Scotland's Cruden Bay: A links for the golf connoisseur

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The phrase, "Hidden Gem", when applied to Scottish golf courses, is more often than not a misnomer. In a country this small with a population of over 5 million, it's unlikely anything could remain hidden for the 600 years golf has been around, least of all something the size of an 18-hole golf course.

Cruden Bay - an unforgetable experience and excellent value

There are definitely a lot of courses in the Scottish inventory of well over 550 that remain unfamiliar to visiting golfers. Many of these are indeed gems, but they are far from hidden and established names to most British and even visiting golfers from the Continent.

We have no one to blame but ourselves for this lack of awareness. We fly across the Atlantic to Scotland and insist on playing the same half dozen or so "name" courses, over and over again. We want to stay with the tried and true, following the traditional path beaten by every other American visitor and heaven forbid we stray from that path. Because of this lack of curiosity we never experience a multitude of superb Scottish golf experiences, virtually calling out to be played and sadly, we miss the very essence of Scottish golf. The country is over-flowing with excellent courses and while some may require a minor detour to reach, those who make the effort will be richly rewarded.

Cruden Bay has been called gloriously quirky.

Several so-called hidden gems have received a lot of attention in American golfing magazines over the last few years -- Machrihanish, North Berwick, Nairn, Machrie, Murcar, Royal Aberdeen and Cruden Bay among them. The youngest of these is over 100 years old and they have all been sitting on the Top 100 Courses in Britain and Ireland rankings for years.

Ironically, Cruden Bay has become the most famous "unknown" course in the entire British Isles, so much editorial coverage has been given to it under the Hidden Gem banner. But then, Cruden Bay is a rather special links layout and ranked by Golf World Magazine as number 50 among the Top 100 Courses in Britain and Ireland.

Located some 20 miles along the coast north of the city of Aberdeen, not far from the land where Donald Trump would like to build a luxury golf resort, Cruden Bay sits on ground where golf has been played for centuries. The great, Old Tom Morris of St. Andrews laid out the original course in 1899. In 1926, the noted English designer, Tom Simpson was commissioned to upgrade the layout, resulting in the unique Cruden Bay of today.

Cruden Bay is ranked # 50 in the British Isles

Many consider this to be Simpson's crowning glory and a textbook example of great golf architecture. He cunningly took a very good, traditional links layout and massaged it into a magnificently varied test of golf for the thinking player. Blind shots, a Scottish burn winding throughout, vast sand dunes, the beach and a clever, figure of eight configuration that produces ever-changing wind directions off the North Sea.

There are strategically placed fairway bunkers and cavernously deep greenside bunkers; the driving holes are exhilarating and some of the short holes are simply tantalizing. Watch out for the 4th -- strikingly handsome and very demanding, especially heading into the wind which can blow a storm - this could be the best par-3 hole in all of Scotland.

Cruden Bay is in some ways a relic from an age gone by and golf the way it was played a hundred years ago, but the experience is unforgettable. Courses such as this would never be designed today and even Tom Simpson would probably never repeat it. But for all of that, it remains an impressive tribute to the way things were and an important piece of golf's heritage - eccentric, quirky and at times just odd and despite all of this, Cruden Bay manages be an absolute charmer from beginning to end.

Cruden Bay was a combined effort of Old Tom and Archie Simpson

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More: For a few ideas on how to incorporate Cruden Bay into your golf vacation, click here. Or call Golf International at 800.328.9898.

Adding intrigue to the Cruden Bay experience are the ruins of 16th century Slains Castle, ominously perched on a cliff edge, high above the course. This was the inspiration and setting for the original Bram Stoker story, Dracula and is still known to the locals as Dracula's Castle. Ghosts, they say, still walk the roofless corridors.... slow play is seldom a problem at Cruden Bay!

Anyone looking for a real old-fashioned Scottish links experience can only be thrilled with this beauty -- it's far from hidden, but what a gem. And while you are in this glorious northeast corner of Scotland, take in a few of the neighboring courses with names less familiar -- Royal Aberdeen and Murcar shouldn't be missed and for a real slice of golf history, nearby Peterhead, the 18th oldest golf club in existence is as feisty a links as you are ever going to find - and this one, not even the Scots know about. Now that's a true hidden gem.

For more ideas on where to uncover more of Scotland's golf secrets, real or imagined, click here.

©2008 David Brice / Golf International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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