altered 13 holes which remain largely intact to this day. Goswick is 10 kilometres south of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the border town, in an isolated area of wild dunes not far from undisturbed beaches. Lindisfarne or Holy Island is offshore. A narrow lane takes you to a modest clubhouse from the main road. However, it’s not a tran- quil retreat. The main east coast railway line passes behind the clubhouse, and
after playing 18 holes on a Sunday I can vouch that it is extremely busy. Dan Miller is the club’s marketing manager, an American who fell in love with life in Northumberland and golf at Goswick and relocated to the area. He’s positive that Goswick would be better known, and attract more tourists, if it was on the Scottish side of the border and not in England. But you can’t have it both ways. This deserted coastline
either 9 or 18 holes. Over time they would evolve into courses of signifi- cant quality or less. Very different from today where designers are all about creating “masterpieces.” Revision of a course was common. This was different from the modern “upgrade.” Many courses had basic beginnings, and it took a trained eye to suggest how best to improve them. At Goswick, founded in 1890, Braid
GOSWICK LINKS The par-4 12th green is at the opposite end of the Goswick Links to the sixth. The green cannot be seen from the fairway due to the ridge of dunes.
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 111
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025
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