North Berwick hires Gil Hanse to maintain its World Top 100 course
North Berwick, a much-loved venue on Scotland’s East Lothian coast, will combine its legendary courses with one of the sport’s most influential modern architecture firms.
Beginning in 2026, Gil Hanse and his long-time design partner Jim Wagner will serve as the club’s official course architects—a combination of world-renowned design teams whose layouts have become a touchstone in golf architecture.
Once a sleeper, North Berwick first cracked the golf world’s top 100 in 2007 and now sits firmly at the top of the list. At just over 6,500 yards in length, it is short by contemporary standards but full of weirdness and coastal charm, characterized by a mixture of blind shots, dramatic silhouettes and compelling strategic choices, all compounded by shifting wind directions. One of its hallmarks is the final hole, which includes a series of widely replicated template holes as well as the unique No. 13, a par-4 known as “The Pit,” made of ancient stone walls spliced at an angle.
Hans could not immediately be reached for comment, but the club stressed in a message to members that he and Wagner were tasked with improving, not reinventing. Their appointments come at a crucial time, as the club faces a challenge as old as links golf itself and one that is increasingly pressing in modern times: the steady advance of the ocean.
North Berwick sits on the shores of the Firth of Forth and has six holes with currents. Historically, the club has reinforced parts of the course, including along the second fairway, but other areas have become more vulnerable. The third tee is one area of concern. The same goes for the 14th green, where the beach has spread to within about six feet of the putting surface. According to information from the club, Hans and Wagner will help guide “robust contingency measures to mitigate the risk of future ocean advances” while preserving the unique elements that make the course so cherished.
For Hanse and Wagner, the work will add to a vast portfolio of Top 100 works, which includes original designs such as Castle Stuart and Ohoopee Match Club, as well as restorations of famous courses ranging from Los Angeles Country Club to Oakmont, Merrion and Fisher Island.
