Cruden Bay Golf Club Key Information
Cruden Bay has plenty that you would expect from a very well established links bearing a great pedigree, but in addition to the old-school charm, there is a real twist with so much character, charm and originality on offer all the way. The course is terrific fun and packed with very memorable and interesting holes, some of which may just get you scratching your head.
Reasons To Play Cruden Bay
– A traditional course but with more than its fair share of individuality
– Some of the most exciting seaside holes in Scotland
– One of four Top 100 courses on the Aberdeenshire coast
Rankings
UK & Ireland Top 100 Golf Courses 2025/26 - 58
Cruden Bay Golf Club is very much a one-off, and while not everyone is a fan of everything about the design here, one thing on which almost everyone seems to agree is that it’s a course packed with fun and is more than worth of its spot in the Top 100 Golf Courses UK & Ireland.
It has all that is great and challenging about an old-fashioned links combined with a great deal of variety including plateau greens, undulating fairways, blind shots, streams and gorse. I am convinced that as far as golfing escapism goes, this is one of the very best
As well being a traditional links with a strong heritage, the real joy of the Championship Course at Cruden Bay is that it is something way more as well. Due to its undulations and elevated dunes, it serves up the most wonderful, panoramic views and is one of the best golf courses in Scotland.
Back in 1894, the Great North of Scotland Railway Company decided that a golf course here would be just the thing to accompany thet hotel it was constructing at the same time. Both the hotel and the course, designed by the godfather of course architecture Old Tom Morris along with Archie Simpson, were opened in 1899.
The following year, the golf club was formed, and a quarter of a century later the course was upgraded by Tom Simpson and Herbert Fowler who in the main kept the original greens and routing. In more recent times there have been a few other changes, particularly at the ninth and sixteenth, which have continued to improve a really interesting course that was already hugely enjoyable. I really do believe it is one of the most fun courses in the rankings.
The opening holes head eastwards over the most inland part of the course towards the river. This, in turn, borders the very pretty par-3 fourth, before the course then accelerates its way southwards with a series of interesting and very entertaining holes.
There are three potentially driveable par 4s - at least from the forward tees, though perhaps not for me! - at the third, eighth and twelfth - and four quite varied and very attractive short holes, two of which come back-to-back at fifteen and sixteen. Water will have a say in your strategy on the two par 5s, but unless you are playing off the very back tees, length is not the issue here. It is more a question of negotiating the burns, bunkers and humps and bumps.
What's new for 2025/26? What our panellists said...
A fantastic piece of land used to the fullest effect with some of the most original links holes in the country. I didn’t find it in sublime condition and have rated as such, but it was still every bit a memorable occasion with several wow moments which made me stop walking and just look around in awe at the surroundings and good fortune I had to be here. A truly special golfing experience.
It is so uniquely itself which is probably one of the reasons why it’s so good. There’s nothing really like it that I’ve seen before. Just an absolute thrill ride from start to finish.
Cruden Bay Golf Club Location
Cruden Bay Golf Club Championship Course scorecard
Best Golf Courses Near Cruden Bay
Places To Stay Near To Cruden Bay
St. Olaf Hotel - Book now via Booking.com
St. Olaf Hotel is right by the golf club and has a garden, private parking, a restaurant and a bar. Some rooms have a sea view. The restaurant and lounge bar are popular with locals, with much of the food sourced locally including fish from Peterhead, and meat from Ellon and Aberdeen.
Seaview Hotel, Peterhead - Book now via Booking.com
This hotel has a restaurant and bar, and the rooms are fitted with a coffee machine and an iPod docking station. The kitchen serves a large varied menu, comprising of dishes made with fresh local fish, beef, chicken and seasonal vegetables, from local suppliers.
Cruden Bay Gallery
Historical Top 100 Rankings UK&I
- 2025/26 - 58
- 2023/24 - 66
- 2021/22 - 69
- 2019/20 - 71
- 2017/18 - 76
- 2015/16 - 89
- 2013/14 - 89
- 2011/12 - 89
- 2009/10 - 88
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Cruden Bay special?
Imagine a traditional, top-quality links that runs over relatively flat turf next to the sea. Now take that same plot of land, but add in some really interesting elevation changes that influence both the strategy and the views.
Who designed Cruden Bay?
The original layout was the work of Old Tom Morris whose legacy lives on in many of the courses in the Top 100 including the current number one, Royal County Down.
Where is Cruden Bay?
Along with Royal Aberdeen, Trump International Scotland and Murcar Links, Cruden Bay is one of four extremely strong and varied links courses in the Top 100 on the Aberdeenshire coast in Scotland.
