Following a career in real estate, David Cockerton and his wife Angela bought Garleton Lodge in 2016 to target the golf tourism market in East Lothian.
Mr Cockerton also manages Scotland’s Golf Coast, a marketing alliance working on behalf of 25 courses in the area. Through this association Garleton Lodge organises stay and play golf packages for its visitors.
After a complete refurbishment, Garleton Lodge was re-launched in April 2017 as the couple’s “semi-retirement” project. Mr Cockerton believes golf tourism is “probably the most important economic driver in East Lothian”.
Tell us a bit more about your background.
I worked in real estate in the UK, the Middle East and globally, and was also a part-time university lecturer as well as writing and presenting professional training courses and articles. I have a passion for golf, good food, and fine wine, all of which can be enjoyed at Garleton Lodge.
I am also an accredited whisky ambassador and regularly present tutored tastings to our guests from a stock of more than 200 whiskies.
After a successful career as an accountant, my wife Angela followed her passion to work with food. She ran a number of successful businesses including handmade chocolates, private dinner parties, and cookery teaching in both the UK and the Middle East.
Garleton Lodge provides the opportunity for guests to sample Angela’s award-winning food in a relaxed and comfortable setting.
Where are you located, and what’s on offer?
When we first discovered Garleton Lodge we fell in love with its hilltop setting, the views, and its position in the heart of East Lothian – a location renowned for good food and drink, and for its golf.
Situated in Haddington, we are less than 30 minutes from Edinburgh’s city centre. We have six en-suite rooms, a restaurant, lounge and bar, and a relaxation room with hot tub. We also have a self-contained cottage adjacent to the hotel with two en-suite bedrooms and private lounge.
As part of our golf packages, we can arrange both airport and golf course transfers, club storage and drying facilities, and special rates with local courses. Along with our packages, we also work closely with tour operators both here in Scotland and around the world.
What is Scotland’s Golf Coast?
A key component to our marketing at Garleton Lodge is Scotland’s Golf Coast, a private sector business and marketing alliance including golf clubs, accommodation providers and other local businesses with the aim of developing and promoting golf tourism in East Lothian.
The group has close working partnerships within the golf tourism industry locally, nationally and internationally, delivering benefits to its member and partner businesses as well as a positive impact on the overall local and regional East Lothian economy.
With 25 courses, Scotland’s Golf Coast has the greatest concentration of championship links golf courses anywhere in the world. All East Lothian courses are within 20 minutes of Garleton Lodge, and those in the Borders and Northumberland are only around an hour away.
How much of your business at Garleton Lodge is linked to golf tourism?
East Lothian benefits from an excellent climate – it is well-known as Scotland’s sunniest and driest region – which offers year-round golf and thus an extended hospitality season.
Each year, around 60% of our total business is linked to golf tourism, with roughly 80% of this being from international visitors. We have on average more than 20 different nationalities staying with us every year with key markets being North America, Scandinavia and Europe, and in particular Germany, Austria,
Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Many of the latter now use the North Sea ferry arriving in Newcastle and then travel up the A1. This is seen as a much easier option than flying, with the added benefit to golfers of having all of their own equipment ready to play.
Where do you play?
I am a member of both Dunbar Golf Club and Gifford Golf Club here in East Lothian, and play two or three times each week throughout the year. My current WHS handicap is 13.9.
Every round is a new and different challenge, offering an ongoing quest for perfection and delivering unending frustration! It’s a melting pot and that’s what makes the game so great.
Anything else we should know?
Although golf tourism is our core business, we also have a strong “weekend escape” business, particularly during spring and autumn.
Underpinning weekend stays is our “pop-up” restaurant where each month we present a six-course tasting menu which is popular with both overnight guests and locals. We are looking forward to running these again throughout 2025.