Newburgh-on-Ythan - North East Scotland - Scotland

Nothing special. Some good holes but very open and forgiving, quite an easy course for an introduction to links golf before testing yourself on any of the other links courses north of Aberdeen.

What larks, Pip, what larks !

We had spent a couple of hours vainly waiting for the haar to dissipate from Cruden Bay - clear blue skies 1 mile inland, but we were here for links golf, so nipped down the coast to Newburgh where we started in great visibility but the fog soon found us, hence no photos !

It's a very fun game of 2 halves - first 9 heathland style, second 9 marshland links style.

At times in the marshes I would not have been surprised to find Magwitch lurking behind a gorse bush having escaped a convict hulk but instead just found some suicidal dog walkers (similar to Royal Jersey in their lack of awareness and entitlement) and a good honest game of golf.

Decent course in a nice location by the dunes, quite forgiving. The first 9 is quite hilly, the second flat.

I've read and seen many reviews for Newburgh on Ythan, and for me it all depends on what tees you have played the course on. Let me explain...

Newburgh is first of all a tale of two nines - the front nine being the new part of the course, while the back nine takes you back to the original nine hole layout of the course.

The front nine opens with a fairly tough uphill par four, followed by a par 3 which can be anything from 220 yds from the Whites, to 160 yds from the Yellow tees, with a green well protected by bunkers and natural contours... a par-par start would be worth Whatsapping your pals about. On the front 9, the 4th, 6th and 7th have some great tee positions from the Whites... the 7th in particular adding over 100 yards. From the yellows, you may think about driving through the "Funs Gap" as is the name of the hole, but its out of reach for most golfers from the high elevated White tee. You really do have to think your way around the front 9, depending on what direction the wind is coming from.

The back 9 can be brutal, but is awesome, and a true links test with blind tee shots at 12, 13 and 14, and the Ythan Estuary wrapping itself from the 15th hole round to the 18th tee.

Take away a few rabbit holes on the fairways, this course is as good a test, if not better than some of its more illustrious neighbours. If you're in the area, give it a go.

Newburgh-on-Ythan is very much a tale of two halves, but each one is worth listening to.

Dating back to 1888 this delightful links course was originally a nine-hole layout until as recently as 1996 when new land was acquired and a further nine were developed.

The course is situated on the Ythan Estuary, overlooking the North Sea and Sands of Forvie National Nature Reserve; the setting is nothing less than splendid.

The new holes are played today as the front-nine and not only have they bedded down exceptionally well you can just tell that they will get better and better with each passing year. The full course plays 6,423 yards to a par of 72. On our visit we had the extreme pleasure of playing with the Lady Captain, a sheep farmer originally from New Zealand, who previously owned much of the land.

The front nine is significantly more undulating than the inward half and there are some very fine holes. The fourth, named “Drovers”, is memorable because the club have left the old stone walls in the fairway which cattle used to be herded into, before being taken to market in local towns such as Peterhead. A unique hazard if ever I saw one.

The back nine is a traditional links lovers dream. Looking out from the modern, glass-fronted clubhouse, over a sea of gorse, it would appear that the fairways are dead flat, however, nothing could be further from the truth.

Although the land isn’t as rolling as the front-half the terrain is blessed with more natural contours; hollows and humps create gently rippling and undulating fairways. At the 12th, 13th and 14th the land is at its most tempestuous with some blind shots thrown into the mix.

Ed is the founder of Golf Empire – click the link to read his full review.

This was my first course of a week of playing Aberdeenshire links courses. I ended up playing 12 of them and Newburgh finished near the bottom of the list. As it was my first course I enjoyed it thoroughly at the time but when I now compare it to Cruden bay, Murcar, Moray etc then it falls away. The front nine is played over a large hill and is a bit boring. It livens up at the 8th and 9th and whole back nine is more linksy, played over undulating fairways which are lined with plenty of gorse with the odd blind shot. By far the better 9. As I strolled around I kept looking at the wonderful dunes nearby thinking how terrific it would be to have a few holes routed through them. Thankfully I discovered such golf at Cruden Bay the following day. All up not a bad track but do your best to get a golf now special or a twilight round rather than pay the rack price of 40 pounds. Also, play it before the majority of others around the area…if I played it after CB etc then it would have been somewhat disappointing.

Played this course oct 2011.I think the back nine is better than the front nine.Great views and fun to play.

It is like playing 2 differnet courses, probably because it is. This was originally a nine holer adapted to 18. What was the surprising thing is that the 1st nine which we thought were more interesting were actually the new holes. First nine were very good, second nine a bit bland apart from a couple of crackers. Over all a decent course with a lovely clubhouse and some splendid views.

I have played Newburgh twice and consider it a decent test with some significant changes of elevation. These offer some fun downhill driving holes! Oh, and some straight up those same hills. I don't care for the opening 3 holes but, like other reviewers, rate the 4th with its wall. Best holes on the front are 7 and, particularly, 9. The next stretch is rather prosaic but there are a couple of fine holes at 15 and 16 with the eponymous river Ythan close by to catch the pull/hook.The extremely long and difficult 18th is really out of character with what up until then offers a modest challenge. While I enjoy Newburgh, and would happily play here again, I don't fully share the enthusiasm of other reviewers.

Newburgh does not advertise itself as much as Royal Aberdeen, Murcar or Cruden Bay but it should. A surprising and cracking links course with excellent greens and some of the finest elevated and links land views I have seen in Scotland. A better scenic experience than any of the aforementioned in my opinion with the 7th tee, 8th green , 9th tee and the view down the 17th being wonderful. It is right next door to the Trump project and similarly the whole course is bedded on sand making it very playable even after the wet conditions that had prevailed just before our visit. The par-3 2 nd hole is a peach at 200+ yds and requires a perfect strike to reach and hold the green with severe bunkering at right and back. One of the toughest I have played.11th and 12th from the back tees are great tests especially if there is a breeze. The 18th is a great finishing hole that severely tested this lo-handicapper as it requires 3 near-perfect strikes to a large mid-level green to set up any chance of birdie. A little gem.