Balnagask, Aberdeen, Scotland

http://www.sportaberdeen.co.uk/venues/balnagask-golf-course/

White tees par 70, SSS 69, 6059 yards
Red tees par 72, SSS 72, 5575 yards


Balnagask is a public course in the city of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland.  It lies on the Balnagask headland between the estuary of the River Dee and Nigg Bay with stunning views over Aberdeen harbour and the historic Girdle Ness lighthouse.  The golf course was first opened in 1905 having been designed by Archie Simpson who also designed the more famous Murcar Links and Nairn (see 31st May 2013) amongst others.  It was then modified in 1920 by James Braid and finally in 1976 by the Hawtree Company responsible for the design of the nearby Trump International Golf Links. 



The 3rd green with the entrance to
Aberdeen harbour in the background

We played Balnagask on a windy day with a coastal haar which restricted some of the lovely views but the condition and quality of the course exceeded our expectations of a public course.  It was well maintained with typical links greens and fairways.  It lies on very undulating ground which means that there were a lot of blind shots and since the course was very quiet we lost our way on a number of occasions.

The 17th green overlooks Aberdeen harbour. 
The spires of the city can just be seen in the mist 

The first nine runs along the Dee estuary and the sea and overlooks the entrance to Aberdeen harbour.  There are a number of challenging par fours, many of which play into the prevailing westerly wind.  Two of them plus the 10th are par fives for ladies. There is only one par three in the first nine, the aptly named Spion Kop, which is played to a high plateau green.  On the tenth tee the views of the lighthouse, Aberdeen's beach and the harbour are quite distracting especially on a windy day when the waves crash into the rocks.  The 10th itself is a lovely undulating par five with a green set in a narrow valley but in general the second nine is less memorable.  The round finishes with a long downhill left to right par three with a green which is difficult to hold.  This course is remarkable value for money - it was £8 each for the round which included a discount for the weather!

Worth playing? Yes.  Good value but hilly and probably too many blind shots.