Duff House Royal

Golf has been played for many years in this northeast corner of Scotland though it was not until 1871 that play was formally organized when the Banff Golf Club was established. Duff House Golf Club was formed in 1910 when the Duke of Fife, Alexander Duff, provided land from his estate on the banks of the River Deveron for the twin towns of Banff and Macduff.

The original course was designed by Archie Simpson (who laid out Royal Aberdeen's Balgownie) and it opened when a match was played between two of the great golfing “triumvirate” – J.H. Taylor and James Braid – with Taylor’s score of 75 beating his opponent by three strokes.

The First World War saw Duff House golf holes turned over to agricultural use and the golf course fell into decline. In 1923, Dr Alister MacKenzie and his brother Major C.A. MacKenzie redesigned the 18-hole layout. The new course was opened the following year with a match between Sandy Herd of Moor Park and Ted Ray of Oxley with both men returning scores of 71.

On 1st January 1925, the two Banff golf clubs formally amalgamated as The Duff House Royal Club with the Duchess of Fife, Princess Louise, as Patroness.

A feature hole on the front nine is the 7th, a tough 451-yard par four called “Island” which is bounded all the way up the left side of the fairway by the River Deveron. Two good blows are required to get to close to a green that slopes from right to left and from front to back.

The most difficult hole on the back nine is the 12th, a 490-yard par five named “Plateau”. It requires a draw off the tee towards Duff House looming in the background and there are no bunkers to protect a seriously elevated putting surface which gives the hole its name.

Duff House Royal is a beautiful parkland course measuring 6,043 yards (par 68, SSS 69) with very little rough, large double–tiered greens (MacKenzie design features) and well positioned bunkers that offer a fine golfing challenge to players of all abilities.