The world’s sixth-oldest club, with a front nine threaded through a dune valley.
Royal Aberdeen was founded in 1780, which makes it the sixth-oldest golf club in the world, and its Balgownie Links sits just north of the River Don on the edge of the city. The club describes the layout simply: out through the dunes and back along a plateau. The outward nine follows a valley between high sandhills, and the return is flatter but full of blind drives and hard greens. It has hosted the Walker Cup, the Senior Open and the Scottish Open, and it is only a short taxi ride from Aberdeen Airport.
Royal Aberdeen is a private members’ club that takes visitor bookings directly. Contact the reservations team at reservations@royalaberdeengolf.com or call 01224 702571. The club’s visitor page links to a 2026 visitor information pack with green fees and tee-time availability, but the figures are not published as text, so ask for the current rate when you enquire. Full payment is due within 30 days of booking. Cancel more than 14 days out and you can reschedule within 12 months, take a credit note or receive a 75% refund; inside 14 days there is no refund. The club recommends Balgownie for handicaps of 24 or under, and can suggest a mix of tees for higher handicaps. Where2Golf, in a listing last updated in 2023, gives weekend visitor times from 3.30pm only, so confirm days when you enquire.
The club played on the Queen’s Links near the harbour until 1888, when members moved across the Don to Balgownie. The brothers Archie and Robert Simpson of Carnoustie designed the course, and James Braid later re-bunkered and lengthened it. From the blue tees it measures 6,918 yards to a par of 71, with a slope of 144. The 1st green slopes to the left with Aberdeen Beach immediately behind it. The 3rd, at up to 236 yards, is by stroke index the hardest of the par 3s, and the 4th is stroke index 1. At the 147-yard 8th, the club’s course guide says nine bunkers surround the green like dragon’s teeth. Tom Watson won the Senior Open here in 2005 and Justin Rose the Scottish Open in 2014.
Plan your clothes for the clubhouse as well as the course. The dining room and, on Saturdays, the Archie Simpson Lounge require jacket and tie, while the other rooms are smart casual. Lunch or dinner should be reserved in advance through clubhouse@royalaberdeengolf.com. The scorecard offers five sets of tees, from 6,918 yards down to 5,199 on the green tees, so a mixed group can play together comfortably. Because the outward nine plays into the dunes and the back nine is more exposed, wind direction changes the course a great deal.
Aberdeen Airport at Dyce is about six miles west of the club, around 20 minutes by road. The city’s main railway station, served by through trains from Edinburgh and London, lies roughly three miles south. The clubhouse is on Links Road in Bridge of Don, just off the A90.
Nearby: 1. Trump International Golf Links Scotland (12 km) · 2. Cruden Bay Golf Club (30 km) · 3. Carnoustie Golf Links (85 km) · Compare all The Highlands & Aberdeenshire tee times
Most visitors stay in Aberdeen itself, ten minutes south. The Chester Hotel in the West End is a popular choice with its own restaurant. Old Aberdeen, near the university, has smaller guest houses within a short drive of the course. For a country-house stay, Meldrum House near Oldmeldrum is about 30 minutes north-west and has its own parkland course. MacLeod House at Trump International is around 20 minutes up the coast.
Murcar Links, an Archie Simpson design, shares the same dune system immediately to the north. Trump International at Menie is about 20 minutes up the A90, and Cruden Bay roughly 40 minutes. Newburgh-on-Ythan is a quieter links on the Ythan estuary. Away from golf, the medieval Brig o’ Balgownie crosses the Don a short walk from the club, and the fishing village of Footdee at the mouth of the harbour is worth an evening stroll.
These packages have a confirmed round at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club (Balgownie) in the itinerary, with the other courses, nights and hotels listed so you can compare like with like.
7 nights, 5 rounds
Rounds: Cabot Highlands · Royal Dornoch · Nairn · Cruden Bay · Royal Aberdeen
Stay: The Highlands and Aberdeenshire
The north-east links at a lower price than a Fife week, with Royal Dornoch and Cruden Bay in the same itinerary.
Prices are Golfbreaks’ published per-person guide prices in US dollars, checked November 2026; your quote depends on dates and group size. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How we work
Where2Golf treats mid-May to mid-October as high season at Balgownie. Around midsummer Aberdeen has roughly 18 hours of daylight, so a late-afternoon weekend tee time still leaves room for a full round. The club reserves the right to close its courses in exceptional circumstances, and posts course status on its home page.
Explore golf by monthYes. Although it is a private members’ club, Royal Aberdeen welcomes visitors on the Balgownie Links. Bookings are made directly with the reservations team by email or phone, and the full green fee must be paid within 30 days of booking.
The club recommends Balgownie for golfers with a handicap of 24 or under because of how testing the course is. Higher handicappers are not turned away outright; the club can suggest a combination of tees so the round stays enjoyable.
On the course, men need collared shirts tucked in and tailored trousers or shorts, and golf shoes are compulsory. Denim, cargo shorts, trainers and slogan clothing are banned. Jacket and tie is required in the dining room and in the Archie Simpson Lounge on Saturdays.
Cancel more than 14 days before play and you can move the round within 12 months at the same rate, take a credit note or claim a 75% refund. Inside 14 days there is no refund, though the general manager has discretion in exceptional cases.
Last checked 10 November 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
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