Peterhead Golf Course

Peterhead Golf Club was established in 1841, making it by its own claim the 18th-oldest golf club in the world. The club is situated at Craigewan Links on the River Ugie, approximately a mile northwest of Peterhead town centre in Aberdeenshire, where the river meets the North Sea. The current 18-hole layout, known as the Craigewan Links or Old Course, began as a nine-hole course in 1892, designed by Willie Park Jr, the two-time Open Champion. It was extended to 18 holes in 1908 by local professional Archie Simpson. The course plays to a par of 70 over 6,147 yards. A second course, the New Course, was established in 1923 as an 18-hole layout but fell into neglect during the Second World War and today exists as a nine-hole course of 4,278 yards playing to a par of 62.

The Craigewan Links occupies a natural peninsula of duneland bounded by the River Ugie on two sides and the North Sea to the east, giving it a distinctive setting among sand hills and beach scenery that owes little to artificial shaping. The clubhouse on the north bank of the River Ugie is reached from the car park on the south side via a pedestrian bridge, a crossing that dates in various forms to the early days of the club when a ferry served the same purpose until 1925. Pot bunkers are numerous throughout the layout and represent the primary defence of the greens alongside the prevailing coastal winds. The first tee shot requires a carry over the river.

The two most celebrated holes sit back-to-back at the furthest point from the clubhouse. The ninth, named "St. Fergus," is a 460-yard par 4 with no bunkers, its fairway running along a valley between dunes to a green that demands a precise approach. The tenth, "Cottage," is a short par 3 of 133 yards with a burn in front and five bunkers encircling a green that slopes from back to front. The blind par-3 sixteenth and the par-5 eighteenth, which offers the final sea views of the round, are also noted features of the back nine. The club was ranked 71st among Scottish courses by Golf World in 2025.