Braid Hills

Few municipal courses in Britain carry quite the historical weight of Braid Hills. Opened in 1889 on the southern edge of Edinburgh, it was laid out across the volcanic ridge of the same name — land the city acquired specifically to give working people access to golf at a time when the game was rapidly democratizing across Scotland. For over 130 years it has done exactly that, remaining one of the most accessible and well-used public courses in the country.

The terrain is anything but flat. The Braid Hills rise sharply above the surrounding suburbs, and the course uses that elevation dramatically — exposed to the wind, offering sweeping views across Edinburgh toward Arthur's Seat, the Pentland Hills, and on clear days the Firth of Forth. This is genuine Scottish moorland golf, heathery and raw, where the conditions matter as much as the yardage.

A second 18-hole course, Braid Hills No. 2, shares the same ground. The No. 1 layout is the more demanding of the pair, and its character rewards golfers who respect the wind and the ground game that Scottish links terrain naturally encourages.