For golfers looking for a Scottish destination that combines outstanding links, dramatic scenery, fascinating history and a remarkable choice of courses, the North East of Scotland deserves to be much higher on the list.
Aberdeenshire is one of Scotland’s great golfing regions. The coastline north of Aberdeen is blessed with enormous natural dunes, firm-running links turf and some of the most spectacular seaside landscapes in the country. Inland, the scenery changes again, with parkland courses, historic estates and courses surrounded by the rolling Aberdeenshire countryside.
What makes the North East particularly appealing is the sheer variety. A golfer can play the classic championship links of Royal Aberdeen, the rugged and wonderfully quirky Cruden Bay, the traditional challenge of Murcar Links, and the dramatic dunes of Trump International Scotland. Travel farther north and there is Peterhead and Fraserburgh, while Newburgh Links offers another fascinating coastal experience. Inland, Meldrum House provides a completely different style of golf around a historic country estate.
For a golf group, this is precisely what makes the region so attractive. You are not simply playing variations of the same course. You can experience traditional links, modern championship links, heathland-style golf and parkland golf, often within an hour’s drive of Aberdeen.
And at the centre of it all is Aberdeen, a vibrant city with excellent hotels, restaurants, bars and transport connections.
Why the North East is such a great golf destination
The North East has a particularly strong claim to being one of Scotland’s great links-golf destinations.
The coastline is extraordinary. From Aberdeen north towards Balmedie, Newburgh and Cruden Bay, the land is characterised by enormous dunes, sandy hollows, marram grass and constantly changing coastal winds. This creates the ideal natural environment for links golf.
It is also a region with tremendous golfing pedigree.
Royal Aberdeen is one of the world’s oldest clubs, while Murcar Links dates from 1909. Cruden Bay has been producing memorable golf for more than a century, and the modern Trump International courses have added another major attraction to the area.
For the travelling golfer, the geography is particularly convenient. Aberdeen International Airport is the natural gateway to the region, and Murcar Links, for example, is around 15–20 minutes from the airport. Trump International is approximately 10 minutes from Murcar, while Cruden Bay is around 20 minutes farther north.
Aberdeen Airport offers connections to a range of UK and European destinations, while golfers travelling internationally can also consider Edinburgh or Glasgow airports if they are incorporating other parts of Scotland into a longer trip.
For a dedicated North East golf tour, however, flying into Aberdeen makes the most sense.
Hire a car and the region becomes remarkably accessible.
And then there is the golf.
Murcar Links – traditional links golf in its purest form
For many golfers, Murcar Links Golf Club will be one of the highlights of a North East trip.
Located on the coast north of Aberdeen, Murcar is a classic Scottish links that combines huge dunes, elevated tees, gorse, heather, undulating fairways and panoramic views over the North Sea.
The course was established in 1909, with the original layout designed by Archie Simpson, the professional and greenkeeper at neighbouring Royal Aberdeen. Simpson created the course on a rugged stretch of coastline running north from Aberdeen, and it opened for play in June 1909.
The course was subsequently refined by James Braid and George Smith in the 1930s. Braid also designed Murcar’s nine-hole Strabathie course.
Importantly, much of the original character remains. Murcar has been modernised over the years, but the work has been sympathetic to the Simpson and Braid design.
The result is a wonderfully natural links.
Murcar is not a course that gives everything away from the tee. Some holes climb through dunes, others run towards the sea, and the wind can completely alter the strategy.
The course has also developed an impressive competitive pedigree. It hosted R&A Men’s and Women’s Home Internationals in 2024, R&A Amateur Championship qualifying in 2018 and the Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Match Play.
The feature holes
One of Murcar’s great strengths is that there is no shortage of memorable holes.
The 7th is particularly spectacular, with its elevated setting and views towards the North Sea. The combination of dunes, heather and coastal landscape gives the golfer a genuine feeling of playing in the wild.
The 6th, Seaton, and 9th, Black Dog, are also evocative examples of the natural character of the course, with the names themselves reflecting the surrounding landscape and the history of the original layout.
Murcar is ultimately a course that rewards imagination. It is possible to score well, but only if the golfer is prepared to use the contours and adapt to the wind.
Clubhouse and facilities
Murcar’s clubhouse was refurbished as part of a major improvement programme, with the refurbished building and practice facilities officially opened by 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie in 2006.
Today the club offers a modern visitor experience while retaining its traditional character.
There is a professional shop, clubhouse catering and changing facilities, together with extensive practice facilities. The practice area includes a full-length driving range with grass and synthetic tees, covered bays and a dedicated short-game area. A state-of-the-art irrigation system was also installed in 2024.
For golfers wanting authentic Aberdeenshire links golf, Murcar is an essential round.
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Trump International Scotland – 36 holes in the Great Dunes
A few minutes north of Murcar lies one of the most spectacular golf developments in modern Scotland: Trump International Golf Links Aberdeen.
The arrival of Trump International changed the golfing map of the North East.
The Old Course, designed by renowned links architect Dr Martin Hawtree, opened in 2012. It was constructed among the enormous Great Dunes at Menie, beside the North Sea, and immediately attracted international attention.
In 2025, the resort became a 36-hole destination with the opening of the New Course.
That makes the experience particularly interesting for a golf trip: two championship courses occupying the same dramatic coastal landscape, but offering distinctly different design characteristics.
The Old Course
Hawtree’s Old Course is an ambitious modern interpretation of links golf.
The layout uses the enormous natural dunes rather than attempting to tame them. Fairways weave through valleys between the dunes, with elevated tees, dramatic approaches and deep, revetted bunkers.
It measures more than 7,400 yards from the championship tees, although multiple tee positions make it playable for a wide range of golfers.
The routing uses two out-and-back loops of nine, with the holes constantly interacting with the dunes and coastline.
Feature hole – the 13th
The 13th is one of the Old Course’s most memorable holes.
This par three plays through a dramatic valley, with the hole descending into a “river” of marram grass. Hawtree designed the hole to create a dramatic change of direction in the round, and the walk from the green towards the 14th tee through the dunes is itself part of the experience.
It is an excellent example of the philosophy behind the Old Course: the landscape is not simply scenery surrounding the golf; it is the golf.
The New Course
The New Course opened officially on 29 July 2025, adding another 18 holes to the resort.
Its design and construction built on the original masterplan by Martin Hawtree, with a broader team including Eric Trump, Esie O’Mahoney and Jamie O’Reilly of Golflink Evolve, supported by golf architects, engineers and environmental specialists.
The result is another spectacular links, measuring 7,589 yards from the back tees.
The New Course is characterised by enormous dunes, cavernous sandy hollows, dramatic infinity-edge greens and what the resort describes as the world’s largest natural sand bunker.
Unlike the Old Course, which has two out-and-back loops, the New Course has a more traditional out-and-back routing.
Feature hole – the 18th
The 18th is an appropriate finale.
A par five playing towards an elevated, near-blind fairway, it asks golfers to take a decision from the tee. The preferred line is towards the left, opening up the approach to an impressive infinity green. The approach is rewarding but dangerous, with cavernous bunkers waiting to catch an errant shot.
It is exactly the kind of hole that can settle a match.
Clubhouse, hotel and resort facilities
Trump International is much more than two golf courses.
The resort has extensive practice facilities, including a 22-acre driving range and short-game area, while golfers can also use putting facilities.
Accommodation is provided at MacLeod House & Lodge, a luxury property on the estate. The accommodation experience includes private dining and the Clavis Whisky Bar, which features more than 150 Scottish and international malt whiskies. Guests also have access to golf practice facilities and preferential green-fee rates.
For golf groups, the resort therefore offers the possibility of a genuine stay-and-play experience rather than simply a round of golf.
And the history of the club is already significant. The Old Course opened in 2012; the New Course followed in 2025, creating a modern 36-hole destination on a stretch of coastline that has quickly become one of the most recognisable golfing landscapes in Scotland.
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Cruden Bay – eccentric, dramatic and unforgettable
Just north of Trump International is Cruden Bay Golf Club, one of Scotland’s most distinctive courses.
Cruden Bay is the kind of course golfers tend to fall in love with.
The layout is dramatically undulating, with holes climbing through dunes and providing extraordinary views across the coast. It does not necessarily conform to the conventions of modern golf-course architecture – and that is precisely its charm.
The original course was associated with Old Tom Morris and Archie Simpson, before later redevelopment by Tom Simpson and Herbert Fowler.
The 4th, a short hole played through the dunes, is particularly memorable, while the opening holes introduce the golfer to the river and dramatic coastal landscape.
For many golfers, Cruden Bay is one of the must-play courses of an Aberdeen golf trip.
Royal Aberdeen – one of the great links
Royal Aberdeen Golf Club is another essential stop.
Founded in 1780, the club has an extraordinary history and occupies the same stretch of coastline that has made the North East such a remarkable golfing destination.
The Balgownie Links is a classic out-and-back championship course with a traditional front nine heading out towards the coast and the back nine returning through the dunes.
The course has been shaped by several architects, including Archie Simpson and James Braid, and remains one of Scotland’s great traditional links.
Its 17th hole is especially famous, a demanding par three heading towards the coast that combines wind, dunes and precision.
For golfers interested in classic Scottish links architecture, Royal Aberdeen belongs on the itinerary.
Peterhead – rugged links at the edge of Scotland
Further north, Peterhead Golf Club provides another opportunity to experience the raw character of the Aberdeenshire coastline.
The course is situated on the Buchan coast and provides a mixture of links terrain, dunes and views over the North Sea.
Peterhead is an excellent choice for golfers prepared to venture beyond the better-known names. The coastal setting gives the course plenty of character, while the wind ensures that every round is different.
For a longer Aberdeen golf tour, Peterhead combines particularly well with Cruden Bay and Fraserburgh.
Meldrum House – a change of pace
Not every round in North East Scotland needs to be on the coast.
Meldrum House Country Hotel & Golf Course, near Oldmeldrum, offers a welcome change of scenery.
The course sits within the grounds of a historic country estate, providing parkland golf surrounded by trees and Aberdeenshire countryside.
It is particularly appealing for golfers looking for a stay-and-play experience, with the historic Meldrum House providing accommodation, dining and leisure facilities alongside the golf course.
After several days battling coastal winds, a round at Meldrum House provides a completely different challenge.
Newburgh Links – traditional coastal golf
Newburgh Links sits north of Aberdeen beside the River Ythan and the North Sea.
Its location is particularly attractive, with the dunes and coastline providing a dramatic setting.
Newburgh is another course that demonstrates the depth of golfing choice in the region. It does not have the international profile of Trump International or Royal Aberdeen, but that is part of its appeal.
Golfers looking for a more relaxed and traditional round will find plenty to enjoy.
Fraserburgh – golf at the northern edge
For those with time to travel farther north, Fraserburgh Golf Club is well worth the journey.
Fraserburgh has a long history and a magnificent links setting, with the course shaped by dunes and exposed coastal terrain.
The club offers two courses, including the championship Corbiehill Links, providing an opportunity to explore one of the less frequently visited but highly rewarding parts of Aberdeenshire.
The farther north you travel, the more the landscape seems to belong to the golf.
More than golf
Aberdeen itself makes an excellent base.
Known as the Granite City, it offers restaurants, bars, museums, galleries and a lively waterfront. The city also provides convenient accommodation for groups, with the courses north of Aberdeen generally within easy driving distance.
Beyond the city, Aberdeenshire provides castles, whisky distilleries, beaches, coastal walks and spectacular countryside.
For non-golfing partners, this is an important advantage. A golf trip does not have to mean several days spent exclusively on golf courses.
And for golfers, the changing scenery makes each day feel different.
One morning you can be standing on a huge dune at Murcar with the North Sea stretching towards the horizon. Later in the trip you might be playing through the mature parkland at Meldrum House. The next day could bring the immense dunes of Cruden Bay or the dramatic modern architecture of Trump International.
The North East: Scotland’s next great golf destination
There are golf destinations where the attraction is one world-famous course.
The North East of Scotland offers something different.
It is the combination.
Murcar provides traditional, rugged links golf shaped by Archie Simpson and refined by James Braid.
Royal Aberdeen delivers centuries of history and championship pedigree.
Cruden Bay offers eccentric, dramatic golf that feels completely different from anywhere else.
Trump International brings two generations of modern links architecture together across 36 holes, with the Old Course designed by Martin Hawtree and the New Course developed from Hawtree’s original masterplan by a modern design team.
Peterhead and Fraserburgh take golfers farther into the wild Aberdeenshire coastline, while Newburgh provides another enjoyable coastal option.
Then Meldrum House changes the landscape completely with historic-estate parkland golf.
That is what makes the region so compelling.
You can play courses designed more than a century apart, experience traditional links and modern championship golf, stay in luxury accommodation or discover welcoming local clubs, all while travelling relatively short distances between rounds.
For a golf group, that variety is invaluable.
No two days have to feel the same.
A destination worth discovering
The North East of Scotland has all the ingredients of a great golf holiday: exceptional courses, spectacular scenery, fascinating history, easy access through Aberdeen Airport, excellent accommodation and a city capable of providing everything needed after the final putt.
Most importantly, it offers choice.
There is the history of Royal Aberdeen, the natural drama of Murcar and Cruden Bay, the modern spectacle of Trump International, the coastal character of Peterhead, Newburgh and Fraserburgh and the parkland alternative of Meldrum House.
For golfers who want to experience Scotland beyond the most obvious destinations, that makes the North East particularly exciting.
So much choice and such an extraordinary variety of courses make the North East of Scotland an ideal place to go for your next golf trip.
And while St Andrews, Troon and Turnberry may dominate the conversation when golfers think about Scotland, those prepared to head north to Aberdeenshire will discover a golfing region every bit as memorable — and one with more than enough quality and character to justify a trip in its own right.