Documentary evidence shows that golf was played on Musselburgh Links in 1672 although Mary, Queen of Scots reputedly played here in 1567.

The Old Links at Musselburgh was originally seven holes, with another added in 1838 and the full nine-holes came into play in 1870. The first three holes stretched eastwards from the grandstand at the racecourse, site of the former clubhouse of the Honourable Company. To the right is the main traffic route onto which the Musselburgh golfers sliced their shots and played back to the links using the new brass-soled clubs. The metal plate on the ‘brassie’ wooden club was invented here in 1885, to deal with such shots. At the fourth green there still stands Mrs Foreman’s Inn there used to be a hatch in the wall through which refreshments could be passed to the early golfers. The course turns northwest with the next three holes following the coastline and the eighth returning south towards the Home Hole, which is now the present first hole.

The four and a quarter inch diameter hole became standard during the 19th century, its seemingly random size was just that, it happened to be the width of the implement used to cut the holes at Musselburgh and in 1893 the R & A made the size mandatory.