Throughout the world are many wonderful highways made famous by their proximity to major golf destinations.

Among these is the legendary 17-mile drive on California's Monterey Peninsula.

There you'll encounter the famous Links at Spanish Bay, Spyglass Hill and Pebble Beach Golf Links or the 60-mile long Grand Strand, encompassing the Myrtle Beach area on South Carolina's coastline.

But can anywhere compete with the incredible variety and quality of golf courses available along East Lothian's A198?

The coastal route

Travelling east, the A198 begins just a mile from the course at Royal Musselburgh and continues along the coastal route through the pristine villages and towns of Longniddry, Aberlady, Gullane, Dirleton and North Berwick, before joining the A199 beyond Whitekirk.

The road, which runs for just over 20 miles, contains some of the world's finest golfing land.

Here you'll find an amazing 15 courses, almost linking with each other along the Firth of Forth.

Many, such as Gullane and North Berwick Golf Club, are familiar names through often hosting major international championships.

These include final qualifying, when the Open Championship is played over East Lothian's most famous links, Muirfield, which is home to The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers.

Stunning vistas

Stunning vistas along the coastline further enhance the courses.

The 360-degree panoramic view from the seventh tee on Gullane's No.1 course is often described as the best view in golf'.

The beautiful coastal surroundings also feature at Longniddry, Kilspindie, Craigielaw, Luffness New, North Berwick, Whitekirk and the Glen, whose elevated location offers wonderful views of the Bass Rock.

The A198's historic, established courses have been complemented by recent additions, as East Lothian's offering continues to improve.

Craigielaw, which opened in 2001, has already hosted many prestigious events and along with North Berwick, was the venue for the final qualifying round of the 2007 Senior British Open Championship at Muirfield.

Golf's newest gems

Located between Gullane and Dirleton, within Archerfield Estate, are East Lothian's newest gems.

The private clubs at Archerfield Links and The Renaissance Club at Archerfield, offer world-class havens for members and their guests.

But golf in East Lothian is not confined to the A198.

The county possesses some fabulous courses close to the recently upgraded A1.

Here you encounter the classic links as laid out by Old Tom Morris at Dunbar. These include the short but testing course along the headland at Winterfield, one of James Braid's best designs at Musselburgh Golf Club, the world's oldest played course at Musselburgh Links and the beautiful parkland courses at Haddington, Gifford and Castle Park.

A dream location

So there you have it, a great selection of world-class courses, spectacular vistas and welcoming clubhouses.

This is combined with a great variety of accommodation and outstanding restaurants all within a 30-minute drive of each other.

It represents a dream location for visiting golfers with no wasting valuable time driving from course to course, packing and checking in and out of hotels.

Evidence indeed that the best drives in golf do not always need to be long and straight.