Cruden Bay Golf Club

In my opinion this is the best links course in North East Scotland, and my favorite course in the whole country!  Cruden Bay regularly features in Top 100 lists and was rated number 77 in the world by Golf Magazine last year (www.golf.com/article-list/top-100-courses-in-the-world-2015/cruden-bay-cruden-bay-scotland-top-100-courses) so it’s a must play course when you visit Scotland.

Located 23 miles north of Aberdeen just off the A90, the course was designed by Old Tom Morris and Archie Simpson and opened in 1899 thanks to the Great North of Scotland Railway.  The growth in the popularity of the game of golf in the 1890’s coincided with the growth of the rail network and courses like Cruden Bay were developed along with railway stations and hotels to attract tourists.  The Cruden Bay railway station closed in 1932 and the hotel in 1939 when it became an army hospital for the Second World War. Continue reading “Cruden Bay Golf Club”

Trump Aberdeen

To use its correct name Trump International Golf Links Scotland is located about 10 miles north of Aberdeen city centre on the A90 (also 10 miles from the airport) on a fantastic 20 mile stretch of coastline that is also home to Royal Aberdeen, Murcar, Newburgh and Cruden Bay.  This was a controversial project from its inception.  Conservation areas, objections from local residents and plans for an offshore wind farm development in sight of the course all threatened the project.

From the impressive entrance at the clock tower and the driveway that winds its way through the Menie Estate past McLeod House to the clubhouse this feels like an upscale venue.  The driving range and impressive practice area are located on either side of the parking lot.

Continue reading “Trump Aberdeen”

Planterra Ridge – The Lake Changed Everything

Planterra Ridge in Peachtree City, GA is a private club and one of the four courses in town owned by ClubCorp (the others are Flat Creek, Braelinn and Whitewater Creek).  The Planterra course is the best of the four and sits within the Planterra Ridge sub-division but the homes rarely affect the views or your play.  This is a true country club with swimming pool, tennis courts and a good restaurant to complement the golf.  Full disclosure: I am a ClubCorp member and this is my home club.

Opened in 1994, Planterra is the newest of the courses in Peachtree City and plays 6800 yards (par 72) with a rating of 73.0 and slope of 131 from the back tees. This is a fantastic layout and normally in excellent condition.  Planterra has hosted US Open local qualifier tournaments several times including earlier this month. Continue reading “Planterra Ridge – The Lake Changed Everything”

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