MUSSELBURGH’S ‘glory days’ in the history of golf are shared with visitors to the town’s museum this summer.

Musselburgh Museum on High Street is hosting an exhibition called ‘Musselburgh – Cradle of Golf’ which is aimed at reasserting the Honest Toun’s importance in the sport’s rich heritage.

Boasting one of the oldest golf courses in the world – Musselburgh Links, The Old Course – the town was once home to the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, who now play at Muirfield, near Gullane.

The Honourable Company brought other Edinburgh clubs to the town such as Royal Burgess, Bruntsfield and the Warrender.

The exhibition celebrates the days from 1836 to the early 20th century when Musselburgh was at the forefront of the game’s development.

It not only celebrates the golf clubs which played in the town over the years but also the many golf club and ball makers, and professional players, who made their living in the town between 1836 and 1900 – a period of dramatic growth in the game.

The display has been organised by Musselburgh Museum and Heritage Group in partnership with Mungo Park, whose great-grandfather Willie Park Senior, from Wallyford, won the first Open Championship at Prestwick in 1860 and went on to be a four-time Open champion.

Willie’s brother Mungo and son Willie Junior were also Open champions at Musselburgh Links.

Two other local men – Bob Ferguson, who won a hat-trick of Open Championships, and David Brown – complete the town’s five Open champions, with 11 wins between them.

Support for the exhibition has also been received from East Lothian Council’s economic development and strategic investment department and Musselburgh Common Good Fund.

The exhibition, which runs from July 6 to September 1, is to be officially opened by Lord Wemyss, whose family has been involved with golf since the early 18th century.

On display are a large number of golf items and memorabilia donated by golf clubs that were formerly located at Musselburgh Links. Artefacts from the British Golf Museum and private collections can also be viewed.

The exhibition includes significant artefacts that have not been seen publicly in Scotland for decades, among them Charles Lees’ famous painting A Summer Evening on the Musselburgh Links: Golfers, which recently sold at Bonhams.

Organisers say the display shows Musselburgh’s leadership in developing golf and exporting it.

The museum is open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10.30am to 4pm each day.