North Berwickcherished links to Scotland’s East Lothian coast, is set to join its historic course with one of the game’s most influential modern architecture firms.
Starting in 2026, Gil Hanse and his longtime design partner, Jim Wagner, will serve as the club’s official course architects—a merger of a world-renowned design team with a layout that has become a touchstone of golf architecture.
After sleeping, North Berwick first cracked Top 100 of GOLF in the world in 2007 and now sits comfortably in the upper echelons of that list. At just over 6,500 yards, it’s short by modern standards but long on features and coastal charm, featuring a mix of blind shots, dramatic contours and compelling strategic choices further complicated by shifting winds. Among its hallmarks is a closing stretch that includes a collection of widely replicated template holes, as well as the idiosyncratic 13th, a par-4 known as The Hole, which is cornered by an ancient stone wall.
Hanse could not immediately be reached for comment, but in a message to members, the club emphasized that his and Wagner’s mandate is refinement, not reinvention. Their appointment comes at a pivotal time, as the club faces a challenge as old as links golf and increasingly urgent in the modern era: the sustainable advancement of the sea.
North Berwick sits firmly along the Firth of Forth, with the water in play on six holes. Historically, the club has fortified parts of the course, including along the second fairway, but other stretches have become more vulnerable. Tee 3 is among the concerns. So is the 14th green, where the beach has crept to approximately six feet from the putting surface. According to the club’s message, Hanse and Wagner will help lead “robust emergency measures to mitigate future hazards from advancing seas,” while preserving the unique elements that have made the course so beloved.
For Hanse and Wagner, the work will add to a swelling Top 100 portfolio of work that includes such original designs as Castle Stuart and Ohoopee Match Club, as well as restorations of prestigious courses ranging from Los Angeles Country Club to Oakmont, Merion and Fishers Island.
