133 - Royal Aberdeen (Balgownie)

Location: Aberdeen, Scotland

Rating: 8.7

After playing the Silverburn course in the morning and the rain starting to team down we thought we were in for trouble in our afternoon round on the Balgownie course but after lunch the rain subsided, and the sun started to rise. We thought we were in luck. Boy were we wrong. With the wind coming slightly in and across off the coast we played the front 9 almost directly into it which is a brutal challenge.

Royal Aberdeen is a prestigious course, most golf aficionados will know of it. The course is in absolutely pristine condition. Juicy, soft fairways where well struck iron shots can take the most satisfying of divots and greens that are firm, crisp but hold up for good approach shots.

The first hole is arguably one of the more generous holes on the course with a relatively wide fairway and if in play then a downhill approach to the green but the rest of the holes are pretty tough especially with the wind playing a factor as it more often than not would. Most fairways are narrow, if you miss you’re in rough so keep an eye on your ball. If you do manage to hit a good drive there’s a strong chance you could end up in a bunker as there’s plenty lining the fairways and the greens have subtle undulations to them.

The hospitality is good, you receive a very cool little welcome bag with some goodies inside. The clubhouse is a lovely, traditional golf clubhouse and the restaurant had some good food as well.

The only area that lets the club down is probably the practice facilities as there’s no driving range and a chipping green a little walk from the clubhouse. Other than that it’s a fantastic golf course, a real challenge, pack your bag full of balls but definitely another bucket list course.

I’d also recommend spending the little extra to play the Silverburn course as well (before main one!)