Cruden Bay Golf Club

Although history would indicate that golf has been played at Cruden Bay since 1791, it was not until 1899 that the current championship course was opened for play. An Old Tom Morris design with help from Archie Simpson, and redesigned in 1926 by Tom Simpson and Herbert Fowler, Cruden Bay is old-fashioned links golf at its best.

Located 25 miles north of Aberdeen on Scotland’s east coast, the golf course is consistently ranked top 25 in the UK. Visitors are made to feel very welcome and in terms of quality, it is hard to get better value for money in Scotland.

Cruden Bay Course overview

At just over 6600 yards off the tips, Cruden Bay is not a long course by modern standards, but it is thrilling to play because the designers use the original lie of the land to fantastic effect. The fact that it has not been tinkered with since 1926 is testament to how great an old-fashioned links this is.

Running along the rugged North Sea coastline with some sand dunes the size of three-storey buildings, humped and hollowed fairways weave there way to punchbowl greens. Laid out in a figure of eight, many holes are secluded from each other due to the towering dunes, and with a stunning beach running down one side of the course there are plentiful panoramic sea views to enjoy.

Signature hole

The 193-yard par-3 4th hole, which is called Port Erroll after the old fishing village close by, plays straight towards the sea from an elevated tee carved out of an imposing sandhill across a deep grassy hollow to an elevated green carved out of the facing sandhill. Your tee shot needs to be straight and carry all the way.

Did You Know?

There is also a 9-hole course at Cruden Bay called St Olaf, which measures just shy of 2500 yards and was originally laid out at the same time as the Championship course in 1899, specifically for ladies to play.