North of Aberdeen lies a necklace of links courses. We head for Cruden Bay. The course was built in connection with the advent of the railway to the British Isles. Between the wars there was a hotel for summer golfers and their families. Today in its place stands the clubhouse. The weather forecast for the afternoon is not positive and the wind has already begun to make its presence felt. “It’s just breezy,” boldly claims a woman in the bar. The 1st and 2nd holes are into the wind. Already on the 3rd – a short links hole with marker post and a cauldron-like green – we realise that this will be a special round. One half of LINKS75 hits the red tee balls with a forceful 4-iron and the ball arcs over a house just behind the tee. Not just out of bounds but into the neighbouring community. This can’t have happened before. The rain slowly creeps up on us just as the course picks up the pace. The 5th – an extremely difficult par 4 into the wind- we just reach in 3.
Teeshot at no5, Cruden bay
The 6th – a par 5 with a little burn running in perfect position to be reached by the 2nd shot – has an elevated green and we are challenged by the wind. The rain is falling horizontally and suddenly we are alone. The 7th – a tough links par 4 – requires a second shot that must go over, round or between two protective sand dunes before we reach the green on a rise. We test the alternatives with the same result. The 8th – a short par 4 that can be reached in 1 – is laid out as part of a links plaza together with the 15th and 16th. In front of us a man stops and rests before the concluding 17th and 18th. The view of the roaring sea from the 10th tee is breathtaking and opens this and the next 5 holes. The 11th is a bunker-framed one-shotter with cauldron-like green and a meandering burn along the right-hand side. After the 12th there is a hidden gem – a secretive one-shotter straight out towards the sea. We have been moved in time and space to a 19th hole beyond the scorecard’s fixed boundaries. The 14th has the foaming sea to the right and a slope with gorse to the left, a marker post and behind this a sunken green dream, where shots head for a waiting flag. An amazing links experience.
Great green at 14th, Cruden bay
Taking steps directly from the green we reach the 15th tee, which is a par 3 with hidden green behind gigantic sand dunes. A marker post and a bell with a 75 yards long piece of string. A links experience in spades. Mr J wins 4 and 3. The 16th – the links plaza’s conclusion – requires accuracy and soft hands. Towards the 18th and a waiting hot shower, drying room and a gallon of Guinness. LINKS75, Cruden Bay and mother nature.
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