Top 20 Golf Courses in North East Scotland 2015
North East Scotland Best in Region rankings updated
The city of Aberdeen is the focal point of our North East Scotland region, with more than half the courses in our newly updated rankings located less than a 25-mile drive from the Granite City’s harbour district. Of course, oil has now overtaken fishing as Aberdeen’s predominant industry, which allows the city to continue on the path to prosperity, as some of the Top 100 Team discovered on a recent visit.
The Balgownie course at Royal Aberdeen retains the number 1 position in our North East Scotland listings and this venerable old links, which the club moved to in 1886, has a proud tradition of hosting prestigious national and international events. Most notably in recent times, it has held the British Senior championship in 2005, the Walker Cup in 2011 and only last year, the Scottish Open. Regarded as one of the top layouts in the world, the Balgownie sets the standard for golfing excellence in this region.
Hard on its heels though, at number 2 in our rankings (up one position from last time), we have Trump International Golf Links, which swaps places with Cruden Bay. First opened for play in 2012, the Trump course is now maturing into the natural links layout it was always capable of becoming. Now starting to fulfil its true potential on a wonderful coastal site, the course seems destined to make a name for itself as a major professional tournament venue in the very near future.
Five of the remaining seven positions in the North East Scotland Top 10 remain the same so there’s little movement to report. Moving up two places to number 6 however, the Old course at Peterheadis a terrific track, first laid out more than a century ago in the dunes where the River Ugie empties into the North Sea. Also making a modest climb in our updated chart, up one position to number 10, is Duff House Royal, which Alister MacKenzie and his brother Charles redesigned back in 1923.
In the lower half of the new listings, three courses make significant upward moves. The first of these is the 18-hole Haughton layout at Deeside(rising six places to number 11), a modern track that’s the main component of a vibrant 27-hole golf complex. One spot behind at number 12, climbing three places, is the lovely little course at Ballater, where the fairways are set out in a beautiful location beside the River Dee. Kemnayalso climbs an impressive five places to number 15 and this is a course that’s undergone a number of configuration changes since it became an 18-layout in 1992.
There are two new entries in our chart, and they’re both situated to the southwest of Aberdeen city centre. Peterculter is the highest newcomer at number 17, and this early 1990s design is yet another course that’s been laid out on the banks of the fast flowing River Dee, a popular location for constructing golf courses it seems. The other new entry is Portlethenat number 20, which is a modern design that Donald Steel and Cameron Sinclair created for the members, incorporating natural features like the Findon Burn into the routing.
We’re very grateful to all the club champions and professionals in this region who contributed to our re-ranking process. To view more details of the courses in our North East Scotland Top 20 rankings, click the link. If you’ve played extensively across this region and would like to help shape the next edition of the chart then please drop Editor-in-Chief Keith Baxter an email at keith@top100golfcourses.com.
Jim McCann
Editor
Top 100 Golf Courses
The Second Hundred Golf Courses of Scotland 2016 We preview the challengers for the next Top 100 Golf Courses of Scotland rankings and list the second hundred Having just published the latest 2016 edition of our Top 100 for Scotland, we thought we’d take a close look at our golfing crystal ball to see if we could predict which of our “second hundred” Caledonian courses might make it into the top chart next time around. Edzell (Old) dropped out from the latest listings (from position 92 in 2014) but extensive upgrading work currently being carried out on the course could well see the modified layout bounce straight back into the chart when it’s next re-evaluated. Also from the Angus & Dundee region, the highly regarded Burnside links at Carnoustie has featured in our Scottish top 100 before (at number 91 in 2008 and 93 in 2010) and its current high riding regional position gives every indication that it might also make a re-appearance in the near future. A couple of Lothians courses just missed out on the 2016 edition of the Top 100: Duddingston, a nationally ranked course in the first three editions of our chart from 2008 to 2012, and Gullane (No.3), which was placed at number 96 and 99 in our 2008 and 2010 listings. Both of these well-respected tracks should have a reasonable chance of making a swift return next time around. Another four 18-hole layouts that have previously graced our Scottish Top 100 are also in with a good shout of securing a spot in the next set of national rankings: Duff House Royal from the North East (it was listed 2008-12), Cardrona in the Borders (it appeared 2008-10), Dunfermline from Fife (it was in the 2008 edition) and Kingussie in the North, which featured at number 99 in our 2014 chart. Last year, half a dozen courses around the country received strong support when we polled every club and every club professional in Scotland regarding our district rankings and they all narrowly missed out on a Top 100 place in this edition. From our Lanarkshire district, the parkland courses at Strathaven - where the original 9-hole layout was designed by Willie Fernie in 1907 – and Hamilton (which James Braid designed in 1925) both came very close to attaining Top 100 status and they’ll certainly be knocking on the door again next time. Two Glasgow courses may also feature when we next update our table. The first of these is another Braid layout at Cawder Golf Club’s Cawder course, where a number of revisions have sadly diluted much of the original design. The other layout is the delightful moorland track at Cathkin Braes, on the other side of the city, which is said to be the oldest golfing layout still in play in the Glasgow area. Royal Troon’s Portland course in Ayrshire has lurked just outside the Top 100 for a while now and this old Willie Fernie track, which Alister MacKenzie remodelled in the 1920s, might just make its presence in the future. Further north, the New course at Moray is a modern design that Sir Henry Cotton laid out in the late 1970s and it too might make its mark in the listings for 2018. We mustn’t disregard the possibility of a dark horse emerging from the pack and, if that was to happen, we suggest the unexpected candidate could come from the likes of Glenbervie from our Central district (which recently featured in the Scottish Top 100 chart of a national golf magazine) or the moorland Hilton course at Hilton Park Golf Club in Dunbartonshire. Both 18-hole layouts impressed members of the Top100 Team following recent visits so their emergence as a bona fide Top 100 course would not come as a surprise. Perhaps there’s a genuine contender that we’ve missed? If so, please click the “Respond to this article” link below and tell us which course you think deserves Top 100 recognition. The full second hundred list is as follows with the challengers highlighted: Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses
Top 100 Golf Courses of Britain & Ireland 2014 Our latest Britain & Ireland Top 100 ranking list is unveiled 16th December 2013 We are thrilled to announce our latest 2014 Britain & Ireland Top 100 rankings. We’ve actually whittled our shortlist down this time round because it was taking far too long to research more than 500 courses, the majority of which were never serious contenders for this stellar chart. The top of the table has hardly changed at all and the top six remain in exactly the same positions as 2012. In total, nine courses in our Top 20 remain in the same spots as last time – this is in complete contrast to 2012 when no fewer than seventeen courses in the Top 20 moved position. The skirl of bagpipes at the unveiling of Trump International Golf Links back in July 2012 is now a dim and distant wail. We featured this high profile course on the Top 100 website soon after it opened, but inevitably our biggest challenge focused on where to rank this new kid on the block alongside two favourite classics: Royal Aberdeen (Balgownie) and Cruden Bay. I’ve already gone on record and expressed my utter surprise at a UK golf magazine that claims “definitive rankings by the people who know”. In a moment of excitement they decided to rank Trump’s new Scottish debutant at position eight in their 2012 Britain & Ireland chart – the highest new entry in the magazine’s Top 100 history. Where they ranked the course does not concern me, the fact they ranked it two months before it opened for play caused my eyebrows to involuntarily raise. Anyway, eighteen months later I can tell you that Trump Golf Links is also our highest new entry, straight in at 31st. It is possible that if the playing surfaces at Trump Golf Links firm up, it could be the highest climber in our 2016 rankings. The Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle narrowly missed out in 2012, so we’re pleased to welcome another Scottish links to our 2014 Britain & Ireland chart. Straight in at 61st, Skibo now offers limited tee times on special request. Hats off to Tom Mackenzie (Mackenzie & Ebert) and David Thomson (Skibo’s Director of Golf) who turned this course around. According to one reviewer: “The shift from 2006 to 2008 and then to the current day is dramatic. Where as in 2005 (when I first visited) Skibo was a magnificent Highland hospitality experience with an interesting golf course as a sideshow, the course now stands up in its own right.” There’s a third and final Scottish new entry, straight in at 84th, and you won’t be surprised to hear it’s another links. We first played The Renaissance Club in April 2008, shortly after it opened and our Editor and Scottish Correspondent, Jim McCann, commented: “Doak’s understated touch is a real joy to behold and it raises the bar of golfing excellence along this [East Lothian] coastline yet another notch higher.” There’s a happy return to our 2014 Britain & Ireland Top 100 for Remedy Oak and Moortown, but it gives me great pleasure to announce one more brand new entry, this time from the Emerald Isle. Please raise a glass of Guinness and let’s hear it for Ballyliffin’s Old course. Many golfers believe that Ballyliffin is Ireland’s premier 36-hole complex. The wonderful Glashedy course is knocking on a Top 50 place in Britain & Ireland and with the Old course debuting at position 100, who would argue? According to one reviewer: “Out of the two superb courses at Ballyliffin this [the Old] just nudges it for me. There’s something about the more traditional linksy feel with its numerous bumps and hollows that bring a smile to the face on every hole.” In general terms, Scottish courses fared well in our new rankings, with Duke's St Andrews climbing nine. However, English courses found the going rather more challenging. Irish courses held firm but Welsh courses dropped back a little, compounded by Celtic Manor’s Twenty Ten dropping off the list. A few English courses however made significant upward moves, including Alwoodley (up 12), Hankley Common (up 17) and Broadstone (up 10). The Marquess and Duke’s courses at Woburn both go up nine places. In Ireland the dramatic Old Head may divide opinion but its upward move of thirteen places is, in my humble view, deserved. Lough Erne in the north also makes a positive upward move of nine places. We always welcome feedback, so please feel free to let us know what you think of our latest 2014 Britain & Ireland Top 100. We won’t claim to be “definitive” but we do like to think that we’re the most “informed” and considered golf course rankings in the business. If you’ve played any of our featured courses, we’d love to know what you think, so why not post a course review or two? Keith Baxter Editor-in-Chief www.top100golfcourses.com Click to explore in detail our new 2014 Britain & Ireland Top 100 For those interested, the six courses that made way for the new are: Trevose (Championship), Chart Hills, Celtic Manor (Twenty Ten), Lindrick, Panmure and New Zealand.
Aberdeen is best known for its industrial heart, catering to the oil and gas industry of Scotland's North Sea. The granite stones of Aberdeen are dour in the winter and sparkle in the summer. The golf is overshadowed by St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns further south and closer to Edinburgh. East Lothian is anchored by North Berwick and Muirfield and a plethora of fine courses most Scots haven't even heard of. Ayrshire, with Prestwick, Royal Troon and Turnberry seem to be visited next. For the adventurous, Inverness with Royal Dornoch, Nairn and Cabot Highlands Castle Stuart is the next outpost. If you've gotten that far, Arran and Machrishanish get a look. Aberdeen has been underrated and overlooked for far too long... The Foundation of an Aberdeen Golf Trip The big four are Royal Aberdeen, Trump International Golf Links Old and New, and Cruden Bay. All big 3 are fixtures in the World Top 100 - the jury is out on the New Course at Trump International Scotland. Wherever that lands, it will be a very compelling 36-hole venue with very contrasting courses. Trump International Golf Links - Old It is one of the very best links in the world. With the offering of practice facilities, on-site accommodation, and food and beverage options, you cannot go wrong with the course. My preference is the front nine, but the back nine is an education in routing. This can play as hard as you wish, with 5 tees on each hole, the wind can affect play immensely. Photo Courtesy Gary Lisbon Trump International Golf Links - New Already billed as the greatest 36-hole venue in the world, it will have a shot, but it won't be easy. The course contrasts with the Old in almost every way. Laid out over links, heathland and wetlands, it is unique. We cannot wait to be back to see it fully grown in. Cruden Bay One of the world's best, this is cut from the same cloth as North Berwick. If you love one, you will love the other. You cannot come to Aberdeen without a visit. Photo Courtesy Gary Lisbon Royal Aberdeen The oldest and most storied club in the area, Royal Aberdeen is fighting coastal erosion and the course seems to be altered to combat the changes after each storm. The front nine is one of the very best in the world - another must-see, hurry before it's too late. Photo Courtesy Gary Lisbon Aberdeen Golf Travel B Sides Murcar Golf Club Sneaky good golf, this is only getting better with gorse being removed and cut back. Renowned as being tough as nails, the club has turned the corner and proper presentation and maintenance have made a massive difference. There are blind holes that won't be to everyone's taste, but you're in Scotland to see and experience something different. If you can't access Royal Aberdeen or the green fee is too much, Murcar gives you a close experience with the majority of holes on the front nine playing the exact same dunes as Royal Aberdeen's famous front nine. Photo Courtesy Gary Lisbon Fraserburgh Golf Club Fraserburgh is about an hour north of Aberdeen. It is a fun links that has a very good stretch of holes on the back nine. The opening and closing holes are on some of the flattest ground I've ever seen on links, and a few holes that follow give one Gullane 1 vibes, playing up and over a massive dune. The front nine will underwhelm but the middle stretch is very good golf. Photo Courtesy Jasper Miners Peterhead Golf Club Peterhead Golf Club has a very unique entrance to the club... after parking by a children's playground, you walk across a bridge to access the clubhouse and first tee. The first 3 holes are quite pedestrian but it really ramps up with the 7th. The run from 8 to 10 and 15 to 17 are stunners. Peterhead is sneaky good and if you can overlook the start, the holes mentioned previously can compete with many of the holes of the big four above. Photo - Contact for Credit The Sleepers Newburgh-on-Ythan Golf Club This is a hidden gem in every sense of the word... located north of Trump, the golf course is on the flatter links land adjacent to the sand dunes. Gorse is still aplenty but work is being done. The clubhouse is new (from 2001) and more is being spent on the course. We think this will become a course you'll be hearing more about soon... it's relatively new, opening the current 18-hole course in 1996. Stonehaven Golf Club The site is stunning and similar to North Foreland but on steroids. Some spectacular high cliff holes make it one to remember. If you get the others done and you're still local, it's worth a look. If you're driving to Edinburgh, there are better courses along the route... Getting to Aberdeen Aberdeen Airport is connected by frequent flights to the rest of the UK and most hubs in Continental Europe. If you're coming to the UK from Canada or the USA, you'll probably have to fly into London or Edinburgh then fly, drive or take the train. Train service is very good with links to Edinburgh and London. Stress free, the trains allow you to relax and take in the scenery. Unlike other destinations, the road network to Aberdeen is quite good from Edinburgh. The M90 and A90 are good roads that make the journey as good as it can be. You'll need a vehicle to get around once you're in Aberdeen as it is still a small city without a lot of options for public transport. The drive is not as inspired as the Highlands but it's not a slog, which is probably more important if you're just covering miles. Food Options in Aberdeen & Beyond If you've travelled in Scotland, you'll know the score. Many restaurants (especially in the low season) are not open or are closed a few days a week. If you arrive without booking or checking, you might be out of luck and go to bed hungry. Most clubs will have the very basics but don't expect too much. If you like your food brown and crispy, you will be well looked after. Were perhaps being harsh but this is not the land of slow-cooked beef brisket and fish tacos at the turn. If you think food is limited at the course, be advised most small villages don't have supermarkets and some don't have corner shops... Plan ahead. Accommodation For stay-and-play options, The Dunes at Cruden Bay is perfect especially if you like to self-cater. If you want the full-service, 5-star treatment, Trump will be your best bet. Remember, the drink-drive laws in Scotland are strict - virtually zero tolerance. If you're tying one on or having more than a small glass of wine with dinner, taxi's and transit will add up... if you can find them at all.
