The one-of-a-kind 14th green

This is our first detailed course review of the many fine Irish and Scottish golf courses that are featured on our website, www.jklgolf.com. We have chosen the Cruden Bay Golf Club for our first detailed review because we believe that it provides the most pure fun to any visiting golfer on a golf tour of Ireland or Scotland . Please note that we have not said that it is the best golf course in Ireland and Scotland, as that is certainly not the case, though we certainly do believe Cruden Bay GC is an excellent golf course. Instead, we begin our series of reviews with Cruden Bay GC because it is simply the most fun to play of all the courses we have played in Ireland and Scotland.

Cruden Bay Golf Club is one of the many seaside golf courses built at the end of the 19th century as part of the expansion of the railways throughout Scotland. In the case of Cruden Bay GC, the course was built by the Great North of Scotland Railway, opening in 1899 together with the grand Cruden Bay Hotel, one of the finest and most luxurious Scottish hotels of the day (the Hotel fell into a state of decline with the Depression in the 1930s and was ultimately demolished).

The golf course at Cruden Bay is a legacy to the work of Old Tom Morris, who laid out the original course, and the team of Tom Simpson and Herbert Fowler, who redesigned the course in the 1920s. Though Fowler and Simpson made substantial changes to the original design, they wisely retained many of Old Tom Morris' original greensites and significant portions of his original course routing. The golf course has been further altered over the years, primarily to add distance to keep up with advances in golf equipment, yet the course we play today would not be unfamiliar to Messrs. Simpson and Fowler.

The thrill of a day of golf at Cruden Bay GC begins long before the golfer hits his tee shot on the 1st hole, for the visiting golfer is able to gaze down on much of the golf course from the comfortable modern clubhouse that is set on a high ridge above the 1st tee, 18th green and the original clubhouse (now the starter's hut and caddy-shack). From this vantage point, the visitor is able to view much of the outward nine, routed through the majestic dunes that dominate the northern portion of the golf course property, as well as the 17th and 18th holes. Most of the remaining holes are set to the south and east of the large bluff that is the home of the 9th hole, a long par four that serves mainly to transition the course from the majestic dunes of holes two through eight to the equally enjoyable linksland of the inward nine.

Though Cruden Bay GC does contain many fine traditional links holes, such as the par four 5th and 18th holes, it is the unique and quirky holes that leave most visitors with the urge to squeeze in an extra round or two at Cruden Bay GC before heading south to Royal Aberdeen GC or perhaps northwest to Royal Dornoch GC. Set out below is a brief description of the holes at Cruden Bay that are of the greatest interest to most visitors.

2nd Hole, 331 Yards, Par Four: A fairly simple looking hole from the tee, where the golfer is called upon to hit a tee shot of 200 to 250 yards that avoids the bunkers to the right and stays short of the deep bunker in the center of the fairway. Yet this is where the challenge begins, as the green is perched high atop a plateau, with any shot lacking the height and distance to reach the green rolling slowly back down the hill to leave the golfer another attempt at pitching his ball up to the green.

The 3rd green with Port Errol in the background

3rd Hole, 274 Yards, Par Four: Most golfers will be thinking birdie as they glance at the card and see that this par four measures only 274 yards, yet few will be marking a three on their card as they leave the well-protected green. The key feature of the 3rd hole is a towering dune that looms to the right of the fairway, jutting out to protect the right side of the green that slopes from front-right to back-left. With a smaller dune jutting out into the left side of the fairway some 60 yards short of the green, the bold attempt to drive the green requires a precise tee shot threaded between the two dunes to the blind and sloping green.

Over the valley to the 4th green

4th Hole, 195 Yards, Par Three: A spectacular and demanding par three, played straight towards the sea across a hollow to an elevated green tucked into the dunes. With the elevated green and the wind often coming off the sea, the 4th hole usually requires an extra club or two, especially as any shot that does not carry all the way to the plateau green will roll part way back down the hill.

5th Hole, 455 Yards, Par Four: A long and beautiful par four, with the tee shot played from high atop a hill, over and through a majestic set of dunes, to a fairway that is wider than appears on first glance. The second shot is usually a long iron or wood to a green that will accept a low and running shot but is often difficult to hold.

The Bluidy Burn with the 6 th green in the background

6th Hole, 525 Yards, Par Five: Another beautiful tee shot played from atop a hill, through a set of large dunes, to a wide fairway in the distance. The second shot usually requires a long or mid-iron lay-up short of the Bluidy Burn, which crosses the fairway 50 yards short of the green, leaving a short-iron approach to a green set on a plateau above the burn.

7th Hole, 380 Yards, Par Four: A classic dogleg left that has a wide fairway yet tempts players to try to cut the corner for a shorter route home. The second shot is played between the dunes up to a green set atop a hill. The player who hits the fairway with his tee shot is rewarded with the opportunity to put a little spin on his approach in hopes of holding the elevated and firm green.

8th Hole, 257 Yards, Par Four: At 257 yards (only 232 yards from the member tees), this hole might be considered a par three under other circumstances. Yet with an uphill tee shot, large dunes on both sides, and a sloping green that fends off any shot that is not well-struck, the 8th hole sees more fives than threes recorded on the scorecard. After battling the 8th hole, the golfer faces a steep climb to the 9th hole up on the bluff and is well advised to spend a couple of minutes on the bench near the 9th tee, both to catch his breath and to enjoy the views back down over the majestic dunes and golf course.

13th Hole, 543 Yards, Par Five: With a burn crossing the fairway about 290 yards from the tee, this is another three-shot par five for everyone except the longest of hitters. The tee shot is played short of the burn between a pair of deep bunkers, and, though the second shot looks open, the golfer who finds the left side of the fairway will be rewarded with an easier third shot over the large hill that juts out into the fairway from the right rough. Although the golfer may not be able to see all of the green from the left side of the fairway, at least he will be able to see the flag, which is not the case from the right side, where the third shot is completely blind.

14th Hole, 389 Yards, Par Four: This is one of the truly unique holes at Cruden Bay GC. Upon reaching the tee at the 14th hole, the golfer's first task is to check the pin position in the “box” located on the tee, for the second shot here is truly a blind one. The golfer's next task is to place his tee shot between the bunkers on the left and the North Sea on the right. Now, the real fun begins, as the golfer plays his second shot, usually a short-iron, over a hill to a one-of-a-kind green that lies sunken in a hollow at the bottom of the hill. A hole like this would not be built today, as most architects would bulldoze the hill to create a visible and “fair” shot, which is unfortunate, because it is unique holes like this and others at Cruden Bay GC that make links golf so much fun.

Approaching the 14th green with the 15th tee to the right

15th Hole, 231 Yards, Par Three: One of the strangest yet most fun par threes in links golf. For starters, the tee at the 15th sets in a stunning position overlooking the beach and North Sea on one side and the sunken 14th green on the other side. The 15th green, on the other hand, is nowhere in sight, for it rests some 200 yards away, tucked behind a majestic dune. Having found the aiming post in the distance, the golfer must choose between a high shot over the dune or a hard draw around the dune. Whichever shot the golfer chooses, the walk to the green is filled with anticipation, as the golfer crests the dune with hopes of seeing his ball at rest on the large green that slopes from front to back.

From behind the 15th green

16th Hole, 180 Yards, Par Three: Only at Cruden Bay GC would one find a blind par three followed by another par three, this time semi-blind, as the golfer is able to see the flagstick from atop the elevated tee. While the 231 yard 15th hole calls for equal parts of courage and brawn, the shorter 16th hole requires a bit more finesse, with the blind tee shot played over a hill to an approach area and green that again slope away from the golfer. When the turf is dry and running fast, as is often the case at Cruden Bay GC, even the best of players will be challenged to keep his tee shot from running through the 16th green into the awaiting grassy hollows.

17th Hole, 424 Yards, Par Four: As the golfer walks from the 16th green to the 17th tee he transitions from the majestic dunesland of the last few holes to the more subtle landscape of the holes nearer the clubhouse. Yet, Cruden Bay GC has one last treat in store for the visiting golfer, as he stares down the relatively flat 17th fairway in disbelief at the shaggy mound located in the middle of the fairway some 240 yards away. For one would not expect to find an elephant-sized mound covered in rough smack dab in the middle of the fairway, unless, of course, one were playing Cruden Bay GC. With narrow strips of fairway on either side of the mound, perhaps the best approach is to take dead aim at the mound and trust that one will likely pull or push his shot into the safety of the fairway.

Upon finishing a round at Cruden Bay GC, many visiting golfers hesitate at the thought that their day on this amazing golf course has come to an end. Yet, having climbed the hill back to the modern clubhouse, the visiting golfer may now relax with a drink and some friends in the comfortable bar overlooking so many of the wonderful holes that filled the last few hours with a pure sense of golfing joy. Or, better yet, perhaps the drinks and stories can wait another few hours while the tired yet somehow energized golfers find the strength to venture back to the 1st tee for another round of golf and fun.

To locate Cruden Bay GC, please click this link to our interactive Scotland Golf Map.

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