Staff WriterEdinburgh’s golf heritage is stepping up to the first tee in style this month, as a new exhibition at Braid Hills Golf Course shines a spotlight on the capital’s deep-rooted ties to the game.
Timed to coincide with the 125th edition of the Edinburgh Evening News Dispatch Trophy, Teeing Off Through Time is more than just a stroll down memory lane—it’s a love letter to the fairways, foursomes, and folklore that helped define Scotland’s game.
Set against the rugged beauty of Braid Hills and free to all comers, the exhibition is the third in Edinburgh Leisure’s ongoing celebration of Edinburgh 900—a city-wide project marking nine centuries of history, community, and, yes, sport. But this one lands especially close to the pin for local golf fans.
The centrepiece? The Dispatch Trophy, a 134-year-old amateur team event so steeped in tradition it’s only been halted by two World Wars and a global pandemic.
The tournament, kicking off May 17 with the final pegged for May 24, features a uniquely Scottish twist—double foursomes. That’s four-player teams, sharing shots like a well-worn putter on a windy day.
“With the Dispatch Trophy being played at the Braids, and the Scottish Open taking place at the Renaissance Club in July, we’re hoping there will be lots of golfers interested in paying the exhibition a visit,” said Kerry Teakle, PR Officer at Edinburgh Leisure and the driving force behind the project. “The timing couldn’t be better to celebrate our city’s tremendous golfing heritage.”
But Teeing Off Through Time doesn’t stop at silverware. It walks visitors through Edinburgh’s critical role in golf’s early days, explores the rise of local clubs, and profiles the city’s six municipal courses—from the panoramic peaks of Braid Hills to the seaside stretches of Silverknowes.
It even nods to the Gibson Cup and how to join the Edinburgh Leisure golf club—proof that this isn’t just about history but also about getting people swinging today.
For those who miss the Braids run, don’t despair. The exhibition heads next to Silverknowes golf course until May 29, before landing at the St James Quarter from July 9–15.
There, it’ll be part of the broader Edinburgh 900 showcase in a unit next to Mhor Bakery on Leith Street. You’ll find it among other Edinburgh Leisure exhibits, including Great Lengths and Your Health is for Life—installations that spotlight the city’s swimming history and its community health efforts.
“Having the opportunity to again display our other Edinburgh 900 exhibitions alongside the newer golf exhibition at St James in July is the perfect opportunity to showcase all the great facilities we have,” added Teakle.
“It also highlights Edinburgh Leisure’s Active Communities programmes, which supported 14,782 people in 2024-2025 who face significant barriers to physical activity… empowering participants to improve their health, wellbeing, and quality of life.”
Funded as part of the Edinburgh 900 initiative, the exhibition forms a key part of the city’s nearly millennia-old narrative.
Where else but in Edinburgh could commerce, conflict, faith, finance—and a cheeky birdie putt—all be part of the same sweeping history?
In the city that helped shape golf as we know it, Teeing Off Through Time is a timely reminder that while swings may change and clubs may evolve, the heartbeat of the game—community, tradition, and the occasional bogey—is very much alive.
