The Infamous 13th at North Berwick

If you've never stood on the 13th tee at North Berwick West Links, you're missing out on one of golf's most diabolical experiences. This isn't your typical Scottish links hole—it's something far more sinister, and frankly, far more fun.

Picture this, you're playing a lovely round of golf on Scotland's east coast, the sea breeze in your hair, feeling pretty good about your game. Then you reach the 13th tee and see it - a blooming great stone wall running right across your line to the green. Not beside it, not near it, but directly in your path like some medieval fortification designed specifically to ruin your scorecard.

That's the 13th at North Berwick for you. They call it "Pit," and once you've played it, you'll understand why. The green sits in a natural depression behind that ancient stone wall, completely hidden from view. It's the kind of hole that makes you wonder what the original designers were thinking—or if they were thinking at all.

Back in the day when golfers swung hickory clubs and played with balls that barely bounced, a professional named W.H. Horne supposedly smashed a drive here that went 383 yards and 1 foot. Now, whether this actually happened on the 13th or somewhere else at North Berwick is anyone's guess—golf stories have a way of growing in the telling. But it's become part of the hole's folklore, and honestly, that's half the charm of playing these old Scottish courses.

These days, the 13th has earned a reputation as a dream-killer during Open Championship qualifying. Professional golfers show up with their perfectly calculated yardages and launch monitors, only to watch their hopes bounce off that stone wall like a pinball. There's something beautifully democratic about a hole that doesn't care how good your short game is or how far you can bomb it off the tee.

Let's be honest—there's no "right" way to play the 13th. But there are definitely wrong ways, and I've probably tried most of them.

Club Selection
You've got choices, none of them great. Grip it and rip it with driver and you might end up with a wedge in your hands for the approach — assuming you don't find one of the fairway bunkers or get too cozy with the wall. Play it safe with a long iron or fairway wood, and you're left with a longer, scarier shot into that hidden green.

Most locals will tell you to aim left-center, as close to the wall as your nerves allow. This opens up the best angle to the green, but it takes guts. The further right you go, the more that wall becomes your personal nemesis.

The Approach Shot
Here's where things get interesting. You can't see the green—it's sitting down there in its little pit like it's hiding from you. You need to hit it high and soft, with just enough juice to clear the wall but not so much that you sail into the back bunkers. It's part guesswork, part skill, and part prayer.

The Mental Game
This is where the 13th really gets you. That wall isn't just a physical obstacle—it's psychological warfare. You stand over your ball, and all you can think about is stone. The smart play? Accept that par is a fantastic score here. Bogey isn't the end of the world. Sometimes the most aggressive thing you can do is play conservatively.

Additional Tips

• Take a moment to enjoy the view of the Firth of Forth and Bass Rock—you might need the mental break
• If you're playing with a local caddie, listen to them; they've seen it all
• If you're short of the wall after your approach, don't be a hero — a little chip or even a putt along the ground might be your best bet

Golf course architect Ben Crenshaw, who knows a thing or two about great golf holes, has always championed North Berwick's natural design philosophy. While he might not have specifically waxed poetic about the 13th, his appreciation for courses where the land dictates the layout perfectly captures what makes this hole special.

Golf writer Gary Williams called it "one of the great short par-4s in the world," and he's not wrong. It's a hole that tests everything—your driving, your short game, your course management, and your ability to handle pressure.

The late Peter Alliss, whose voice was synonymous with golf for decades, loved North Berwick and often spoke about holes like the 13th as relics from a better era of golf design—when architects worked with what nature gave them instead of trying to impose their will on the landscape.

If you're making the journey to North Berwick, you'd be crazy not to explore the rest of what East Lothian has to offer. This stretch of Scottish coastline is basically golf heaven.

Muirfield is the obvious next stop—16 Open Championships can't be wrong. It's the kind of place where you walk in the footsteps of Nicklaus, Watson, and Mickelson, assuming you can get on (good luck with that).

Gullane is more accessible and just as good, with three courses to choose from. The No.1 course has been hosting Scottish Opens recently, so you know it's the real deal. Then there's Dunbar, designed with input from Old Tom Morris himself, and the newer Craigielaw, which has quickly earned respect for being properly challenging.

Don't sleep on some of the smaller gems either. Royal Musselburgh claims to be the world's fifth-oldest golf club and has the royal warrant from Queen Victoria to prove it. Luffness New Golf Club, Kilspindie, Longniddry, and Glen Golf Club, each one has its own personality and its own way of testing your game.

But honestly, after you've played the 13th at North Berwick, everything else might feel just a little bit ordinary. There's something about that stone wall and hidden green that stays with you. Maybe it's the history, maybe it's the challenge, or maybe it's just the pure, unadulterated golf madness of it all.

Whatever it is, once you've experienced the 13th at North Berwick, you'll understand why golfers have been both cursing and celebrating this hole for generations. It's golf at its most beautifully, frustratingly pure.

Handicap: Scratch
Favourite Course: Kingsbarns
My 'Expert' areas: Ayrshire, St Andrews & Co. Sligo
Best trip I've done: Ireland, playing County Sligo, Carne & Enniscrone
Where my next trip is to: St Andrews..... (again!)

Give Sam a call on 0800 043 6644 to arrange your next golf break.