A group of seven friends from The Netherlands visited East Lothian for a four-day golfing holiday, basing themselves at Broomrigg Farmhouse, half an hour east of Edinburgh. East Lothian is on Scotland’s Golf Coast and has more than 20 golf courses, described as ‘the greatest concentration of Championship links courses in the world’.
Broomrigg Farmhouse is a lovingly refurbished, self-catering country house that sleeps 4 to 8 guests, and overlooks rolling fields on Winton Estate, close to Pencaitland. The luxurious Farmhouse has a cosy living room with a wood burning stove, a luxurious wood-fired hot tub and an electric car charger, and is available on a flexible basis.
“We chose Broomrigg Farmhouse for our golfing holiday because of the location, a quiet spot on the estate,” says Manfred Verberne from the Dutch visitors. “Our first impression of the Farmhouse was very good. Well-equipped to sleep a group of 7 people across four separate bedrooms, enough bathrooms (showers), and a big kitchen with all the appliances you’d need and expect.
“The pictures of the farmhouse on the website were helpful and trustworthy and gave us the confidence to make the booking. All contact we’ve had with the Winton staff by phone and email were also very pleasant and polite. Thank you, Lexi!”
As well as being a good base within 20 minutes of many of East Lothian’s golf courses, Winton Estate comes with a remarkable golfing heritage: since the dawn of golf, the owners of Winton have played an important role in developing East Lothian’s most famous golf courses as its estate originally stretched as far as Muirfield, Archerfield and Gullane.
The Archerfield Estate was home to Muirfield, leased to the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. The Nisbet Hamilton Ogilvys, Winton Estate’s owners, promoted golf through their leading roles at the pioneering golf clubs, as well as with practical initiatives such as ensuring there was a public water supply for Gullane.
Which golf courses did you play?
Manfred replies: “Over our four-day golfing weekend, we played three links courses: The Glen and Longniddry Golf Club (top photo) in East Lothian, and Eyemouth Golf Club in the Scottish Borders. We finished our trip by playing Dalmahoy on the west side of Edinburgh, where Seve Ballesteros and Nick Faldo competed in the Scottish Seniors Open.
“We thought that Eyemouth (immediately above) was the nicest course to play, then The Glen, Longniddry and Dalmahoy. At Eyemouth we particularly enjoyed playing hole 6 ‘A still no ken’ and hole 13 ‘Hawkness Monster’!
“In The Netherlands we don’t have a lot of opportunities to play on links courses. Besides that, most golfers in The Netherlands tend to go to Spain or Portugal, so this was our first experience of golfing in Scotland and we definitely weren’t disappointed.”
How was your experience of staying at Broomrigg Farmhouse?
“One word: outstanding! A very pleasant place to stay with all the facilities you’d need,” continues Manfred. “The Winton staff were very helpful, polite and cooperative. Once we arrived, we were allowed to leave our luggage in Broomrigg while the staff finished cleaning the Farmhouse. And they were also very polite and helpful.
“Yes! If we decide to travel to Scotland again Broomrigg Farmhouse at Winton is on the top of our list, for sure. Just keep on doing what you’re doing right now – we like that!”
Winton has three luxury self catering country houses that can be rented for golfing holidays.
Photo Credits & Captions
Thanks to Manfred Verberne and his friends for supplying the photos. You can see the group from The Netherlands playing golf at The Glen, Longniddry Golf Club and Eyemouth Golf Club in East Lothian and the Scottish Borders, and at Dalmahoy on the west side of Edinburgh. Photos include courses and players’ names from left to right.
