Cruden Bay (Championship) - North East Scotland - Scotland

I was a member here in the 80's for several years...recently I had heard the course had lost a bit of it's links feel but having played it last week 'the Bay' is back to it's best Firm,fast and with many upgrades to bunkering,green run offs and new tees,it is looking top notch If you haven't played it for a while,come back...you will see a big difference

Cruden Bay is a very enjoyable course and in very good condition. Palyed 2/4/12 and really enjoyed my round. I would definately advise a stroke saver and/or playing with someone familiar to the course as there are alot of places where local knowledge will come in handy. Not a place for belting it, you'll have to think and choose your shots accordingly. Very playable and very pretty.

Having been snowed off in 2010, we were delighted to play here this April! I was fully expecting to love Cruden Bay with its stunning location and quirky design, but I was also very pleasantly surprised with the Southern loop that you cant see from the club house. I differ with sdodd in that the 15th was fun and we found both tee shots, but the 14th for me was the highlight with a wonderful green position giving you the chance to play a unique (in my experience) running, gathering approach shot. So pleased to have finally played it, would absolutely love to play it again ! dan

I have played in the 4 Day Open this week which has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience in glorious weather. The people involved with the organisation of the event were delightful and it will be a pleasure to return in future years. My favourite spot on the course was standing on the fifth tee on the towering dune looking at the fairway below.

Cruden Bay is a magnificent place to be and to play. The fairways may not be as narrow as on some other link courses, but still challenging enough. Of course the holes in the far south corner where you can hear the howling seals are spectacular. Beautiful scenery and a pleasure to be.

I fell in love with this course. It has real character and unsurpassed views. Very challenging without being overly punishing, a fantastic day out and one for which I'll make the long journey for next year too.

Simply one of the best classic links you will ever play. Totally disagree to the critical reviews. Make the long way and you will be rewarded. Add the great Royal Aberdeen and you cant get more value for your money. Fantastic!

At long last I got to play Cruden Bay and now can't wait to return. Those who criticise the course have no golfing soul - the whole experience is wonderful from the moment you arrive to take in the views of the course and the sea set out below you. You think it can't get better but when you reach the 10th tee it does. Quirky in places - yes, but this is golf the way it was meant to be played !!!

It is my good fortune to have recently become a Country Member at Cruden Bay and, quite simply, it is a wonderful course if you like your links in the dunes / valleys style (e.g. Prestwick, Turnberry, Royal Aberdeen). Only two of the holes are less than excellent (the 8th and 9th), with the two stetches from 1-6 and 10-16 being filled with all that links golf is about (blinds shots, massive dunes, punishing rough, winding burns, quirky layouts etc). Can't wait to head up again in a few weeks!

The most interesting feature of the championship links at Cruden Bay is the routing, originally laid out by Old Tom Morris. The journey of the golfer through the links is a memorable one that weaves in and out of the natural links landscape, through the magnificent dunes and along the sea. The view on the 10th tee is especially great of holes 10-14 and of the sea (Bay of Cruden). The quirkiness and blind shots of some of the holes is expressive of the true nature of classic links courses and found in a profound manner here at Cruden Bay.

It is easy to imagine how the landscape would have looked when Old Tom Morris walked the site and put stakes in the ground to indicate tee and green sites. The site feels very natural and like the topography wasn’t touched in order for golf to be played on it today. I think the excellent landscape integration of the course is a very unique feature of the course and sets it apart from many links courses. The routing of the 15th hole is especially special being a long blind par 3. Not only is the hole blind but it is right along the coast and the wind has a major effect on the ball as it enters through the tall dunes as it nears the green. While it is rare to aim for a stake and not the green on a par 3, this is just another unique quality of Cruden Bay. It is interesting to hit your shot and speculate its fate, and as golfers approach the green the result of their shot is revealed to them. This surprise can be a good one or frustrating for those who thought they hit a great shot right over the aiming stake and cannot find their ball amongst the dunes and long native grass.

Another surprise that golfers face is on the 6th hole, where a blind burn winds around the front of the green. First time golfers at Cruden Bay don’t realize the hazard comes very much into play on the 525 yard par 5. The burn and the green are both blind from the left side of the fairway which makes the hole play very difficult, especially for first timers. But, for those who have played the hole often the burn is at a good distance that forces longer hitters to consider laying up or trying to hit their second shots over the burn and toward the green. The features of the golf hole may frustrate golfers the first time they play it but keeps them coming back to challenge Bluidy Burn, which is a characteristic all architects strive for when designing golf holes.

I think it is interesting that the climax of the golf journey at Cruden Bay is actually from holes 10-15, which start with an excellent driving hole on the tenth tee and finish with an interesting 200 yard par 3, and plays along the sea in between. The winding burn feature in the 13th fairway is also a very interesting natural feature on the course that both forces golfers to make a decision as well as being very aesthetically pleasing. But after playing these 6 holes the last 3 holes definitely do not live up to the quality of the previous 6.

The 17th and 18th holes are pretty average par 4’s in comparison to many of the outstanding golf holes on the course that wind between the dunes and offer great views to the sea and have quirky features that make them interesting, while the last two holes don’t offer any of these features. The elevated 17th tee does offer decent views to most of the first 7 holes and features a large dune in the middle of the fairway but still feels like a left over hole that is there just to get golfers back to the clubhouse. The last hole lacks any real features to make it an exciting finishing hole besides the clubhouse towering above the right side that offers great views for those watching golfers come up the final hole.