Aberdeen
Overview
The Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire golf coast, anchored by Royal Aberdeen and Murcar.
- Nearest airports
- Aberdeen Airport (ABZ)
Featured Courses
Where to stay
Aberdeen city
Aberdeen is the most practical base for the Aberdeenshire golf circuit, combining easy access to Royal Aberdeen and Murcar at the city's edge with a manageable drive to Cruden Bay and Trump International. As Scotland's third city, it offers hotel and dining variety well above what the rural courses nearby would suggest.
- Golf access
- Royal Aberdeen and Murcar are on the city's northern edge; Cruden Bay is under an hour north; Trump International is 30 minutes.
- Restaurants & evenings
- A proper city dining scene, particularly strong for seafood; Union Street and the west end have a good concentration of restaurants.
- Families
- Aberdeen's Maritime Museum, Duthie Park and Winter Gardens, and the beach esplanade give families a solid range of options.
Cruden Bay village
Staying in Cruden Bay village is the immersive option for golfers who make a specific trip for the course. The setting — a sweeping bay, great dunes, and the Slains Castle ruins on the clifftop — gives the stay a character that Aberdeen hotels cannot replicate.
- Golf access
- Cruden Bay Golf Club is in the village itself — the most direct way to experience the course.
- Restaurants & evenings
- Very limited local options; the Red House Hotel at Cruden Bay is the main on-site choice. Aberdeen is the nearest city for a broader evening out.
- Families
- The dramatic ruins of Slains Castle (said to have inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula) and the beach directly below the course are memorable.
Balmedie / Newburgh
Balmedie is a small coastal village just south of Trump International, and staying here keeps golfers close to the course without committing to a city hotel. The beach and dune landscape that frames the golf course extends along the coast and is the area's defining feature.
- Golf access
- Immediately adjacent to Trump International Golf Links; around 30 minutes from Royal Aberdeen.
- Restaurants & evenings
- Limited in the immediate area; Aberdeen is 15–20 minutes south for a full evening out.
- Families
- Balmedie Country Park and the long sandy beach are excellent for families; a quieter, more rural alternative to the city.