Royal Aberdeen Golf Club

The Balgownie Links at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club is consistently ranked amongst the top 10 courses in Scotland and top 20 throughout the UK. Founded in 1780 and originally known as the Society of Golfers at Aberdeen, this is the sixth oldest golf club in the world, with golf played on the Balgownie Links since 1888.

More recently the club has hosted several major golfing events, with the 2005 British Senior Open (won by Tom Watson), the 2011 Walker Cup (won by the GB&I team) and the 2014 European Tour’s Scottish Open (won by Justin Rose).

Balgownie Links overview

A traditional out and back links that runs along the shore of the North Sea on the east coast of Scotland, the Balgownie weaves its way through towering sand dunes, and at 6885 yards off the tips is a formidable challenge when the wind blows.

The front 9 holes are widely regarded as the finest first nine in golf, running parallel to the shore before heading to the clubhouse for the back nine on higher ground, which are tougher due to being so exposed to the elements. A wonderfully natural links course known for its large greens, pot bunkers, high dunes and tangly gorse, the Balgownie will test every shot in your bag and leave you wanting to come back for more.

Signature Holes

The 8th is a relatively short par-3 at 147 yards; however, it is a potential card-wrecker. Only a well-struck tee shot to the left side of the putting surface is acceptable, and any sort of miss is likely to find one of the 10 pot bunkers (or ‘sandy bodyguards’) that surround the green.

Did You Know?

In 1815, on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo, the Society of Golfers at Aberdeen changed its name to the Aberdeen Golf Club and in 1903 it was awarded Royal status by His Majesty King Edward VII. Also of note is that the five-minute rule, the time allowed when searching for balls, was first introduced to the game of golf here in 1783.