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The ultimate hidden golf course is just yards from Edinburgh Old Town and it's free to play Bruntsfiield Links was once home to the oldest golf club in the world and remains a great place to play the game You can barely move in Edinburgh in August as the festival attracts millions of people to the city. The population swells and the overall experience can by quite overwhelming. For those who cannot resist the urge to escape the bustle of the Old and New Towns, there are oases of green space to enjoy. Princes Street Gardens is right in the city centre, while Holyrood Park is home to iconic Arthur's Seat. To the south of the Old Town is the Meadows, a vast expanse of grassland that was once a loch. And it is next door to this area of common ground that visitors can find one of Scotland's most unique golf courses. Located less than a mile from the busy Grassmarket, Bruntsfield Links is believed to have hosted a version of the sport for over 500 years. Even when it was used as a quarry, the land attracted golfers and it was the popularity of the sport that led to Bruntsfield being maintained as a place of recreation. Royal Burgess, recognised as the oldest golf club in the world, started by playing a six-hole layout on the Links in 1733. Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society, formed in 1761, is the fourth oldest club and while it has moved away from the area, the park is still home to the Bruntsfield Short Hole Golf Club. Established in 1890, the facility offers 36 short holes, maintained by the city council, that are completely free to play. All you need to do is bring your clubs and balls and wait your turn to start your round. Members play in competitions from 6pm during the summer, with the course fully open between April and the end of September, before reverting to a nine-hole layout in the winter. With holes ranging from 45 to 90 yards, the course is ideal for all levels and will help hone anyone's short game. Players happily share the space with dog walkers, runners and anyone else who just wants to enjoy some peace and quiet. Bruntsfield is also believed to be the home of women's competitive golf, with the first recorded match between females taking place across its ground in 1738. Sitting beside the Links is the tiny clubhouse, a former cabbie's hut dating from the 1920s. Nearby, a plaque marks the sport of Golfhill, believed to be the world's first golf clubhouse. The course itself offers great views of Arthur's Seat as it winds it way across the open land. The final hole is close to the historic Golf Tavern, the '37th', where you can hire clubs if you fancy a round. The pub claims to date from 1456 and one recent TripAdvisor review summd it up: "Staff are sound, food is class and atmosphere is great!" Bruntsfield is just 1.3 miles from Waverley Station, a walk that tales less than half an hour. The iconic Edinburgh Castle is less than a mile away, as is the buzzing Grassmarket.