Discover Aberdeen

Golf in the Granite City

With so much great golf on offer, a trip to Scotland’s north east is a no-brainer

Huggett and Neil Coles, working with golf course architect Roger Dyer. The club says that particular course may be better suited to the higher handicapper.

If you fancy moving away from the city centre, Meldrum House in the town of Oldmeldrum is a fantastic option. Nestled into the Aberdeenshire countryside, it is home to both a high quality country hotel and golf course.

Graeme Webster designed the course with the layout boasting USGA-constructed greens, cross-cut fairways, water features, dog-legs and bunkers which the club says are maintained to the highest level.

You definitely have to look out for the par-5 11th hole. Its green is guarded by 18 bunkers so you’re doing well if you avoid the sand.

If you’re looking for a place to stay, Meldrum House has that covered, too. Its country hotel was crowned winner of ‘AA Hotel of the Year’ for Scotland in 2014/15 and, with its close proximity to Trump International Golf Links Scotland, Royal Aberdeen and Cruden Bay, it’s the perfect base for a trip that involves playing many of the area’s famous courses.

Cruden Bay lies 23 miles to the north of Aberdeen and is a bone fide traditional Scottish links. It is claimed that golf was played in Cruden Bay as early as 1791. However, the original course didn’t open until 1899.

These days, the club is home to two superb courses. Old Tom Morris designed the 18-hole ‘Main’ course, whilst the nine-hole St Olaf layout is a fun alternative.

Fraserburgh is another club to the north of the city that should grab your attention. The oldest golf club north of St Andrews, it, like Cruden Bay, has two fantastic courses. The Corbiehill Course is the older of the two and was designed by James Braid, while the nine-hole Rosehill Course is a gentler alternative.

To the west, you’ll find Craibstone Golf Club. It was originally built in 1999 by the Scottish Agricultural College to such a high standard that its drainage and irrigation systems allow golf to be played almost all year round.

A great mix of both challenging and more straightforward holes, it’s a layout you will enjoy tackling but it can easily come back to bite you if you get overly aggressive.

Just 20 minutes drive further out of Aberdeen sits Kemnay Golf Club. Sitting in the heart of rural Aberdeenshire, the views all around the club are breathtaking and really have to be experienced.

Up until 1987, the parkland course was only made up of nine holes, but the club bought neighbouring farm and forestry land to create its current full length 18-hole layout that is both challenging and well-maintained.

Golf in Aberdeen also has a close affinity with royalty when you move to the south and west of the city where you’ll find a host of brilliant courses, as well as the Balmoral Estate, the British royal family’s home in Scotland.

Found north of the village that goes by the same name, Aboyne Golf Club is a fine test of golf. The club was reportedly a favourite golf course of the British royal family in the early 20th century, in particular King Edward VIII.

Wherever you decide to go in Aberdeen or the surrounding area, you’re sure to find golf of the highest quality.

Whether it’s the history and prestige of Royal Aberdeen Golf Club that attracts you, the reputation of Trump International Golf Links Scotland, or the friendly and challenging nature of clubs like Meldrum House, Craibstone and Kemnay, there is truly something for everyone to enjoy.

Plan your trip now and we’re sure you’ll be in a hurry to return more than once.

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