Going back to when I first started swinging a club nearly 20 years ago now (that was painful to write) I’ve been really lucky to play some excellent golf courses. Some of these have been hidden gems, others have been amongst the best and most historic courses in Scotland. Can I say that every course I’ve played has been great value for money? Not always. It’s fair to say that a large green fee doesn’t always mean bad value for money, it all depends where you see value. Equally however, it doesn’t mean that even the smaller fees automatically gives you good value. I’ve played on courses with a £15 fee and the conditions have been horrendous. Unplayable. Absolutely no value for money, I’d have been better off taking a wedge and a few balls down to the local football fields. That being said, locally in Aberdeen we have access to “Sport Aberdeen”, a charity who manage sports and leisure services on behalf of Aberdeen City Council.

This package is truly aimed at everyone and anyone, I pay £55 for the full bifta and that includes all the golf courses (4x 18 holes and 1x 9 holes) plus access to all their gyms, courts, swimming, classes etc. But of course today i’m only here to talk about the golf, which if this was all you were after you’d pay a measly £43 per month. On the face of it that’s extremely good value for money, but how do the courses themselves stack up?

Kings Links

The first of the 4 18 hole courses we have access to is the Kings Links. Golf has been recorded as being played in this area since 1661, with the current layout being introduced in 1872. This is a traditional links course and you can really feel that there is a bit of history behind it. The course is situated on top of natural dunes, with that classic out and in 18 hole layout that we all associate with historic links courses.

Being situated right on the North East coast, you’ll be lucky to find a day where you’re not being battered by the wind. In fact the first 3 tee boxes are situated right on the beach boulevard where you’re super exposed to the elements. The course itself is challenging and these conditions make it no easier.

I have to say, the greenkeepers at Kings Links really keep the course in top condition. I believe the way this works is with shared manpower (please correct me if I’m wrong), which makes keeping these courses in good condition even trickier but every time we play it’s great.

Littered with bunkers, thick punishing rough, quick undulating greens – Kings Links really is a test. The signature hole on Kings Links for me is the Par 3 10th. You have an elevated tee box, exposed to the elements, firing 180 yards over rough and gorse onto a table top green. Short and you’re in big trouble, slightly short and you roll straight back down to the bottom of the hill. Left and you’re on the road. Right and you’re in gorse. Long and you have an incredibly tricky chip shot down – maybe even the old texas wedge. Most would take a bogey standing on the tee box. The next two holes follow the natural dune structures and really are a joy to play.

The course is backed up by 3 independent golf clubs who all play their weekly competitions on the links. These clubs have a tonne of history, between them probably around 300 years of history. Personally we frequent the Northern Golf Club, a great breakfast before the round and an equally great pint afterwards. You really can’t go wrong, £36 is your regular green fee but unlimited use with your Sport Aberdeen membership.

Balnagask

Continuing down the coastal course path we have Balnagask, arguably my favourite of the bunch. I really don’t know where to start with this course, it really is fantastic.

Balnagask boasts James Braid as having a hand in the layout, along with Archie Simpson and the Hawtree family. You’re looking at a really tough challenge to score round Balnagask, rolling hills, blind tee shots and fairways, thick gorse and of course once again that coastal conditions. If you can see past the challenge, you’re rewarded with views right across Aberdeen, across the harbour, the new south harbour, Torry Battery, you even shoot towards Girdleness Lighthouse on a few holes. The course is breathtaking. I’m not one to utilise other peoples photographs in my blogs, however if you visit the Sport Aberdeen website there is a fantastic drone photo of the full course and you never would believe this is a municipal course (arguably one of the best in the country mind you!).

I actually played Balnagask a few days prior to writing this blog, it used to be the Sport Aberdeen course I played the most so have a very good idea of the layout and where to hit to on all of the blind tee shots (of which there’s loads!). I came away with a very respectable 86 (for me!) but that includes multiple triple bogeys so I left a lot out there.

The first tee shot is firing up an incredibly steep hill, with the second going all the way back down. From the second tee box you can see the full views on offer. Behind you the harbour and the full city, in front of you the stunning lighthouse and Torry Battery, and to your right is the South Harbour where we had two jack ups dominating the skyline. The fifth hole is a little nipper of a par 3, approximately 120 yards but straight up hill it’s a real tester. The 7th hole gives us our first driveable par 4, I bottled it on this day and landed 20 yards short with my 5 wood. The 8th then becomes really gettable, 320 yards on the card but massively downhill. I actually got caught in a bit of rough short right but my playing partner hit the green and holed his 30 footer for eagle. Jammy git. The 10th in my opinion is the signature. Par 5, elevated tee box shooting blindly over a hill, dog leg left into a very visually appealing green. Although my driving was on form this day, I took it too far left and found the gorse, and then shanked my penalty ball gorse right. Nightmare really but I came away with a double bogey so it didn’t end up being too costly.

The fact that the green fee for this course is only £36 always surprises me, but the fact you can get unlimited usage of this brilliant coastal track for £43 is truly mind boggling!

The Balnagask Golf Club feels like a reward after the round. There’s no doubt it’s a tough course, between the hills and the wind you’re always thankful for the sight of the club house. Friendly bar staff inside, the club was pretty busy which is always great to see. I know some like to just get up the road after their round but it’s always nice to nip in if even for a soft drink after your round. I know these clubs rely on bar takings and as a visitor it always feels like the right thing to do.

Hazlehead – Mackenzie

The next course we have access to through the membership is the Mackenzie course at Hazlehead. Designed by a certain Dr Alistair Mackenzie (Augusta National, Cypress Point), this is the championship course at the Hazlehead facility. The Mackenzie actually won the best Municipal course in Scotland this year so that really tells you the level at which the course operates.

Mackenzie is a parkland course, lots of trees, lots of hazards and lots of dog legs. This really is a tricky course that almost forces you to play what you see. There isn’t a lot of Tiger lines on this one, and if you do find the trees more often than not you need to take your medicine.

I have to admit, and if you’ve read much of my course blogs you’ll already have guessed this, but links golf is my favourite. That being said I can always appreciate the beauty of a nice parkland course and Mackenzie is exactly that.

One of my favourite holes on this course is actually the first. A dogleg left, 313 yards as the crow flies, but a nice 5 iron down to the corner usually leaves you no more than a wedge into a green surrounded by trees. It’s a very strong starting hole, one that requires a bit of strategy and really sets you up for the rest of the round.

The 5th is a cracker of a par 3. Similar to Kings Links 10, you have an elevated tee and an elevated green with a rough-filled gully in between. At 174 yards it’s no short iron either, and really puts you under a bit of pressure. For me, this is the signature hole and one that’s always fun to play.

Then there’s the 18th, a downhill par 4 heading straight towards the clubhouse. A good drive leaves you with a knee-wobbler of an approach, with the car park right, clubhouse dead centre and pro shop left. A poor tee shot and I’m not sure you’d fancy taking that on from the rough! The green is also really undulating, so even when you do find it, you’ve still got a tricky putt with the full clubhouse watching you.

Hazlehead – Pines

Pines is the second 18 at Hazlehead. This one is a bit more open than the Mackenzie and is suited to players of all levels. A par 67, six Par 3’s of varying length and just the one Par 5 and just the 5735 yards which was revamped in the 70s by a trio of ex Ryder Cup players lays up for a really fun quirky game of golf.

Much like its bigger brother, Pines starts off with arguably one of its signature holes. A medium length par 3, up hill to a green surrounded by trees. The tee box is actually just off the practise green, with the site road down the left and trees down the right so despite what i’ve said about being a bit more open this one is actually a bit more challenging. 160 yards is your number so not exactly easy! The following few holes are all tree lined with slightly wider fairways than Mackenzie, this means that they still play fairly tricky and you have to be accurate off the tee.

The stretch of 8, 9 and 10 are personal favourites of mine. All three play with OB right, which in fairness doesn’t favour my natural slice, but they’re just all-round fun holes.

The 8th plays downhill, 371 yards on the card, but you can really get after it and leave yourself a short wedge in. The 9th follows a similar layout with a slightly wider fairway, although it has one of the most strategically placed trees I’ve ever seen. At 317 yards downhill you can get pretty close if you fancy taking it on, but find yourself behind that tree and you’ve really got no shot in.

The 10th is another 170-ish yard par 3, with a fairly large green surrounded by bunkers. A nice way to finish off a really enjoyable stretch of holes before the nightmare that is the 11th!

Ironically after the fun of 8,9,10 we have the SI 1 11th hole. Dog leg right, massively uphill 430 yard par 4. You can’t really hit driver on this one unless you trust the fade, so hybrid / iron is my usual go to. This leaves around 230 yards up hill into the green, I don’t think I’ve ever actually hit it in regulation and if you could buy a bogey on this hole I probably would!.

Overall, although this is seen as the younger brother to Mackenzie, the majority of people I speak to actually prefer Pines and it is definitely one to add to your list. Even more so if you have the Sport Aberdeen membership!

Hazlehead  – 9 Holer

Finally on the golf rota for the Sport Aberdeen membership we have the 9 Holer also at Hazlehead.

Now, this is the only real practise facility we have access to. Kings Links has a small putting green, Balnagask has a decent short game area and putting green, and Hazlehead has a putting green plus the 9 holer.

The set up here is 2 par 3’s, a par 5 and the rest par 4s. I have to say, the condition of the course does vary but we need to keep in mind that this is probably the lowest on the priority flist or the Sport Aberdeen greenskeepers. The greens are OK, the tee boxes are pretty good and the fairways are fine. I would actually say the fairways are more akin to first cut on a better course, but it’s not bad. There is not a lot of true rough, and the course is really open which makes it a great place for a beginner but also a great course for a more seasoned golfer to come down to hit a variety of different shots.

The beauty here is the hole lengths, and that is because as I’ve mentioned above, you really get to hit a variety of shots. A few driver holes, long par 3’s, short par 4’s, long par 4’s, driveable par 4’s and a long par 5 it really is great. The greens are small so you need to be accurate and hold them otherwise you’ll be off the back. Most are very undulated too so you get  a good bit of putting practise in.

This is a fantastic addition to the membership, and means if you don’t have time for a full 18 you can always book yourself on to the 9.

Final Word

I do have some final comments on this package that I think are worth keeping in mind. Firstly, these courses can get very busy on summer evenings and Saturdays. We play every week down Kings Links and because you have 3 clubs down there, Saturdays get pretty chocka block!

Kings Links and Balnagask for me are always in excellent condition, year round. Hazlehead struggles a little if there has been heavy rain. They have had drainage issues for a long time and I believe they actually installed a new system within the last year or so, however at the time of writing this blog entry, the course was actually closed last week due to weather.

Because of the nature of this package, all courses are really open to golfers of all levels. If you do pick this up and you’ve been playing for a few years, try and be patient. We all started somewhere and one great aspect to golf these days is how much it has grown. If people are playing, and learning and grafting then it’s all good in my eyes. The flip side of this if you’re a beginner is try and keep pace of play.

For me, the biggest selling point of Sport Aberdeen is the variety. One day you’ll be fighting the Aberdeen coastal wind, and the next hacking it out from behind a tree. And as mentioned, if you’re short on time you can head down to the 9 holer.

And all of the above for £43 a month. That gives you 5 courses, all with different challenges and the ability to play somewhere different each time you play. In my mind, there really isn’t much that comes close in terms of value for money, especially up here in Aberdeen.

However, I am curious. If you can beat this, please let me know as I’d love to visit!