Golf on the Links

When looking out on the links of Leith today, it is hard to believe that, in the past, one could have seen the legions of Rome, dark age warriors, Norman knights, roundheads and cavaliers. Cock fighting and duels once took place here, and the reformation in Scotland was decided at the bloody siege of Leith. The most surprising thing about the links of Leith, and really the most unexpected, is that it is the true home of the sport of golf in Scotland and not the more famous St Andrews.

William Inglis at Leith Links.
Captain of the Honourable Company 1782-84

In fact the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers laid down the rules of Golf in 1744 and it was from Leith that the rules of Golf went to St Andrews. It follows therefore that the Honourable Company, which continues to the present day at Muirfield, have the oldest golfing records in the world. The earliest known Golf course in the world was on the Links; not the eighteen hole course that we all know today, but five holes which each player went round twice in a game. Along with this the earliest known Golf House was on the site of what is now Queen Margaret University College which faces Duke Street on one side and the Links on the other.

So why should Leith become the cradle of a game that spans the globe and which is played by millions of people around the world? The reason was probably trade. In 1296 Leith become the principal port for Scotland and traded with the Hanseatic League and the Low countries, exporting the rough Scottish wool from the Scottish Border country and importing luxury goods and Wines. It was by this method that the game was introduced into Scotland from the Low Countries. Some evidence for this is in a Flemish Book of Hours (1500-20), which is in the British Museum, and has an illuminated page by Simon Bennink, which shows a game of Golf taking place. There is also a painting by Van de Velde (1668) called “Frost Scene” which shows two kilted figures who may have been refugees, during the troubled times with the Stuarts, playing Golf on ice.

Needless to say the game was not always popular with the Church or State. From the Churches' point of view it interfered with Sabbath observance. We see from the Session Records of South Leith Parish Church dated 16th February 1610, “The said day it wes concludit be the hail Sessioune that thair sail be na public playing suffered on the Sabbath days. As playing at the valley Bowles, at the penny stane, archerie, gowfe etc”. In fact anyone playing Golf was to be fined 20 shillings and repentance was to be made in Church before the pulpit (so all you Sunday Golfers be warned!).

From the King's point of view it interfered with Archery practice and so we find in 1457 during the reign of James II, “Fute-ball and Golfe be utterly cried down and not to be used… punished by the Barronis un-law… that he be taken be the Kings officers”. By the time of James IV in 1491 Golf was forbidden and it was ordered, “In no place of the Realm be usit fut-bawis, goulf or other sik unprofitable sports”.

The game of Golf gradually came to be more acceptable due to the more peaceful conditions between Scotland and England, with the Union of Crowns in 1603 and the Union of Parliaments in 1707. That is why we find Charles I and James VII (II) playing on the Links and gradually the game become more and more popular - in fact the first Open Golf match and the first International Golf match were played at Leith Links.

William St Clair of Roslin.
Founder of the first Golf House in the world in Leith 1768

Leith trading connections overseas caused the game to spread around the world, and with the rise of Glasgow in the 18th century the game was exported to the New World.

Unfortunately Golf ceased to be played on the Links at the beginning of the last century. The last game was played in 1907 due to property being built around the links and making it unsuitable for Golf

In the Links today there is a cairn commemorating the home of Golf erected by the Leith Rotary Club and there are plans to hold a Golf match there again as a yearly or two yearly one-day event and to invite the world to the true home of Golf. Watch for developments

Golf Tournament on Leith Links 1867

A map of Leith Links from John
Ainslie’s Map of Leith 1804