The Royal Burgess Golfing Society traces its origins to 1735 and is widely recognised as the oldest golf club in the world. Its members played on Edinburgh’s Bruntsfield Links and then at Musselburgh before settling at Barnton, on the western edge of the city, in the 1890s. This is parkland golf, not links, and that makes it a useful contrast on a trip built around East Lothian or Fife. Visitor tee times are usually available every day outside society competitions, and the course is a short drive from Edinburgh Airport.
Royal Burgess Golfing Society of Edinburgh green fees and tee times.
Book visitor tee times online through the society’s ClubV1 booking page, by phone to the Professional’s Shop on +44 131 339 6474, or pay in person on the day. Times are usually available every day except when society competitions are being played. The 2026 green fee is £200 a round, or £135 for members of any UK golf club. The visitor page does not set a handicap limit, but a course handicap chart is published so you can work out your strokes. For a fuller visit, the club sells a “Burgess Experience”, which adds a clubhouse tour, a named locker, a dram on the 1st tee, a forecaddie and lunch; ask the club for the price.
INDICATIVE GREEN FEE · CHECKED NOVEMBER 2026From £135
2026 green fee for members of any UK golf club; other visitors £200 per round.
Visitor, per round (2026)
£200
UK golf club member, per round
£135
GPS golf cart
£40
Hire clubs, with push trolley
£40
Push trolley
£5
Prices change by season and booking route, so confirm the current rate with the operator. Official rates ↗
The round, in perspective.
Old Tom Morris surveyed the Barnton ground in 1894 and pronounced it all he could have wished for; Willie Park Jr. designed the original course, and James Braid’s 1925 revisions lengthened fairways and added the heavy greenside bunkering. From the red tees it measures 6,531 yards, par 71, with a course rating of 72.0 and slope of 126; the whites are 6,158 yards, par 70. Mature trees line the fairways. The 4th, 7th and 17th are long par fours with well-guarded greens. The club’s favourite is the 11th, a 348-yard downhill dogleg over an open drain crossed by a stone bridge. The 18th looks like a birdie chance but, as the club puts it, often ruins scorecards.
Know before you go.
Visitor times
Most days, except society competitions
Check in
Professional’s Shop on arrival
Dress on course
Tailored trousers or shorts, no external pockets; collared shirts tucked in; no jeans or T-shirts
Clubhouse
No trainers anywhere; jacket and tie in the Members’ Bar
Phones
Silent on the course
Make the trip work.
Check in at the Professional’s Shop, and use the players’ and visitors’ entrance rather than the front door. The Arts and Crafts clubhouse, designed by member Robert M Cameron and opened in May 1897, has separate changing rooms, showers and lockers. The dress code is stricter than at most links clubs: no jeans, tracksuits, hoodies or football shirts on the course, tailored shorts only with long or ankle socks, and no trainers or sandals anywhere indoors.
Edinburgh Airport is a few miles west, so a morning arrival and an afternoon round is realistic. Edinburgh city centre is around five miles east along Queensferry Road. The clubhouse is at 181 Whitehouse Road, Barnton, EH4 6BU. Barnton station, which once stood almost on the society’s doorstep, has long since closed, so come by car or taxi.
Most visitors stay in Edinburgh itself, where the New Town and West End put you about 20 minutes from Barnton by car. Cramond, the old village where the River Almond meets the Forth, is a couple of miles north and quieter than the city. South Queensferry, under the three Forth bridges, is a short drive west and suits a trip heading on into Fife.
Make a trip of it.
Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society is next door at Barnton, and Musselburgh Old Links, where the Burgess played for two decades, is still open as a public nine. East of the city, Gullane, North Berwick and Dunbar make the classic East Lothian links run. Off the course, Cramond’s causeway to Cramond Island is walkable at low tide, and the city’s Old Town and castle are 20 minutes away.
Find your season.
The published 2026 rate is a single figure rather than a seasonal card, so a shoulder-month round costs the same as midsummer. Late spring to early autumn gives the longest Edinburgh evenings and the most tee-time choice. Society competition days close visitor times, so check the booking page before fixing a date.
Yes. Visitor times are usually available every day except when society competitions are being played. Book online, phone the Professional’s Shop on +44 131 339 6474, or pay on the day. Check in at the shop on arrival.
How much are Royal Burgess green fees?
For 2026 a round costs £200, or £135 for members of any UK golf club. A GPS cart is £40, a push trolley £5, and Titleist, Ping or Callaway hire sets cost £40 with a free push trolley.
Is Royal Burgess really the oldest golf club in the world?
The society traces its origins to 1735 at Bruntsfield Links and is widely recognised as the oldest. King George V granted the royal title in 1929.
What is the dress code at Royal Burgess?
On the course: tailored trousers or shorts without external pockets, collared shirts tucked in, and golf shoes. Jeans, tracksuits, T-shirts and hooded tops are not allowed. Indoors, trainers and sandals are banned, and the Members’ Bar always requires jacket and tie.
Last checked 11 November 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
