Why it matters
Cruden Bay is the Aberdeenshire links 30 miles north of Aberdeen that golf architects keep naming when asked which course doesn't get its due. The Old Tom Morris / Archie Simpson layout dates to 1899; the dunes are taller and more dramatic than anything south of Royal Dornoch; the ruin of Slains Castle (Bram Stoker's Dracula inspiration) sits on the skyline above the 14th. Blind shots, hidden greens, and a routing that wouldn't survive a modern committee make it a love-it-or-leave-it round.
How to play it
Walking only and very walkable for a dunes course. Bookable directly with the club; far easier to land than Dornoch. Pair with Trump International Aberdeen or Royal Aberdeen for a north-east Scotland week, or as the warm-up before the long Highland drive to Dornoch.