Cruden Bay, Scotland   

After World War II, many architects started to use a 'formula' for designing their courses, based to a degree on their perception of Augusta National. For example, the course should be a par 72, evenly divided so that each side consists of five par fours, two par threes and two par fives. Holes of consecutive par should be avoided in the name of 'variety.' Each side should return to the clubhouse. There shouldn't be any blind shots, etc.

To achieve this standardisation - and can the reader think of any less admirable goal - much earth is moved, ponds created, mountains leveled and the most 'state of the art' construction and agronomic elements are employed. So much for letting the land dictate the course.

Wind the clock back seventy-five years. Tom Simpson and Herbert Fowler arrive at Cruden Bay north of Aberdeen on the east coast of Scotland. They see this incredibly convoluted piece of linksland. What do they do? They build a golf course all over the place. Some holes are pure linksland, one is on top of a ridge, one is in a bowl, one falls off a ridge and others are sandwiched between the ridge and the North Sea. There are blind shots, consecutive par threes, and two drivable par fours.

The result? A course that inspires golfers the world over. By letting the land dictate the course, Simpson and Fowler came up with an absolute winning 'formula.' They delivered on what Tom Doak points out is the most basic element of good routing: that the holes follow the same path a person would take if he were to walk the property before the course was built.

the rolling links landscape is tough to beat for sheer exhilaration

The routing is the star at Cruden Bay. It produces some classic golf holes. The authors believe Cruden Bay has been incorrectly characterized and/or dismissed by some as 'quirky.' Holes like the 5^th and 7^th holes are as fundamentally sound and appealing holes as to be found anywhere. To the authors, the course is surprisingly straightforward given the nature of the land.

Holes to Note:

4^th hole, 185 yards: The first time one sees the hole in its own setting beside a fishing village is one of the great thrills in golf as the player feels he has just discovered a little country.

6^th hole, 505 yards: A rarity in links golf: a par five with a gambling second shot, made here by the burn that cuts across the fairway some 60 yards from the green. The sloping green complex provides the right incentive for the player to have a short approach.

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