The club that would become Royal Aberdeen Golf Club in Aberdeen, Scotland, was founded in 1780. It was a city club until 1888 when it relocated 2 miles up the coast to Balgownie. After 126 years, the world’s 6th oldest golf club will host the European Tour’s Scottish Open in 2014. The pros will find what links lovers have known for years that there is no finer outward nine in the game as there is at Royal Aberdeen. The first hole plays out to the North Sea. The next eight play up a veritable canyon of towering sand dunes on the right and a steep slope on the left that plateaus into what used to be farmland but is now the inward nine. No two holes are alike, the fairways tumble and pitch, elevations change considerably. The approach to nine plays steadily up the side of the dunes easily adding a club if not two. The inward nine is on high ground so it’s more a battle with the elements. The five minute rule to find your ball was made here in 1783 so maintain your pace and be sure to wear slacks. Shorts are not permitted.
A visit to Royal Aberdeen can be combined with play in St Andrews and/or in the Highlands, along with nearby Cruden Bay and impressive new Trump International.
This is one of sixteen Scotland golf course videos we’re posting on a weekly basis to start the year. Each one provides a great sense of the respective experience which we hope will help you confirm your selections from the many available options.
