Golf was played at North Berwick for a long time before the founding of the club in 1832. Situated conveniently close to Edinburgh, the small fishing village became a fashionable holiday resort in the later part of the 19th century and the course is esteemed as one of the best on the south side of the Firth of Forth. Many famous matches took place here; when Willie Park Jnr. played Harry Vardon here in 1899 a crowd of some 10,000 gathered to see them with special trains running from Edinburgh. For many years Ben Sayers was the professional.