{"id":2920,"date":"2026-06-05T16:38:34","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T16:38:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.scotlandgolfbible.com\/?p=2920"},"modified":"2026-06-05T17:15:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T17:15:53","slug":"182-craigielaw-23-mar-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.scotlandgolfbible.com\/?p=2920","title":{"rendered":"182. Craigielaw. 23 Mar 23"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The course that broke Kilspindie’s heart \u2014 a story for another blog.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Value 3\/5 (4\/5 using GolfNow)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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The panoramic clubhouse view back over Craigielaw links towards the Firth of Forth. On a clear day, as good as East Lothian gets.<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Craigielaw Golf Club is on Wemyss and March Estates land – the same Estate that has leased its land to neighbouring Kilspindie Golf Club since 1867. In 2001, after two years of fractious negotiations, the Estate cancelled a deal that would have allowed Kilspindie to operate a second course and announced they themselves would build and run Craigielaw Golf Club. Kilspindie’s members, who had already paid handsomely for the privilege of playing ‘their’ second course, were left short changed \u2014 that story will feature in Kilspindie’s blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The 8th tee \u2014 a short par 3. The golfers here are not playing Craigielaw, they are on the 18th hole of the entirely separate Kilspindie Golf Club. Possibly the two closest tees from independent clubs anywhere? If you know of closer, let me know.<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What elevates this origin story beyond a mere property dispute is who, at the time, was the Countess of Wemyss and March (see picture below). In 1995, James Charteris, 13th Earl of Wemyss, had married Amanda Feilding \u2014 an English aristocrat, artist, drug policy reformer, and the world’s most committed advocate of trepanation, the practice of drilling a hole in the skull to enhance consciousness and cerebral blood flow.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Amanda Feilding, Countess of Wemyss, with her pet pigeon Birdie, and a human skull, a tribute to her belief in trepanning. [Credit: Beckley Foundation \u2014 permission pending]<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In 1970, Amanda had drilled a hole in her own forehead with a dentist’s drill, filmed the entire procedure, and called the resulting short film Heartbeat in the Brain<\/em>. Audiences at early New York screenings were reportedly seen dropping from their seats. She stood for Parliament twice \u2014 in 1979 and 1983 \u2014 on the sole platform of free trepanation on the NHS, receiving 40 votes and then 139. She later founded the Beckley Foundation, dedicated to psychedelic research, and lived to see much of that work vindicated by mainstream science before her death in May 2025, aged 82.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when the Wemyss and March Estates Directors, including Lady Wemyss, decided on the use of the land, it might have been fitting if anyone said “We need to operate a golf course like we need a hole in the head!”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back to golf. Designed by Donald Steel, Craigielaw is a thoughtful layout. The hole names are a delight \u2014 Coffin Lane, Bellfire Knowe, Doos Wa’s.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The sixth, ‘Kilspindie’, a respectful but perhaps pointed name, a tough par 3 where the prevailing wind will challenge the out of bound right. <\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The property is well set up \u2014 impressive clubhouse, lodge accommodation, excellent practice facilities. The bunkering is Steel at his most unforgiving \u2014 cavernous, steep-faced pot bunkers with no interest whatsoever in your handicap. <\/p>\n\n\n

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First ‘The Steading’, a drivable par 4. The Firth of Forth and Gullane Hill beyond..<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The turf lacks the crisp links quality of nearby Gullane; the geology feels subtly different, more transitional than pure links. And the housing around the 10th and 11th \u2014 Gosford Park, as it happens, whose residents were central to the original dispute \u2014 briefly breaks the links illusion. The course recovers, but it’s a lapse.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Moly at the 4th, ‘Bellfire Knowe.’ The flag is just visible over the lip. The 8 on the scorecard tells you the rest.<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Value? At \u00a3125 for a summer midweek round, the price reflects the postcode \u2014 Muirfield, Gullane and Luffness New are all neighbours \u2014 more than the course itself. Good golf, honestly designed, but 3 out of 5 at full price? Not sure. However, I paid \u00a345 through GolfNow. A Donald Steel championship links in East Lothian for \u00a345 is 4 out of 5 without hesitation. Check GolfNow before you book.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The 18th green, ‘Craigielaw’ \u2014 465 yards, par five \u2014 with the modern clubhouse beyond. The bunkering here is the most dramatic on the course.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Facts:<\/strong><\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Round \u00a3125. Par 71. Course\/Slope Rating 70.0\/124. Value3\/5 (4\/5 using GolfNow)<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moly’s Score \u2013 97<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Moly’s 97, was OK on a day with very high winds.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The course that broke Kilspindie’s heart \u2014 a story for another blog. Value 3\/5 (4\/5 using GolfNow) Craigielaw Golf Club is on Wemyss and March Estates land – the same Estate that has leased its land to neighbouring Kilspindie Golf Club since 1867. In 2001, after two years of fractious negotiations, the Estate cancelled a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,36,65,19,29,32,9,132,75,54,133,15,10,38,2,18,25,20,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-18-holes","category-4-star","category-commercial","category-course-architech","category-course-owned-by","category-course-quality","category-course-type","category-discounts","category-donald-steel","category-edinburgh-the-lothians","category-golfnow","category-holes","category-links","category-overall-value","category-price-range","category-region","category-since-2000","category-when-course-established","category-over-100","post-preview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.scotlandgolfbible.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.scotlandgolfbible.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.scotlandgolfbible.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.scotlandgolfbible.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.scotlandgolfbible.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2920"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blog.scotlandgolfbible.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2920\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2945,"href":"https:\/\/blog.scotlandgolfbible.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2920\/revisions\/2945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.scotlandgolfbible.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.scotlandgolfbible.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.scotlandgolfbible.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}