At the end of the 19th century the great railway expansion took place in Scotland which provided a mode of transport to a string of new links courses established in that era.   Cruden Bay,  just north of Aberdeen, came on line in 1899 and one more magnificent links venue was within reach.  Nestled amongst some of the tallest dunes on the east coast of Scotland Old Tom Morris staked the original Cruden Bay course in Aberdeenshire and it fast became a favorite destination for holiday travelers.  It was updated and expanded by Tom Simpson and Herbert Fowler in 1926 to take on the unique character that we enjoy today.

The clubhouse sits on a hill overlooking the sprawling links below.  As you step out of the golf shop the panoramic view is a strong hint at the special day of links golf that lies ahead.  James Finegan describes this view, “Below, in all its turbulent splendor, lies one of the most awe-inspiring stretches of linksland ever dedicated to the game….sand hills rise as high as sixty feet, their shaggy slopes covered with long and throttling golden grasses.  For sheer majesty of setting, no Scottish course surpasses Cruden Bay”.

Even through the haar you can see the splendid topographical combination Finegan describes.

 (Click on any picture to get an enhanced view of the image)

The tallest dunes dominate the north end of the course early in the round creating a mixture of elevation changes and alcove holes between the dunes to challenge your judgment and your will.  Coming off the valley floor the first four holes present a unique array of technical links shots that are a splash of cold water on the face.  Negotiating a successful approach shot to the table top green at number two demands creativity and dexterity.  The carry shot on the signature par three fourth is a blend of terror and thrill if it lands and stays on a putting surface suspended off a towering dune.

Green complex on the Par 4 #2 is downright elusive to your approach shot.

If you survived the opening volley the rest of the front side you wend amongst the low gorse and grassed covered dunes that define playing lines for each hole.  The view off the tee box of the sweeping par four fifth is mesmerizing as the hole turns left into a small subdivision of sand dunes.   Two full metal blows are required to reach the putting surface.  A Captain Hook dogear left three-shot par five follows-with the first incursion of a Scottish burn defining your lay up position and putting the vise grip on your approach shot into a treacherous green setting.

Negotiating the burn and green side bunkers on #5 is a major challenge.

As you start a slow climb up to the high ground the next two are quintessential links par fours.  The seventh would feel at home at Ballyliffen Glashedy or Enniscronne in the northern reaches of Ireland.  Your tee ball requires restraint as you play into a narrowing landing area leaving a steep uphill pitch to a long putting surface that seems to shed approach shots without very distinct intention.  The driveable eighth will leave many a long hitter with tufts of hair between their fingers if they fail to make birdie on what seems to be a most gettable hole.  The steep march that follows to the ninth tee has you gasping for air as you look out over a hole draped across the ridge of one of the tallest dunes on the course.

Resplendent view from the 10th tee of the dune wall that frames the holes coming in.

The wind off the sea on #11 makes this short pitch very compelling.

Exposure to the sea breeze creates a remarkable run of holes from the 9th to 16th .  The short par three 11th reminds me of the three pars on the inward half at Royal Dornoch-there is only one line to play and it has to be with proper resolve to mitigate the wind’s effect and offer a chance to make par.

The influence of the sea is ever present throughout the back nine.

Turning back to the North you are playing to the farthest reach of the links.   The sound of the sea crashing on the rocks just over your shoulder adds to the sense of remoteness of this part of the course.   Against all macho temptations to be heroic, controlling your line and the subsequent roll outs on both the short par four 12th and the serpentine par five that follows is essential.  The green complex on the 13th is as Old Tom found it, a small blind shelf wedged between a low dune and the tall dune wall behind just begging for a putting surface.

This sunken green lurks behind the dune on your approach into the Par 4 14th.

Blind is an important operational term since it is the major factor on the next three holes.  There is so much existential fate woven into them Søren Kierkegaard would feel right at home here.  After a controlled draw up the ramp shoulder of the tall dune on the 14th your second shot is a full faith play over the directional pole where your target is a large Turkish bath of a green sunken into a hollow on the back side of a low dune.  The punch bowl effect is helpful but the green is so long that gauging distance to the pin is crucial-an important hint is provided in “the box” next to the tee.

A dogleg left par three follows-yes I said dogleg.  Totally blinded by the right scapula of the big dune you have to visualize a draw shape and trust that there is an ample receiving area round the bend.  Don’t fail to notice the engineering marvel of the bell and rope warning system provided to let the group behind you know when it is safe to hit.

You can barely make out the flag in front of your target off the blind 16th.

One more blind man’s bluff in a middle sized par three on the 16th where the teenie green is hidden over top edge of a low dune surrounded by the coffins that give the hole it’s name.  Aim at the refuge house on the hill and be prepared for a birdie putt.

The chef left one of his creations in your way in the middle of the 17th fairway.

One last links diddie awaits you on the 17th tee as you start your descent to the valley floor from where you began.  The driving area is dominated by a huge fallen soufflé of a mound in the center of the fairway.  Trusting that you can slip it by one side to get a look at the raised plateau green is another act of faith.  The final hole is a bit mundane compared to the rest but it still has plenty of challenge if you need a par to win the third leg of the Nassau bet.

Sipping a cold one in the clubhouse bar overlooking the splendor that James Finegan described you will have a remorseful sense of a links adventure experienced that ended too soon.  A second exploratory trip around might just be in order.

Aberdeenshire, Scotland

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Architect:  Old Tom Morris (1899)
Tom Simpson and Herbert Fowler (1926)

Tees         Par    Yardage      Rating

White        70      6263           71

Gold          70     5862           69

(Click here to review the complete Cruden Bay Golf Club hole-by-hole descriptions)

For more pictures click to review Northern Scotland-Day 6a: Cruden Bay Golf Club

For even more photos click our 2016 posting Cruden Bay Golf Club-Revisited

Gil Hanse and Mark Parsinen had the intention of designing a golf course with great visual impression that afforded a playability factor an average golfer would enjoy.  Standing on most of the tees a player sees an expansive and receptive landing area for their drives-not a whole lot of fuss to clog the mind-yet obvious tactical choices are available and it is easy to process them at first glance.  The result is a championship course to challenge the best players in the world that is playable by mere mortals full of memorable vistas that create pulse racing shot opportunities without the imminent doom awaiting every good intention gone awry.

For me the design has much of the look and feel of David Kidd’s creation at Bandon Dunes.  Expansive landscapes stretching along the Moray Firth with accents of gorse and heather covered dunes and rugged natural bunkering that looks like it was blown out by the seaside winds.  The bunkering is a blend of the raw appearance accented by selective landscaping, some sleepers, and hand revetting to give them a wild but finished look.  The style of bunkering belies the recent vintage of the course-it looks like it has been there for a hundred years.

The beauty stretches out in front of you in the first three seaside holes.

 (Click on any picture to get an enhanced view of the image)

The generosity of the driving areas are not harrowed with disaster, they provide opportunities to find your ball and figure out what to do next.  The next is full of challenge because rumpled fairways, roll offs, and punitive bunkering can put you in a spot of bother.  But Parsinen says it was not their intention to terminally punish you for a mistake, rather your fate is still in your hands if you have the imagination and courage to play the recovery available to you.  Not many “in your pocket” experiences.  Instead there are going to be some very gratifying recovery memories when you are done, true postcards for the mind of the thrill of the little challenges that add up during your round here.

Lay up position on the Par 5 2nd gives you lots of options on how to attack this green.

The opening holes on both the outward and inward nines are literally on the sea and share an intimacy with the beach and water.  The first three holes have a tall gorse dune wall on the left and open exposure to the Firth on the right so wind behind or off your right shoulder will present an opportunity to challenge the short length of the holes .  Your position off each tee will help determine how aggressive you should be on your approach shots.  Take the bait if the reward outweighs the risk because the second part of the outward nine will not afford many scoring chances.  The key to doing well on this course is to get to the fifth tee close to par.  This may happen because of a birdie or two or simply resisting adrenaline decisions and protecting par.

The green on the 4th seems dwarfed by a castle almost a mile away.

From five to nine the holes sit atop an ‘old sea cliff’ and meander high above the coast like the middle holes at Pebble Beach with panoramic views of the Firth and the Kessock Bridge in the distance.  Being on the high ground the wind is more influential because you have no tall dune wall to protect one of your flanks.  Five, six, and seven are long holes with plenty of fairway contour to deflect your approach lines so navigate carefully, using the ground as your friend, to avoid roll offs into arduous bunkers or gorges of heather and seagrass.  The last two holes before the halfway house don’t scare you with length but you have to carefully manage your misses to protect par.

The contours created by the dunes play into and off of the hazards that lurk.

The halfway house is tucked in a bunker building with the starter’s station just above the first and tenth tee.  Dry, wind protected, and not a bad cup of soup will provide a welcome sanctuary.  If you are going to indulge in the chocolate bars make sure to ask for the frozen ones they are a real treat.  Eventually they will throw you out to face the elements again on the inward nine.

The back begins with holes framed by the dunes on the starboard side.

The first three holes are scoring opportunities of similar ilk to the opening holes just headed in the direction of the Chanonry Lighthouse to the North.     Between all the photo opps you will have to hit some shots with clear intention but if you pull them off there can be good numbers to add to your scorecard.  Be aware that the left side is not as buffered from the Firth as it was on the opening segment.  Three pars will do fine to get this side off to a successful start.

The looks do not get any better than this-the 12th green set against the Moray Firth.

After a cardio climb up the face of the dune (do not ignore the water oasis station half way up if for no other reason than to rest your aching quads) the finishing six are the balcony seating in this theater where you will enjoy exhilarating views of the Moray Firth.  The next three par fours are very demanding as they traverse the high ground and provide little opportunity to make up ground.  A par and a couple of bogies would set you up for one last dash down the final three holes.

Looking back down to the tee on 13 you can appreciate how far up you have journeyed.

If you are hopelessly down in the match don’t despair because lots of things can happen on these closing holes.  A driveable par four, very difficult par three, and a five par with lots of options could make a 3-4-4 finish to steal the bacon a real possibility.

The Par 3 17th has intimidating look backed by serious consequences.

The key is to get through the seventeenth without serious harm-as a par three with the sixth handicap hole designation you have to blend some courage with sanity to get to the eighteenth with a chance.  From the last tee you see the entire links set against the sea below and it will take your breath away.  Cue the camera there will be a full handful of Kodak moments over this last 500-yard walk.

The upper decks of the S.S. Castle Stuart.

 The clubhouse is an art deco design which looks like the stacked deck on a cruise ship.  Full featured with a nice golf shop, casual grill room, and locker rooms from a first class private club make sure to take the time to wander about and enjoy the amenities.  The view of the sea from the deck is just astonishing-take a moment to take in this moment from the balcony off the locker room. The layered windows from each area provide sitting opportunities within for watching the golf below.

How about this look from the captain’s deck at the end of the day.

A rarity in Scotland this place has a first class practice ground-driving range, short game area, and practice putting greens.  One should take advantage of this before or after a round.  The yardage book for course is supreme as it has topographical detail that helps on the shot planning and very nice color photos of each hole for some fond remembrances months later.

All in all they have provided a creative, challenging, and forgiving design for you to enjoy.  If you have spent the week getting thrashed by one course after another on your Scottish Tour this will be welcome relief if you can put together some solid shot making.

Inverness, Scotland

Architect:  Gil Hanse and Mark Parsinen (2009)

Tees               Par     Yardage     Rating       Slope

White              72        6553          71.6         133

Green              72        6153          70.2         126

(Click here to review the complete Castle Stuart Golf Links hole-by-hole descriptions)

For more pictures click to review Northern Scotland-Day 4: Castle Stuart Golf Links