This was our eighth Scottish golf journey, but our first built around Aberdeen. Four Winged Foot friends flew into Edinburgh, collected a van and travelled north for seven days of golf, using the Sandman Signature in central Aberdeen as a single base. Montrose provided an enjoyable opening stop on the drive north. From Aberdeen we ranged south to Edzell, north to Cruden Bay and Balmedie, and only a short distance to Royal Aberdeen. The golf was deliberately repetitive in the best sense. Cruden Bay and Royal Aberdeen were each played twice, allowing first impressions to mature. Cruden Bay became the most distinctive and hospitable overall day; Royal Aberdeen emerged as the finest pure course and the most complete golf experience. Trump International offered the clearest contrast: the original course was a demanding and memorable finale, while the New Course felt over-designed and considerably less rewarding. What made the week successful was not simply the quality of the courses. The caddies, professional-shop teams, clubhouse staff and the easy warmth of the smaller clubs mattered enormously. The trip confirmed that Aberdeen is not just a staging point for golf. Its granite architecture, working harbour and North Sea character gave the week a sense of place, while meals at the clubs, the New Inn in Ellon and The Silver Darling added a welcome social dimension away from the
Northeast Scotland proved ideal for a golf journey of this kind. The courses are close enough to create a coherent itinerary but different enough to avoid repetition. The landscape moves between Angus farmland, towering dunes, granite city and working harbour; the clubs range from historic and formal to quirky and intimate; and the people consistently made visitors feel welcome.
Two rounds and a full day at one of the most distinctive clubs in Scotland
The view before the golf
The drive from central Aberdeen took about thirty minutes, passing signposts for Murcar, Royal Aberdeen and the two Trump courses. That concentration of famous names is impressive, but Cruden Bay announced itself without any need for a sign. The car park and clubhouse sit above the links, and the first view takes in much of the opening nine as well as the closing holes below. It is one of the great arrivals in Scottish golf.
That elevated setting matters throughout the visit. It gives the clubhouse a natural theatre and allows the final holes to be watched from above. More importantly, it creates an immediate sense that the course occupies a landscape of unusual scale and character. Before hitting a shot, I already felt that this would be different from the more conventional championship links elsewhere on the itinerary.
A railway course with an individual character
The present course grew from an ambitious Victorian resort. The Great North of Scotland Railway commissioned Old Tom Morris, assisted by Archie Simpson, and the course opened in 1899. Tom Simpson and Herbert Fowler later reshaped it in 1926. That history is visible in the way the holes appear to have been found among the dunes rather than imposed upon them.
Cruden Bay is often described as quirky, and the word is unavoidable. There are blind and semi-blind shots, sharp changes of elevation, concealed ground and greens that do not always sit where the eye expects. Yet quirk alone does not explain the course. The better description is imaginative. It asks for judgement, trust and a willingness to accept that a good links shot may use ground that cannot be seen from where it is played.
Learning the landscape
Our first round began after lunch, with Richard acting as forecaddie. His help was invaluable. The opening holes move towards the town, the fourth turns beside the inlet, and from the fifth the course begins to work back into the dunes. The first five or six holes form an excellent sequence, each asking a different question while remaining completely at home in the terrain.
The ninth tee is one of the high points, both literally and emotionally. We had endured a short burst of heavy rain and a strengthening wind, but the view across the dunes, links and coastline repaid everything. It is the sort of panorama that interrupts the game. For a moment the score and the next shot become secondary.
The challenge is uncertainty. The correct side of a fairway may matter more than an extra twenty yards; a shot that appears well placed can leave an obscured approach; and the wind can turn a manageable hole into a much sterner one. Cruden Bay rewards local knowledge, but it also rewards curiosity. The golfer has to work out what the land is offering rather than expect every answer to be displayed from the tee.
An 81 and the wish to try again
We played the first round from the gold tees at roughly 6,200 yards. I shot 81 and was pleased, although I also felt that five or six shots had been available. That mixture of satisfaction and mild frustration was an excellent reason to return. A memorable course should create the desire to replay shots while they are still fresh in the mind.
The second visit proved the value of another look. Colin was our caddie and the best we had enjoyed on the trip. He knew the lines, slopes and blind shots, but he also knew when to let the course speak for itself. By then I had begun to understand the terrain, and he had quickly understood our games. I played well and was genuinely unlucky not to break 80. A disruption from the starter at the eighth interrupted the rhythm, but the round still felt like progress rather than repetition.
Sequences that stay in the memory
The back-to-back par fives at the fifth and sixth were among my favourite passages. They offer opportunity but require sensible positioning, and their unusual pairing gives the early round a distinctive momentum. Much later, the consecutive par threes at the 15th and 16th present a completely different test. One asks the player to commit to a shot without the usual visual reassurance; together they demand imagination late in the round.
The 17th and 18th provide a superb finish beneath the clubhouse. They are strong holes in their own right, but the setting adds occasion. The elevated windows and terrace make the final approach feel observed, even when the audience is small. It is a conclusion entirely in keeping with the rest of the course: attractive, demanding and unmistakably Cruden Bay.
St Olaf and the complete club day
On our second visit we stayed from breakfast through dinner, with lunch and a round on St Olaf between the main events. The nine-hole short course is compact, informal and genuinely enjoyable. It works particularly well after the championship course because it extends the day without turning it into an endurance test. Visitors should make time for it, whether as a warm-up or a relaxed extra nine.
The staff were excellent throughout both visits. Elaine had handled our bookings, the professional shop was helpful, and the bar and lounge combined good food with an entirely natural welcome. This mattered. Cruden Bay did not feel like a celebrated course tolerating visitors; it felt like a club pleased to share what it has.
Would I return
Without hesitation. Royal Aberdeen may have been the finest pure test of golf on the trip, but Cruden Bay was the most distinctive experience. Its appeal lies in the combination: an extraordinary landscape, a course full of personality, caddies who materially improved the rounds and hospitality that made a full day pass too quickly.
A third round would not be about finally solving Cruden Bay. I doubt the course permits that. It would be about seeing a little more, choosing a few better lines and again accepting the occasional bounce or view that makes the score temporarily irrelevant.
The first round showed us the spectacle; the second revealed more of the golf beneath it.
Useful links
• Cruden Bay Golf Club Official club website
• Course Overview Championship course introduction
• Course History The railway resort and early course
• Tee Times and Green Fees Current visitor arrangements
• Caddie and Rental Services Caddie and equipment information
Series note
This is the second course portrait in the Aberdeen Golf Odyssey series for A Golfer’s Blog. It combines both visits to Cruden Bay and includes St Olaf as part of the wider club experience.