Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom
Cruden Bay Golf Club is an 18-hole, par-70 links course measuring approximately 6,395 yards, situated in the small fishing village of Cruden Bay on the Aberdeenshire coast, around 23 miles north of Aberdeen. It is consistently ranked among the top 100 golf courses in the world.
The club's origins stretch back to 1791, though the present course was commissioned in 1894 by the Great North of Scotland Railway Company and opened in 1899. It was designed by Old Tom Morris and local professional Archie Simpson, and the current layout dates principally to a 1926 redesign by Tom Simpson and Herbert Fowler, who retained much of Morris's original routing and around ten greens while reworking others significantly. Tom Simpson considered it among his finest achievements. Minor alterations to bunkering were later made by Donald Steel, and in 2014 Tom MacKenzie relocated the 9th and 10th tees, transforming the 9th into one of the most dramatic par fours on the course, played from a summit tee with panoramic views across the dunes and North Sea.
The course weaves through towering sand dunes that largely conceal each hole from its neighbours, creating a strong sense of intimacy. The routing is widely admired for its natural flow, following the contours a walker would instinctively take across the property. Blind shots, unusual green shapes, and quirky design decisions characterise the layout throughout. The par-3 4th, "Port Erroll," plays 196 yards across the Water of Cruden toward the historic harbour, and is regarded as one of the finest one-shot holes in Scotland. The short par-4 8th plays uphill to a green enclosed by dunes, while the 14th features a celebrated sunken "bathtub" green set deep into a hollow. Consecutive par threes at the 15th and 16th — one bunkerless — form an unusual and memorable late-round sequence. The ruins of Slains Castle, the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula, provide a backdrop to the early holes. The club hosted a professional tournament in the early 1900s attracting players including Harry Vardon.
