Musselburgh (Old)
The first hole is aptly named "The Short Hole" at only 146 yards it is a fairly straight forward short iron to a nice oval green. The green is pretty tricky as it slopes uphill from front to back. However, a true stroke stays the line. The biggest issue with this hole is the bunker staring you in the face which protects the front of the green. According to the starter this hole is being remodelled pushing the tee back towards the new starter's box which should make it a wee bit more challenging. You will have noticed the racecourse running around the outside of the course as you will have walked through the fences to get to the green at the first and most of the course's 9 holes are played inside this oval. It is a bit strange to see a large racing stadium to your right as you tee it up for your second drive! My favourite hole the Graves is rumoured to be where they buried the bodies of the dead soldiers after the Battle of Pinkie in 1547. It is a slight dog leg left and the green is in a large hollow which makes the second shot seem further than it actually is. Protected by gorse at the back of the green you are better to be short and run the ball on than to be too long. Once again another excellent green with some subtle breaks but with some decent pace to them. The third is another decent par 4 with the racecourse hard on your right - again the hole is slightly off centre and due the close proximity of the sixth green it can be confusing.
The fourth is a fun hole as you play over the racecourse! There is something quite disconcerting about playing a second shot from the "rough" when that rough is a racecourse and you are trying to work out to go over or under the large course fence! A beautifully large green with the old Mrs Forman's tea room behind it is the slowest on the course and seems very exposed due to the close proximity of the main road. Mrs Forman's is where the golfers used to stop for tee midway round - I like the idea of a "halfway house" every 4 holes! A wonderfully testing par 3 this hole is surrounded by bunkers - probably best to be short as there is more scope to manoeuvre into position than fall foul to one of the greenside bunkers off the back of the green that you can't see from the tee.
A short walk back across the racecourse leaves you with an elevated tee to drive towards the 6th green. The sixth green fortunately had the flag on the lower section when I played but if it was on top you would not want to be putting up the slope! It certainly can be a testing hole depending on pin position. The only par 5 on the course and a real cracker, with Arthur's Seat in the background and some strategic placed fairway bunkers to reach this green in 2 is possible but perhaps inadvisable A large green will help if your putting is up to scratch as it does seem to gather up lose balls and give you a chance to go at the flag with the short stick. By far the toughest hole on the course (although only SSI 3) the 240 yard par 3 is a beast - particularly if the wind is against you. Gorse is in play for errant tee shots and even if you do find the green you will find another testing multi layered green waiting to test your putting. The 9th is a lovely little dog leg left. Don't go too far right with your tee shot though as you will be playing from some very deep rough. When we played we unfortunately had a temporary green but I did get a chance to view the proper green and it was looking in superb condition with plenty of greenside bunkers to cause problems.
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