting the many golf courses that have disappeared.

Forgotten Greens of Scotland has documented and published details of many courses which have vanished in Scotland.  It also has a short biography of the overlooked golf course architect Alexander McHardy, who was responsible for laying out over 100 courses, which is more than Old Tom Morris and James Braid put together.

Golf's Missing Links provides details not just about many lost golf courses in Scotland, but also hundreds in England, Ireland and Wales.

The main aim of the Leith Rules Golf Society is to increase the recognition of Leith Links as the home of the earliest recorded rules of golf and one of the game's prominent early locations.

The Society raised funds for a commemorative statue to Dr John Rattray on Leith Links. The statue itself was completed in 2017, and installed on the Links in Sept 2019.

The Society of Hickory Golfers in USA, whose mission is to promote and encourage the playing of hickory golf, was formed 15 years ago. They operate an extensive website with information on hickory lay and handicaps and produce a bi-annual publication on golf history. 

The R&A World Golf Museum (formerly the British Golf Museum) tells the story of golf in Britain and elsewhere from the 17th century to the present day.

Check website for free entry days and latest prices. 

"Beginning as a cabinet of curiosities in the 1800s and known as the British Golf Museum for the past 30 years, it then entered a new era in 2021 as The R&A World Golf Museum." 

It is located in Golf Place, opposite the clubhouse of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.- Bruce Embankment, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9AB

The National Library of Scotland (Leabharlann Nàiseanta na h-Alba)  has published online details of key documents on golf which it holds.

To access the library itself requires personal registration.

Handicapping

For those who want to go beyond the brief history of handicapping terms and the origins of the system developed by the LGU, there is a four part history at USGA website and multiple articles on Pope of Slope on how their system was developed and applied in USA.

Historical Rules of Golf Pages

The Historical Rules of Golf Pages shows the development of golf rules from the rules of 18th century clubs at Leith, St Andrews, Bruntsfield, Aberdeen and Crail, as well and 19th century rules of these and other prominent Golf Clubs. It also includes all the Rules issued since the formation of the first R&A Rules of Golf Committee in 1897.

North Berwick

The History of Golf at North Berwick is reliable source of information of golf in the area.

See the 'Origins of Golf' in Index.

Pictures and photographs including calendars and books featuring most of the courses on this website can be obtained from Donald Ford Images, based in Carnoustie.

Women's Golf Museum website has additional information on its collection, but the main part of the memorabilia is in the British Golf Museum (see above) and the documentation, books and photographs, is in the care of the University of St Andrew's.

Doctors of the Game is a new publication by Billy Dettlaff, covering the history of the golf professional, particularly the early golf professionals in the USA.

Many of the early American professionals came from Carnoustie.

Golf Services

 Golf Concierge Scotland organise tours on historic and highly rated golf courses.

Contact Callum Taylor for details. 

Allan Ferguson is a golf writer and travel consultant, whose mission is to reduce the costs of travel and golf in Scotland for foreign players. 

Let's Get Golfing is designed to be a new concept to produce a single web site where you can find out everything you need to know about golf from where to start for beginners, to advice on how to turn professional for elite youngsters.

The Golfer's Journal - reader-supported, independent golf journalism, promoting golf in its purest forms. They have a monthly publication available for purchase or you can become a benefactor (member) to receive it and other benefits. There is also a podcast available. 

Welcome to the official website of the
Eric Grandison Golf School at Craigielaw Golf Club. Scotland

 Herzlich Wilkommen auf der Webseite der
Eric Grandison Golf Schule. East Lothian, Schottland.

Edinburgh-Scotland.net has royalty free photos and pictures for use as screensavers, wallpapers or websites promoting tourism in Scotland or golf in general.