You might say that golf is in Dan Miller’s DNA as his grandparents, on both sides of his family, loved the game and passed this on to their grandson at an early age. Indeed, Dan’s paternal grandfather gifted him a custom-made club when he was just seven years old, and, as he says: “My parents met as a direct result of my grandparents being members of the same club in Ohio, where I grew up.”
After swapping life in the States for a new home and lifestyle in the Scottish Borders, Dan became a member of Goswick Golf Links, and he is now the club’s Marketing and Communications Manager. Dan also combined his love of golf and writing (he began his career working in newspapers and magazines) in his novel Machrihanish, which was published in 2015.
We were delighted to have the chance to catch up with Dan and ask about life in the Borders – including some of his favourite places to visit – and share some of the history of Goswick Golf Links along with the club’s evolution.
Hello Dan, and thank you for chatting with us. First of all, can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?
My wife and I moved from Los Angeles to the Scottish Borders in 2015 and I became a member at Goswick Golf Links in the same year. Most people do a double take when I tell them that. But we really did trade the Southern California climate for that of Northumberland and we haven’t looked back since — gaining a stunning countryside, significantly less congestion and a big reduction in cost of living for a much higher overall quality of life.
That includes the golf. National Club Golf ranks Goswick 43rd in England among more than 2,000 courses and within the top 100 courses in the UK. And it’s on the R&A’s short list as one of its Regional Qualifying venues for the Open Championship. Yet the membership subscription works out to around a third of what I was paying for a lesser parkland course in LA, where a round routinely took six hours on a weekend — assuming you could secure a tee time.
And it gets better. Not long after joining Goswick, I was recruited to help promote the club to visitors and prospective members, drawing on my work experience in marketing and communications. Over the years, that role evolved into a full-time job as Goswick’s Marketing and Communications Manager. So now I not only get to play my golf at a very special course but I also have the opportunity to help write the next chapter of its illustrious story.
Please tell us the story of Goswick Golf Links?
Goswick was established in 1890. The founders had the foresight to build the course amid the sand dunes along the Northumbrian coast just south of Berwick-upon-Tweed, guided initially by such Scottish golf luminaries as Tom Dunn and Willie Park Jr. A big turning point came in the 1930s when the club engaged the services of James Braid, a five-time winner of the Open Championship and one of the game’s most prolific course designers. The Goswick of today owes much of its character to Braid’s vision, though the course has continued to evolve and improve in the nearly 100 years since.
Today, that includes a major development push to lift this authentic links layout to a level that’s on a par with the best courses in Scotland. Major changes to the front 9 are currently underway, with tweaks to the back 9 in the early stages of discussion — guided by the renowned golf course architectural firm Mackenzie & Ebert.
Goswick really is in the most beautiful spot but being a very natural and open seaside links course, the upkeep must be a big job?
It is and we take our role in maintaining the links while protecting the flora and fauna that call it home very seriously. That’s why in recent years we have invested heavily in our greenkeeping capabilities in the form of people, facilities, equipment and resources to achieve an even higher level of course conditioning. As a result, the club’s reputation — and its green fee income — is on the rise. And it currently has a three-year waiting list for membership. Simply put, Goswick is going from strength to strength.
How do you go about becoming a member at Goswick?
The best place to start is to visit the membership page on our website. There you will find information about our various categories of membership. And you can fill out and submit a form to request more details and/or let us know your level of interest. As I mentioned, we do currently have a waiting list and we require a £100 deposit to add your name to it. But if you plan to make this part of the world your home and you love golf, then Goswick really is the place to be. And it will be worth the wait.
It must be great hearing feedback from visitors who play the course for the first time and aren’t local – are visitor numbers fairly seasonal?
Spring to autumn is definitely the prime golf season. But Goswick resides on sandy soil that drains extremely well. So unlike most parkland courses, it has the advantage of being playable all year round. As such, we routinely draw visitors from throughout the UK. And, increasingly, golfers from further afield — such as those who take the ferry across the North Sea from the Netherlands to Newcastle — are adding it to their travel itineraries.
Longer term, one of our objectives is to get onto the radar screen of Americans who are naturally drawn to Scotland just north of the border. A year ago, Goswick became the first club in England to be invited to join the Scotland’s Golf Coast consortium that includes such standouts as Muirfield, Gullane and North Berwick. That should help us on this front.
Where did your love of golf come from, or who?
I owe that to my grandparents on both sides of my family who loved the game and passed that down to me at an early age, with my paternal grandfather making a custom club for me when I was just 7. In fact, my parents met as a direct result of my grandparents being members of the same club in Ohio, where I grew up. So I guess you could say that if not for golf, I might not even exist!
What does a working day look like for you?
Busy and varied, between work and non-work activities, which definitely suits me. There isn’t a dedicated workspace for me at Goswick, so I tend to split my work time between the club and home on the Hirsel Estate in Coldstream. That creates opportunities for walking our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel on the estate during the day and taking in the Milky Way at night (something I definitely couldn’t do in LA!). In fact, I recently purchased a telescope to help take full advantage of the dark sky just outside our front door. And my wife and I also enjoy singing in a community choral group called Abbey Consort that performs throughout the Scottish Borders.
Where do you most enjoy escaping to when you are not working?
Well, we do love to return to the States at least 2-3 times per year, but only as visitors. Our three daughters and, now, two grandsons live there. The eldest is 3 and, yes, I’ve already got a golf club in his hands!
Locally, there are several wonderful options for country walks, though I’d have to say that St Abbs along the coast is a definite favourite as is Dryburgh Abbey inland. And how special it is to have so many other countries and cultures within short flights from Edinburgh or Newcastle to choose from, such as Europe and Ireland (where my mother’s side of the family emigrated to America from in the 19th century).
Are there any local businesses and/ or professional services that would you like to highlight?
Berwick is a bit of a hidden gem, as evidenced by such restaurants such as Atelier and Mavi Turkish on Bridge Street. Heading west from Coldstream, Mainstreet Trading Company in St Boswell’s is a brilliant bookstore (and a whole lot more), owned by a woman who used to work as an editor at the publisher of the Harry Potter books. I’ve yet to go there and not walk out with at least 2-3 books. And Kelso has much to offer, from Floors Castle to lively pubs such as The Cobbles Inn and Rutherford’s to specialty shops like BeerCraft.
Finally, if you were to describe your dream home what would it look like?
Hard to beat our current home on the sprawling 500-acre Hirsel Estate. But if I were to dream, a modest bungalow along the famed 17-Mile Drive in Pebble Beach, California, would make a fabulous winter retreat. We’re only about $10 million shy of making that a reality!
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