Cruden Bay is unlike any other golf course in Scotland. Tucked into a sheltered bay on the Aberdeenshire coast, it weaves through some of the most dramatic and idiosyncratic duneland terrain in the country — blind shots over ridges, fairways that roll and dip through valleys, and greens perched on clifftops above the sea. It is eccentric, exhilarating, and completely unforgettable. Guests who play it once almost always want to return.
The course was originally laid out by Old Tom Morris in 1899 and subsequently revised by Archie Simpson. It was built to serve guests arriving at the nearby Cruden Bay Hotel via the Great North of Scotland Railway. The hotel is long gone, but the course remains largely unchanged in spirit — one of Scotland's best-kept secrets and a pilgrimage destination for golfers who know their links.
Cruden Bay is the sort of course that serious golfers seek out specifically because it is not on every tourist itinerary. It rewards the adventurous guest — those willing to travel a little further north for a round that is genuinely different from anything else they will have played. For the right guest, it is the most memorable course of an entire Scottish trip.