Cruden Bay Golf Club

Aulton Rd,

Cruden Bay, Aberdeenshire AB42 0NN

  • Office

    +44 (0)1779 812 285
  • Pro shop

    +44 (0)1779 812 414
  • Fax

    +44 (0)1779 812 945
  • Golf pro

    Neil Murray (PGA Professional).

About the course

  • The Course:

    18 holes. Seaside links. Undulating terrain - a few slopes to climb.

  • Surroundings:

    Coastal duneland.

  • Designer:

    Original layout by Old Tom Morris, with significant redevelopment in 1926 by Tom Simpson and Herbert Fowler.

Back
tees
Club
tees
Front
tees
Yards
6599
5850
5722
Par
70
70
74
SSS or slope
73
69
74

At the same location:

Above distances are for the championship course. Also at Cruden Bay is the 9-hole St Olaf course (par-32; 2,463 yds; SSS 32).

Location

Latitude:

57.413391

Longitude:

-1.863706

How to get there:

22 miles NE of Aberdeen

From the bridge over the River Don in the north of Aberdeen, follow the A90 north for 8.4 miles, then turn R. onto the A975 direction Newburgh / Cruden Bay. After 12.3 miles, just on entering Cruden Bay, golf club is on your R.

Cruden Bay Golf Club

5-star: Fabulous – courses don’t get much better than this.

Est. 1899

Cruden Bay Golf Club: There are few finer tracks of seaside links golf than those laid out before you at Cruden Bay. In bygone days, towering sand dunes piled-up behind Cruden Bay's beautiful sandy beach. These dunes now provide the wonderfully natural setting for this world-class links, and some of the finest coastal views you'll see from a Scottish golf course.

An array of challenging and often dramatic golf holes grace this renowned course on Aberdeenshire's North Sea coast. Each hole is an individual delight, assuming the weather is not too "raw" and your golf game is in reasonable fettle. A stiff North Sea wind and wayward hitting are not the ideal combination, but stunning scenery is ever-present, even if your A-game is not.

Among this sublime collection of golf holes, the testing par-3 4th (Port Erroll) clings to the side of the dunes while overlooking delightful Port Erroll harbour. Magnificent views and a significant drop-off await at the par-4 10th (Scaurs). The pencil-thin fairway of the par-4 15th (Whins) leads you to a wonderfully sunken green, while the blind doglegging (yes, doglegging!) par-3 15th (Blin' Dunt) also leaves an indelible impression.

On the cliffs to the north, stands the impressive ruin of Slain's Castle. It was here that Bram Stoker's infamous fictional character Count Dracula took form ... but better to sink your teeth into this stunning links layout. As the legendary Tom Watson said of Cruden Bay "it's a jewel, a true links, a true pleasure."

List of courses: Scotland - North East

Visitors

Who can play and when?

Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.

Must book in advance. Proof of handicap may be requested.

Green fees

Visitor fee, 18-holes in high season (May thru' Oct): weekdays £165; weekends (p.m. only) £180. Includes nine holes on St Olaf course on day of play, day before or day after.

Contact club for full details, discounts, etc. [Last updated: 2023].

Other information

Players generally walk this course. Caddies available if pre-booked. Golf carts cannot be used due to the terrain.

Practice facilities

Excellent

Did you know?

It is claimed that golf was played in the village of Cruden Bay as early as 1791. The original course, on the present site, was commissioned by the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNSR) following the expansion of the railways at the end of the 19th century. The course was designed by Old Tom Morris of St Andrews, and opened in 1899.

From the course the impressive ruins you'll see to the north are those of Slains Castle. It was here that author Bram Stoker first imagined his infamous fictional character, Count Dracula.

Published ranking

Scotland's 8th best course (Golf World, 2022).
Britain & Ireland's 20th best course (Golf World, 2022).
World's 56th best course (GOLF Magazine, 2023/24) and 30th best public access course (Golf World, 2023).

Where2Stay

  • Kilmarnock Arms Hotel3-star

    Bridge St, Cruden Bay, By Peterhead AB42 0HD

    +44 (0)1779 812 213

    Visit website

    Located in the centre of the coastal village of Cruden Bay and only 800m from the world renowned Cruden Bay Golf Course, the hotel offers an excellent base for golf, angling, riding, walking, shooting or visiting the spectacular beach, whisky and castle trails.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      No

    • Golf within 5 miles:

      Cruden Bay; Newburgh-on-Ythan

    • Golf within 20 miles:

      Trump Aberdeen; Peterhead; Murcar; Royal Aberdeen.

  • St Olaf Hotel

    Aulton Rd, Cruden Bay, Peterhead, Aberdeenshire AB42 0NN

    +44 (0)1779 813 130

    Visit website

    The St Olaf Hotel stands on the edge of the world renowned Cruden Bay golf course, offering panoramic views of the historic Aberdeenshire coast line. St Olaf's offers excellent food and all 5 rooms have comfortable en suite accommodation.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      Cruden Bay

    • Golf within 5 miles:

      Newburgh-on-Ythan

    • Golf within 20 miles:

      Trump Aberdeen; Peterhead; Murcar; Royal Aberdeen.

Find a course

Or

Tournaments

The Masters: The 88th Masters Tournament at Augusta National sees LIV golfer Jon Rahm defend his title against the world’s best. Pressing hard will be world No.1 and 2022 champion Scottie Scheffler and world No.2 Rory McIlroy (April 11-14).

Chevron Championship: the women’s major championship season gets underway for the second year at its new Carlton Woods home outside Houston, Texas. World No.2 Lilia Vu defends (April 18-21).

Who's Who

Nelly Korda: records a perfect start to 2024 with five wins out of her last five starts on the LPGA Tour. Winning the Chevron Championship also brought the second major championship win of her career.

Scottie Scheffler: narrowly missed out on matching Nelly Korda's five wins in five starts, when he placed second at the Houston Open. Either side of that, he won The Arnold Palmer, The Players, and then The Masters and The Heritage.

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.

Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.

Prince's Golf Club, Kent (UK)

Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.

Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available

Popular videos

You can subscribe to the Where2Golf channel on YT if you like to see more video content. You'll find a "Subscribe" button on any of our YouTube videos. Or if you want a quick and direct access subscribe here. Once done, any new published videos will show up in your Subscriptions feed.

Hamburger GC - Falkenstein, Germany

WINSTONgolf - Links course

Littlestone Golf Club (Kent, UK)