From
£299
Per Person
Golfer Favourite
1 Night, 2 Rounds
- 1 Night Bed and Breakfast at Maryculter House
- 1 Round at Cruden Bay Golf Club
- 1 Round at Swailend Course
Cruden Bay Golf Club
Golf has been played in this corner of Aberdeenshire for a very long time. Locals will tell you it dates back to 1791, though the course in its recognisable form came later, when the Great North of Scotland Railway extended the line to the village and helped turn Cruden Bay into a destination.
What you get today is a proper links ride along the coast, then up into the dunes where the ground starts to heave and twist under your feet. Expect blind shots, rumpled fairways, pot bunkers and greens that sit on little shelves or tuck into hollows. The North Sea wind is rarely a spectator, so you'll need to use the ground, flight the ball and accept that a "good miss" is sometimes the smart play.
Old Tom Morris is closely associated with the layout around the end of the 19th century, with later input often credited to Tom Simpson and Herbert Fowler. The routing takes you out along the shore before looping back through higher ground, and the variety is what sticks with you: short par fours that tempt you to drive the green, long par threes that demand everything you've got and par fives that twist through the dunes and ask you to think three shots ahead.
The 14th, a short par four called "Bluidy Burn," is one of the best risk-reward holes in Scotland. Drive it close to the burn and you've got a wedge in, but miss your line and you're scrambling. The closing stretch, particularly the uphill 18th, is a proper test when the wind is up.
Include Cruden Bay on your next Scotland golf break and we'll shape the trip around the courses that suit your group.
Who is this for?
Golfers who want an authentic Scottish links experience away from the crowds, with a routing that mixes drama, strategy and coastal scenery in equal measure.
Who is it best for?
Mid to low handicappers who enjoy reading the wind and the ground, and anyone chasing a bucket-list links round that still feels like a discovery rather than a pilgrimage.
Top Offers
From
£299
Per Person
1 Night, 2 Rounds
- 1 Night Bed and Breakfast at Maryculter House
- 1 Round at Cruden Bay Golf Club
- 1 Round at Swailend Course
From
£552
Per Person
2 Nights, 3 Rounds
- 2 Nights Bed and Breakfast at Park Inn by Radisson Aberdeen
- 1 Round at Balgownie Links, Royal Aberdeen
- 1 Round at Murcar Links Golf Club
- 1 Round at Cruden Bay Golf Club
From
£595
Per Person
2 Nights, 3 Rounds
- 2 Nights Bed and Breakfast at Sandman Signature
- 1 Round at Balgownie Links, Royal Aberdeen
- 1 Round at Murcar Links Golf Club
- 1 Round at Cruden Bay Golf Club
From
£650
Per Person
2 Nights, 3 Rounds
- 2 Nights Bed and Breakfast at Malmaison Aberdeen
- 1 Round at Balgownie Links, Royal Aberdeen
- 1 Round at Murcar Links Golf Club
- 1 Round at Cruden Bay Golf Club
From
£653
Per Person
2 Nights, 3 Rounds
- 2 Nights Bed and Breakfast at The Chester Hotel
- 1 Round at Balgownie Links, Royal Aberdeen
- 1 Round at Murcar Links Golf Club
- 1 Round at Cruden Bay Golf Club
From
£1193
Per Person
3 Nights, 4 Rounds
- 3 Nights Bed and Breakfast at The Chester Hotel
- 1 Round at Balgownie Links, Royal Aberdeen
- 1 Round at Murcar Links Golf Club
- 1 Round at Cruden Bay Golf Club
- 1 Round at Trump International Golf Links Old Course
Cruden Bay Golf Club
Designed by Old Tom Morris, the course opened in 1899, and is now recognised as one of Scotland's premier links courses. The course very much reflects the character of the land that it graces, and was last year ranked as the 52nd best course in the world by Golf Magazine.
By modern standards Cruden Bay is not long, but the rugged landscape, combined with the prevailing wind, which tends to howl across the links, make it a genuine test for even the best golfer. This real attraction of Cruden Bay is its character; there are few golf courses that compare.
Unlike many of Scotland's links that follow the classic loop of nine holes out, and nine back home, Cruden Bay carves its way through great undulations and towering dunes. With many blind shots and quirky angles, being creative here is of the utmost importance.
The designer thought that the Old Course, St. Andrews was the pinnacle of golf design. As such, he concentrated on making the golf course a stern test that penalised inaccurate shots, whilst remaining fair, a must play course on a tour of Aberdeenshire.
What Our Golfers Say
9.2
Excellent
14 reviews
Condition overall
8.8
Condition of greens
9.4
Speed of round
About right
Value for money
9.0
Facilities
8.8
Difficulty
Average
These reviews are from verified Your Golf Travel customers.
Dan
✓11 May 2026
Excellent
10.0
Fabulous golf course. So much variety. Hard but I could play there every day and not get bored
Matt
✓30 Sep 2025
Excellent
10.0
Played in 35mph winds for the full links experience. The most fun course I've played with the most incredible scenery. Every hole is an event once you reach the 3rd and I'm very glad I had a caddy to show us the way round. Hospitality in the club best in the world - we stayed in the bar until 11.15pm and had the most incredible service for dinner from Alison and the team.
Ian
✓11 Aug 2025
Excellent
10.0
Jeremy
✓6 Sep 2024
Poor
2.0
This is no way championship course. It looked more like public municipal course. We were shocked!
Barry
✓10 Jun 2024
Excellent
10.0
Kelly
✓9 Nov 2023
Good
6.0
It was disappointing that we had not been advised that mats on the fairway are compulsory from 1 November, due to works at the club we could not access the locker rooms and there were temporary greens in play plus major works being done on the course that we had also not been advised of (no reduction in our green fees because of this was provided). Food was excellent and the course was very scenic, a pity that we were unable to play it normally.
Rob
✓18 Oct 2023
Excellent
10.0
Fantastic course and enjoyable round. Disappointing that our actual tee time would have meant we would have only completed 14/15 holes. We managed to move this forward but there was a competition in front of us and this meant very slow golf.
Pelle
✓13 Jul 2023
Excellent
10.0
I love the course and the club
Gerd
✓8 Jul 2023
Excellent
10.0
One of the best experience in my life of golf!
Jandre
✓6 Jun 2023
Excellent
10.0
Just wow, this is a truly unique golf course. A one of a kind. Yes there are big dunes, however the clever routing weaves around them making the course playable for golfers of all abilities. The tee boxes are also set up very well to give golfers of all abilities a suitable challenge. From the club tees there are only 2 semi blind shots, and the signature hole(in my opinion) the fully blind 15th. This may be intimidating to shorter hitters, however do not fear as the forward tee boxes are placed so that there are no blind shots or long carries. Overall this is a truly unique golf course, and probably the most fun I have ever had playing golf.
Showing 10 of 14 reviews
Cruden Bay Golf Club Frequently Asked Questions
What time is breakfast?
9am onwards
What is the dress code for dinner?
Smart Casual
Is there a range on site?
Yes
Are there buggies available to hire?
No
How many bars are there?
There are 2 bars on site
Is there a charge for car parking on site?
There is complimentary car parking
