"AT LAST!
The full story of Musselburgh's glory days, when this small town dominated Scottish golf, how it got there, and what happened after to make us forget."
- David Hamilton, author of Golf, Scotland's Game
Preorder now! Expected shipment for hardback editions is in November 2025 and for softback edition in early 2026.

Authored by Mungo Park, descendant of Willie Park Sr. and Willie Park Jr.

Musselburgh was many things in the 18th and 19th centuries; a lively resort town, a refuge from the foul air and overcrowding of Edinburgh six miles away, a garrison town and an artistic centre. It was a site of cultural vigour and a garrison town. It supported an active fishing fleet and supplied salt to northern Europe. It led the way in commerce, art, literature whilst pushing forward technical and industrial innovation. This energy and diversity was reflected in its golfing community.

Between 1832 and 1892, Musselburgh was, quite literally, ahead of the game. In this period, five of the most important clubs in the country were located there and their entourage of club makers, ball makers and caddies created a critical mass that drove the game forward with the same energy as its industrial growth. The raw materials of early golf had previously been established in Musselburgh but ‘club golf ’, codified and regulated in Leith by the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers in 1744, had transformed the game.

When the Honourable Company moved to Musselburgh, the ‘modern’ game was forged in an atmosphere that combined the town’s reputation for fresh air and recreation with the practical and economic realities of coal mining and industrial growth. At times it was an uneasy coupling, but out of it there emerged a reputation and tenacity in golf that was uniquely Scottish in character, both robust and refined.

From this unlikely melting pot came a game that has become irresistibly international. Some of Musselburgh’s lively combination of charm and energy can be found in this original book by its author, a 4th generation descendant of the famous Park family, which features page upon page of previously untold stories and unseen images. With family trees of its golfing families and a chronology of golfers, writers and artists from the town at a formative time, this book truly reclaims Musselburgh’s proper place in the history of golf.