PETERHEAD GOLF CLUB - 15 POINTS
The magnificent 17th at Peterhead
Golf in the north east of Scotland has experienced something of a boom in recent years. Trump is partly responsible for that but Cruden Bay continues to rise up the rankings and Royal Aberdeen is a great classic course.
Keep going 20 minutes north of Cruden Bay and you come to the fishing town of Peterhead. There lies a course which is firmly ensconced in the top 100 in Scotland for very good reason. The club is said to be the 14th oldest in the world and golf has been played here since .
The start is a promising one. A shortish par 4 with an estuary framing the hole nicely to the left and a bank on the right. Playing into the wind as I was, you need to be dialled in with your short irons to hit this small elevated green.
The first hole that runs along the river with banking on the right
From there things get a little, well, ordinary. The next few holes go around the 9 hole ‘new’ course over unremarkable land.
But then things get really interesting. The 6th is a par 3 to a well guarded green and then before you is a sea of dunes, fairways and greens which are as dramatic as any you will find in the more acclaimed courses of the region a few miles away.
The 7th kicks things off brilliantly with an elevated tee and a fairway swooping down in the dunes.
The 7 hole swoops down to a well protected green
To score over this next run of holes you will need to avoid the many pot bunkers and use your imagination to play the slopes that abound. The par 5 8th could be straight out of Royal Aberdeen running south to north with wonderful dunes either side giving some protection from the wind you will almost inevitably have to deal with.
The 10th marks the turning point for the course and is a great par 3 that plays from the dunes due west. Whether you are playing the back tees or not I would thoroughly recommend clambering up to them to get a view beyond the dunes to the most wonderful beach.
The excellent par 3 10th hole. Can be a challenge into the wind
The course calms down a little with some perfectly serviceable holes before getting going again on the 14th. These closing holes could again grace any links in the land.
The 17th will particularly stay in my mind. It was playing down wind and at only 262 yards from the yellows was reachable. It’s a blind tee shot which I’m not always a fan of but the reward as you reached the top of the hill was just brilliant. The green is guarded with a bunker on the right and two big mounds just in front of the green. Somehow I had threaded it down the right to a little collection area next to the green which made the grin on my face even bigger. What a fun hole this is.
Peterhead is a lovely course to have found and I would urge you to add this to your tour if in the area. The value is tremendous and you will have great fun. I am told the wind is almost constantly blowing around here so come mentally prepared for that and practice your punch shots! If you do make the trip you will be rewarded with a really lovely round of golf.
BOOKING THE COURSE
I don’t agree at all with the pricing policy at Peterhead. It’s fairly priced for Scottish golfers at £60 but then goes up to £80 for the rest of the UK and £125 for international visitors. I think that’s a terrible look and feels like price gouging. I don’t know why they’ve done this but hope it doesn’t last. Booking online is easy to do here.
TOUR TIPS
Peterhead is 20 minutes north of Cruden Bay, which itself is about 30 minutes north of Aberdeen. Most visitors will stay in the city centre and using a car to get out and about. Aberdeen is dominated by the oil industry and students so there are plenty of diversions to find there.
However, if you would like to stay in the area I would encourage you to have a look at The Dunes self catering accommodation at Cruden Bay. Owned by Scottish Golf Podcast host Ru Macdonald this really is perfect for golfers who want to roll out of bed onto the tee!
In Aberdeen itself, you will get the normal Premier Inn/Travelodge options but I would recommend the Sandman hotel if you can get a good price. It is a recent renovation and the quality of the beds, room and general service was really good. Prices will depend on how many business people are in town at any time but it’s worth checking out as there are good deals to be had. Here you are close to a plethora of good restaurants, pubs and clubs and on the right side of the city for getting to the golf courses which mostly lie to the north.
When it comes to golf there are two top-drawer options to consider. Cruden Bay is one of Scotland’s absolute delights. Quirky but challenging, you will have an amazing adventure here. Trump Aberdeen is a modern interpretation of a links course, on a grand scale and it is a stern test. It’s close to Cruden Bay and would make for a pretty intense 36 hole day!
Closer to Aberdeen itself is Royal Aberdeen (ranked 75th in the world). This is old-school Scottish golf. A formidable links that has hosted both the Walker Cup and Scottish Open.
Next door to Royal Aberdeen is Murcar. While not quite in the same league as the other three courses it is a very good links course (top 50 in Scotland). If you are looking for a slightly cheaper round to add to your itinerary you may consider heading just south of Aberdeen to Stonehaven which is a good value course.
Aberdeen may seem a long way from anywhere but if you are based in the south of England, or flying in internationally, there are regular flights, so for many it will be just as easy to as getting to Edinburgh or Glasgow. If you are looking for a longer trip then it’s a just a couple of hours drive up to Inverness where the delights of Castle Stuart, Royal Dornoch and many others lie - make sure you stop off at Moray on the way!
CONTACT DETAILS
Peterhead Golf Club,
Craigewan Links,
Riverside Dr,
Peterhead
AB42 1LT
Web - www.peterheadgolfclub.co.uk/
Phone - 01779 472149
Email - managementsec@peterheadgolfclub.co.uk
