It is the Scottish coastal town with a reputation as being one of the best golfing destinations in the world.
Gullane is home to two championship links courses and regularly plays host to hoards of tourists visiting the town to watch some of the biggest tournaments in domestic and international golf.
The course at Muirfield is one of the oldest clubs in golf and has hosted The Open Championship 16 times, while Gullane Golf Club is one of the most successful in Scotland and has previously hosted the Scottish Open.
READ MORE: One in five cash machines in Scotland to charge in a year
Both draw visitors from across the world to the East Lothian town.
However, Gullane has now been highlighted by the ATM Industry Association as one of the few towns in the UK that does not have round-the-clock access to free cash withdrawals.
The association says there used to be a free-to-use ATM in the window of an independent store in the town’s Main Street. However this is now charging 95p per withdrawal.
The other cash machine in the town, located within the Co-operative, offers free withdrawals but is only available when the shop is open, meaning it is unavailable between 10pm and 7am.
According to the association, the nearest free-to-use ATM outside of Gullane is five miles away in North Berwick.
Ron Delnevo, the association’s executive director for Europe, said: “The only reason there is a free ATM in Gullane is because it is in a Co-op store and they are staying free as the Sainsbury and Tesco’s are.
“But the independent stores are largely moving to charging, so any town that has an ATM in an independent store, and it is the only ATM left, if it is free now, it is likely to move to charging in the next 12 months, it is as simple as that.
“Sadly, in the future, many villages and towns may not be as lucky as Gullane. People who want free access to cash will have to travel to their nearest North Berwick – and it could be many miles away.”
Gullane Area Community Council said both banking and Post Office facilities have been cut back in the town and claimed that current provisions are “insufficient”.
Tom Drysdale, chairman of the community council, said: “In common with the position in many rural areas in Scotland, Gullane has lost both its bank, with the closure of the Bank of Scotland branch in 2017, and its post office, which closed at about the same time.
“The bank had a 24-hour external ATM. There remains a once a week post office service for a two-hour period on Wednesday afternoons.
“We feel that the present facilities are insufficient for a village of this size, with a population of nearly 30,00, rapidly expanding with some 350 new houses under construction or planned , which will increase the population to about 4,000.
“The village also has a significant tourist trade, being a major golfing centre.
READ MORE: One in five cash machines in Scotland to charge in a year
“To be fair to the Post Office, they have engaged with us to a limited extent in trying to find a solution to the withdrawal of a full service, but we have had no such co-operation from the bank, who just weren’t interested.
“Gullane and the adjacent villages, such as Aberlady and Dirleton, also suffer from relatively poor mobile phone coverage and slow broadband capability. Again, this is in common with other country areas and I think it’s just a fact of country living.”
Muirfield last hosted The Open in 2013 when Phil Mickelson lifted the trophy.
The course is revered by many of the top names in the sport, including Jack Nicklaus who won his first Open Championship there in 1966.
Nicklaus later described the course as “the best golf course in Britain” and went on to open his own golf course in Ohio named Muirfield Village.
However, the club was removed from The Open circuit in 2016 after its members voted to continue excluding women from membership.
The public backlash led to another ballot on the issue and in March 2017, the club voted to allow women members for the first time in its history and R&A reinstated the course on The Open rota.
Muirfield is now in line to host the Women’s British Open and is in contention to host The Open again in 2023.
Gullane Golf Club last year hosted both the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open and Ladies Scottish Open.
It boasts and strong membership and has also held the Local Final Qualifying for the Open Championship at Muirfield.
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