Royal Aberdeen Golf Club - Balgownie Links

We were lucky to be able to play a round at this impeccable course in idyllic conditions. Tee boxes, fairways, bunkers and greens all in great condition. There is a sprinkler system so the course plays wonderfully. Big difference to Murcar Links. Wow- what a day. We can highly recommend this beautiful oceanfront links.

In my first trip to Scotland, the first true seaside links we played was Royal Aberdeen. Downwind out and upwind in. Very challenging. Several blind shots. While I would have liked to played better on the closing stretch, I enjoyed everything about the experience. The views of the course are spectacular. The North Sea in the near distance. Large greens and several bunkers. The conditions were what I expected from links golf.

I especially commend our caddies for their knowledge and hospitality. The caddie who accompanied me, Findlay, was outstanding in terms of his club suggestions, green reads and camaraderie. It was truly a memorable round of golf.

I have mixed reactions to this course. The head pro was lovely, as were the wait staff within the clubhouse. With that said there is a passcode to get into said clubhouse, and I was upset to hear that a local guy with his coworkers was turned away from lunch(they wanted to pay) as they weren't members. If it's completely private then I understand, but here I am just a traveler and I was permitted to play the course so why turn away a local from lunch? The clubhouse itself needs a refurbishment too, it is neither old and quaint nor new and updated. With all that said the course itself played fairly easy as the first 7 holes are with one wind, then the 8th hole is back against that wind then 9 is like the first 7 and then 10-18 all come back to the clubhouse. Well the only hole I played into the wind was #8, as the wind itself died down after I turned to the back. Course is fairly short I played the tips and had no more than 9 iron into most of the par 4's, again, mostly downwind I grant you. Shot 81 with a collapse at the end and I'm a 6 handicap. It was fine, but not really worth the money nor the general snooty attitude, in my opinion. Basically you can find nicer courses for the money or cheaper courses that are just as good. Would go back but would not go out of my way to do so.

Royal Aberdeen Balgownie links is like a novel with two distinctive halves. The list of names of those who helped shape the course’s present form is distinctive and stretches back to it’s origin in 1886 on it’s present site. As it’s age would suggest, it adheres to a traditional “out and back” design with the North Sea as it’s companion. The front nine could well be the finest nine holes of links golf in the world, meandering over and around massive dunes. In contrast, the back nine sits on high pastureland above the links collar. Sweeping and exposed, the back nine is as stern as the front nine is whimsical. The par 3 holes stand out in particular, such as the 3rd hole, requiring a tee shot from an elevated tee some 248 yards that stands as a test of distance and accuracy when the ever-present confluence of wind is taken into account.