Archerfield (Dirleton) - Lothians - Scotland

Played this as the opener on my 36 hole day at Archerfield. This course is billed as the more linksy of the two courses but I think Fidra matches it for links golf and is slightly the better course.

The opening nine bring you back to the clubhouse and most holes are quite generous to the mishit stroke.

The second nine is a beauty. Toughens up and has real character. The sweeping 14th hole is one of the best I have played.

It is played over fairly flat ground but is routed beautifully through the gorse. You need to be smart off the tee and most greens allow the bump and run approach, although a few entrances were ever so slightly soft. With the number of sprinkler heads on the fairways I’m sure it is well watered. It could do with a bit of hardening up but by no means did any ball plug or for that matter even show any indentation. The greens were a tad slow but true which allowed for a bit more control around the greens than your hard, unwatered approaches and greens you often find on a links course.

The par threes are a tad plain with the exception of 17 but that is relative to the rest of the course which is excellent. Warren from Aust

The entire Archerfield set-up is undeniably exceptional; two contrasting golf courses, a luxury clubhouse and world-class practice facilities all make this an enviable place to spend time. I experienced a high and attentive level of service over my two days here yet there is still a beautifully relaxed feel and atmosphere around the establishment.

The Dirleton is a much more consistent course than the Fidra and is billed as a traditional Scottish Links. The ground is certainly very firm and fast running but it may take several decades of settling down and good agronomy before you could class it as a pure links experience. One thing that you will find here though, as you would on any true links, is an exposure to the wind!

Nearly every hole is flanked by impenetrable gorse and although the runway flat fairways are generous you don’t have to stray too far offline on some holes for your ball to never be seen again. It’s not dissimilar to having a lateral water hazard running down the side of each hole, with the exception that you cannot drop at the side under penalty. I think I only fell victim to it once but had plenty of close calls!

You are continually asked to drive the ball straight, rather than favour one side or the other, and this is my main criticism of the course because I felt this became a little monotonous as the round progressed.

Ed is the founder of Golf Empire – click the link to read his full review.

Played the Direlton course today for the first time, having never experienced Archerfield in any form prior to today. The whole experience was first class, staff are attentive without being false or overbearing, and nothing to much trouble.After a warm up on the grass range we enjoyed a round with no hold ups and completed 18 holes in less than 4 hours.I believe it to be a very strong golf course which rewards good shots and punishes wayward and loose shots severely. Scoring 85 off a 9 h/cap was acceptable to me and I will play this course again without hesitation. The condition of the course was excellent for the time of year and the greens in particular ran true and quick.Going back to play Fidra in two weeks and based on this experience cannot wait to see the other course.

Dirleton features rather more menacing revetted bunkers and has some very colourful native wild flowers in abundance along the mounds and dunes bordering many of the fairways.

Amongst other outlooks, the course offers scenic views of Dirleton Castle and the Isle of May…

The par 3, 7th may be rated the easiest on the course but you need to exercise care here. The green falls away at the back and on the right. The left is heavily bunkered and if you pull your tee shot too far left, there is then a ditch and out of bounds. At 191 yards from the back tee or 167 from the blue, this is no pushover…

The short par 5, 10th is one of the best. There is a slight dogleg right where a number of bunkers occupy just right of the perfect line. The third shot area is downhill with two bunkers set into the side of mounds at the fairway’s edge. A ditch that is difficult to see runs across the front of the green…

The Dirleton was not long open for play when I was first there in 2006. It was looking even better when I revisited in 2009 and the grasses and native plantations had matured a little. Unfortunately both visits (in mid summer) were on a very damp and misty day. In late spring with the gorse and all the wild flowers in bloom the Dirleton would be quite a picture.

This review is an edited extract from Another Journey through the Links, which has been reproduced with David Worley’s kind permission. The author has exclusively rated for us every Scottish course featured in his book. Another Journey through the Links is available for Australian buyers via www.golfbooks.com.au and through Amazon for buyers from other countries.

I actually prefer this to the Fidra course. Forgive the rather vague review as I have only just stumbled upon this site and played the course a few years ago now. Very enjoyable but not quite the sort of course that holes stick in your mind. There was a short par 4 early on that dog legged left to right which was fun. Staff were great as you would expect at a private members club- I believe in quiet times people can get a round here now but I could well be wrong!! Makes sense to get exposure I am sure. Adrian W

1st time playing the Dirleton course and I have to say it was simply amazing. The course looked perfect all over and was a true test of golf. The attention to detail on the course is clearly evident throughout and you can see why so many people who know of the course and have friends who play there speak so highly of this place. From the drive in passing a practice area which would match any course around the globe and the pyramids of pro v 1's help set the scene to a step into luxury.The club house and surrounds are spectacular at Archerfield with a touch of class around every corner. I was especially surprised at the warm welcome from the staff, members and professionals within the club. All in all a very magical experience which I won't forget in a long time.

I visited Archerfield for the first time in the third week in March and my initial impression as I made my way down the isolated road was one of great anticipation. After all, I had heard great things about the complex at Archerfield and passing the grand Archerfield House and then the gates of the neighbouring Renaissance Club only added to the excitement about my imminent arrival at the clubhouse.

Once I turned on to the short driveway up towards the Archerfield clubhouse I was greeted by pyramids of Titleists at the practice green and driving range on either side of the road - it was just like beng a player at one of the Tour events on TV. One word of advice for anyone visiting Archerfield - make sure you get there in plenty time for your round as the facilities, including short game areas, putting greens and a two-way driving range, are as good as any I've seen and it would be a shame not to make the most of them prior to heading out for your round.

Anyway, I think we've already established that the off course experience at Archerfield is exceptional but what about the most important thing - the course. I was playing the Dirleton course on this particular day and due to my tee off time being right in the middle of a busy period my group started off at the 10th - which had positive and negative aspects as I didn't get to play the course in the proper layout but we also didn't have any other golfers on the holes either side of us for our entire round which made the day all the more leisurely.

My first, the 10th hole, was a tough opener. A near 500 yard par 5, the green couldn't be seen from the tee and an accurate tee shot was needed to find the left hand side of the fairway to have a look at the green with the second shot, and with a burn guarding the front side of the green this was one of the best holes on the back nine. The 11th and 12th were both solid par 4s with the dry ditch protecting the 12th green one of the most prominant features on these two holes. I enjoyed the next two holes, the first being a 155 yard par three with a heavily sloping green followed by the dogleg par five 14th where again there is no sight of the green from the tee box. The 16th was the best in my opinion on the back 9 and contained great bunker positioning, as I found to my cost off the tee, as well as a burn skirting the entire length of the hole to the right and OB to the left. Any approach going through the green will leave an extremely difficult up and down.......if only I had known this prior to hitting my approach shot! All in all it wasn't the longest par 4 ever but there is plenty of danger throughout that could lead to a large score being racked up if the golfer is not careful. The final two holes (and last two on my first nine) were played directly into the wind and this made them particularly tough to negotiate. I have to say that I wouldn't have found the 18th to be a great finishing hole if it was my last on the Dirleton and I would consider the 9th, which coincidently was my final hole, to be a much better way to end the round.

We passed the halfway house but didn't venture in on this occasion as we were keen to get on to our second nine. I would have liked the first as an opening hole and at 399 yards it would have been an ideal chance to open the arms to begn the round although the raised green and congregation of bunkers around where drives are likely to land. The tight par five 2nd and compact par three 3rd with it's lightning fast green cranked up the difficulty at the start of my back nine before we arrived at my favourite hole on the course, the driveable (for some) par four 4th which is a great strategic hole where the options are to try to cut the corner and drive the green or to take an iron from the tee to leave a favourable angle from which to hit the approach. Although the green can be seen from the tee the burn/ditch that sweeps round the right hand side of the hole cannot and the golfer must beware when launching the tee shot towards the green. I unfortunately ended up in the gorse to the right of the green with my overly ambitious first attempt before playing the hole more conservatively second time round - had I done this to begin with a par or even birdie would have been perfectly within reason. The next is another fine hole - an uphill par 5 which plays longer than its 510 yards off the blue tees due to the rise in elevation between tee and green and bunkers around the lay up distance and several large mounds add to the challenge on the hole. The 6th is an exposed straightish par 4 perched on the side of the hill before moving on to the 7th, a mid-range par 3 with the wonderful Archerfield House in the backdrop. A snaking fairway and three tier green were features to note on the 8th before playing my last hole of the day - the 9th. As the number 2 S.I. hole and at over 425 yards and no help whatsoever from the blustering wind this was a pretty good hole to finish off, even if my attempt to win our match faltered on the last green when my putt slid past the hole!

Then it was back into the bar for a drink and to talk about the goings on of the previous few hours play in the comfort of the luxurious clubhouse. It has a traditional feel to it with it's wooden decor yet at the same time is quite state of the art and spending time in there was a fantastic way to end a great day of golf. Ultimately whilst the day as a whole was a six-ball experience, I tend to score my reviews based primarily on the course and I would say that the Dirleton is a very good course that I had an enjoyable time playing but due to there being a collection of good holes rather than any which truly stand out I will have to award it five balls as opposed to the full six. Nevertheless, if you get the chance to play here, make sure that you take up the offer. DM

It was with great anticipation that I re-acquainted myself with the Dirleton. I am so glad to say that it turned out to be even better than I had remembered it. Lush fairways with velvet greens ably guarded by uncompromising bunkers, just magnificent.Then again, you wouldn’t expect anything less from the Archerfield brand.The Dirleton is definitely a cerebral course as you have no option but to think and plot your way around if you want to score well. If you are tempted to open your shoulders on the tee box your reward more often than not is likely to be a sandy grave.The tone for the course is set from the offset with a short, but tough, par 4 (try and keep left). The 4th,(don’t be tempted to cut the corner) and the 9th, a tough 400 yrd right to left dog-leg, are the stand out holes on the front 9.After replenishing your body and soul at the superb half-way house you enter a back 9 which is even in quality, if not better, than their front 9 counterparts with the 14th, 16th and 18th slightly a cut above the rest.I loved my day at Archerfield. It is neigh on impossible not to be seduced by the glitz and the glamour of the place thankfully courses at Archerfield also have the substance to go with the undoubted style which, coupled together make for an unforgettable golfing experience.

At first glance the Dirleton is a tougher test of golf than the Fidra and the opener is definitely more challenging with a high, longish second shot needed to hold a green which always seems to encourage the ball to fall off the the left. Certainly, compared to Fidra you need to hit the ball straighter to score - there are no forgiving trees to hack out of, rather manmade dunes knee deep in rough to gobble up your ball. Having said that if you can keep it in play the greens are generally accessible and there is less risk of being faced with a 20 yard chip if you just roll off the green than on Fidra. One other important factor is that the prevailing wind plays across you on most holes rather than up and down meaning that if it is a windy day you are probably likely to score better on Dirleton than on Fidra. The holes seem to have a better variety in many ways than Fidra - 15, 16 and 18 are all great long par 4s while 4 and 12 may be short but can both wreck a scorecard. The course is stunningly presented and the staff are as good as anywhere you can play. Archerfield isn't to everyone's taste - there is no history and of course it is exclusive - but the Dirleton must be one of the best presented courses in the country and is a far better test of golf than many of those ahead it in the rankings.

My return visit to play the Dirleton course was well timed, as it turned out, because the splashes of yellow gorse around the course are a sight to behold in early Spring. You have to keep reminding yourself that the course is such a fledgling on the Scottish golf scene as it has bedded in so well in such a short space of time.

The opening holes were a lot more challenging than I had remembered first time around (indeed, my opponent was quickly two up after five holes) and I’d forgotten what a strategic hole the downhill short par four 4th really was. Holes 5 and 6 are both beautifully bunkered from tee to green whilst the penal swale in front of the green on the 9th must surely be the reason why the hole is ranked stroke index 2.

After a mandatory 10-minute pit stop at the cosy wee halfway house, it was on to the back nine (match play all square) and, to my mind, the toughest set of holes on the estate. Fairways are still relatively generous but if you do stray too far from the short cut grass then you are almost certainly in deep trouble (two lost balls right off the tee at 15 contributing to my ignominious 4 & 2 defeat).

I still think the 16th is easily the best of all 36 holes at Archerfield – the four bunkers in a line at the kink in the fairway, followed by a ditch running diagonally across in front of an elevated green make it a very memorable hole. It’s such a shame that an access road has to be crossed several times during the round and that housing now sits beside the fairways at holes 13 to 16 (though natural growth of gorse on the bund walls should soften the intrusion of real estate over time) as it just seems the privacy of such a private place should remain intact for the full round.

The Dirleton may be more a manicured than a wild links experience for some purists but, nonetheless, it delivers a surprisingly enjoyable game of golf.

Jim McCann