Golf in Aberdeen: Courses, Green Fees and Local Knowledge

Aberdeen is a golfing city in a way that people who haven't been there don't quite appreciate. Royal Aberdeen (Balgownie Links) is one of the great links courses in Scotland — consistently ranked in the top 15 in the country, hosted the Senior Open, rarely talked about outside serious golf circles because it sits in a city rather than a pilgrimage destination. Murcar Links, half a mile up the road, is nearly as good and significantly cheaper. King's Links, the municipal course on the Esplanade, lets you play a links in a city for under £25. There are more parklands inland for members and visitors. Aberdeen has golf at every price point.

The courses

Royal Aberdeen (Balgownie Links) — from £175

The headline course and one of the finest links in Scotland. Founded in 1780, making it one of the oldest clubs in the world. The Balgownie Links runs along the north side of the River Don mouth — classic links terrain, gorse-lined fairways, deep pot bunkers, small greens. The back nine opens up toward the sea and gets progressively harder as the wind builds off the North Sea.

Visitor access: weekdays only, with some weekend availability in shoulder season. Book well ahead (4–6 weeks in summer). Green fee from £175 in shoulder season; £225 peak summer. Caddies available — book at the same time as the tee time.

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Murcar Links — from £115

Half a mile north of Royal Aberdeen, sharing the same coastal headland. Murcar is the understated choice — quieter, cheaper, less well-known internationally, and regarded by many local golfers as the better test in certain wind conditions. Founded in 1909. Visitor-friendly on weekdays; less restrictive than Royal Aberdeen about tee time booking. Green fee from £115 (peak £150).

The combination of Royal Aberdeen in the morning and Murcar in the afternoon (or across two days) is one of the great double-header options in Scottish golf, comparable to the Muirfield/Gullane or Old Course/Kingsbarns pairing further south.

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King's Links Aberdeen — from £25

The city's municipal links, managed by Aberdeen City Council, on the Esplanade just north of the city centre. Links character — firm, sandy, exposed to the North Sea — at a council-course price. 18 holes, par 71. No membership required, booking by phone or online.

This is the best-value links round in Aberdeen by a significant margin. It is not in the same category as Royal Aberdeen or Murcar, but it is a genuine links with real wind and real turf, and it costs about as much as a cinema ticket and dinner. View King's Links on our course finder →

The parklands and heathlands inland

Aberdeen's inland courses are used primarily by members but take visitors on weekdays:

• Hazlehead Golf Course — Sport Aberdeen municipal, two 18-hole courses (the MacKenzie Championship and the Pines) plus a 9-hole, from £18. The most accessible inland golf in the city for locals.
• Deeside Golf Club — parkland in Royal Deeside, one of the more scenic settings in the Aberdeen area. Visitors on weekdays, green fee around £45–£55.
• Banchory Golf Club — 18 miles west on the A93, Royal Deeside. Good-condition parkland, visitor-friendly, around £35.
• Cruden Bay — 23 miles north of Aberdeen on the A90. One of the great links experiences in Scotland — dramatic cliffs, blind tee shots, genuine character. Green fee around £80–£120. Worth the drive.

Within 30 minutes of Aberdeen

Stonehaven Golf Club (15 miles south) — clifftop links with dramatic views to Dunnottar Castle, one of the most photogenic settings in Scottish golf. Green fee around £40–£50. Visitor-friendly.

Newmachar Golf Club (10 miles northwest) — two courses, Hawkshill (the serious one, hosted the PGA Pro-Am) and Swailend. Woodland heathland, good condition, around £55–£75 for visitors.

Cruden Bay Golf Club (23 miles north) — already mentioned, but worth repeating. The links routing, the clifftop holes, the ancient clubhouse — this is one of the courses that visitors who find it tend to rate above more famous names. Don't skip it.

Getting around

Aberdeen Airport is 7 miles northwest of the city centre — Castle Stuart in Inverness is an hour north, Royal Aberdeen is 20 minutes east. Car hire at the airport is the practical option for most golf trips.

King's Links is accessible by local bus from Union Street. Royal Aberdeen and Murcar require a car or taxi.

The pick, depending on your day

If you're in Aberdeen for one round and budget is not the constraint: Royal Aberdeen. If budget matters or you want to play both days: Murcar on day one, King's Links on day two (or swap the order). If you have a car and an extra half-day: add Cruden Bay. It's 40 minutes north and it's the kind of round people remember years later — blind tee shots, dramatic dunes, an old clubhouse with the right amount of paint missing.

Related: the cheapest golf courses in Scotland · what municipal golf in Scotland actually is · golf in Dundee for the next stop down the coast.