Just back from my first game at Royal Aberdeen, and have some observations and thoughts:
--The course is built on a landform of three main parts—a coastal dune line 20-30 feet high, a narrow valley just inland of the dune line, and a raised beach further inland. The clubhouse is on the raised beach, and the first hole crosses the three land forms. The next 8 holes (with the exception of 7, which is on the raised beach) follow the narrow valley. The turf of the valley is exceptionally undulating, even for similar links land. The back nine is essentially played along the more inland,/raised beach landform, which is more rolling than undulating.
--Thus, the conventional wisdom, i.e. that the course is “unbalanced” with 9’s of very differing character and strength, is true. The front 9 is far more appealing in a visual sense given the landforms, and the holes are generally better as golf holes, too, in my opinion, because the tee shots are more demanding (given the effective narrowness of the fairways) and the approach shots far more interesting--due to the greens being imaginatively set into the humps and hollows of the valley.
--Particularly interesting holes are the 1st, with its tee right up against the clubhous and the second shot across the narrow valley to a green perched above the North Sea; the 4th, with a tee set on a diagonal to a straight, bunkerless but extremely narrow fairway , leading to a long second across incredibly cumpled ground to a half-hidden, well bunkered, green; the 8th, as good a drop shot par-3 as you will find, particularly when the bunker is tucked long left, as it was when I played it!; the 17th, a storng medium-long iron one-shotter, normally played into a cross wind; and the 18th, which has a 10-15 foot deep dip in the middle of the fairway starting at about 235 out and ending at 280 or so. If you make it through the dip, you have an 8-iron or so to a canted elevated green that also nearly abuts the clubhouse. If you are shot of the dip, the shot is long but imaginable. If you are in the dip, you are hitting a mid-iron blind into the sky.
--Overall? RA is very much a local knowledge course. Lots of blind and semi-blind shots that probably are not anywhere near as confusing or intimidating the 2nd time around. The greens are subtle rather than heaving, and were extremely fast and true yesterday. More of a “find the speed” than “find the line” sort of challenge, but very much worth the journey. As said above, the greens on the front 9 are great, but, the fairways are so narrow that there really is not much that much golf strategy to be had. It is very much a “hit it straight, stupid!” sort of challeng. A bit more width on th front 9 would do the course some good. On the back 9 the problem is reversed. Relatively wide fairways and then wide open greens, with most of the challenge being judging distance on a fairly monotonous succession of wide open, two-tiered, false front putting surface. Similar fairway narrowness to the front 9 might have made the back 9 more interesting.
--Changes, Present. There are two new greens being built by Donald Steele which are near to ready, but not yet in use. The first changes the 12th hole from a fairly straightforward 400 yard hole to a slight left dogleg “par”-5 of 500 or so. The second puts a new green to the left of the current 13th, maybe adding 10-20 yards, but keeping the hole in the shortish range (370-380). Both of the new grens I would describe as “modern,” i.e.: pushed up, contoured, irregularly shaped, angled to the line of approach. They are probably “better” than the greens they will replace (particularly the 12th which is a boring front to back plateau thingy), but I’m not sure if they are in character. The club will be gaining a par 5, but at what price? There is already a jarring long walk back and to the right to get from the current 1yth green to the 13th tee. It will be at least a 150 yard walk from the new 12th green (unless they are planning to make the 13th a long par 3?). Also the forward 13th tees will be in danger from some second shots into 12. I’m not sure about this renovation!
--Changes, Past. In the (great) clubhouse there are numerous great artefacts framed on various walls. Of particularly interest are the notes and sketches of James Braid when he remodelled the course to roughly its present state in the 1920’s. The notes are brusque (i.e. “move right bunker 3 feet forward, build up left front of green.”) and the sketches are highly schematic, resembling cubist paintings or electrical diagrams, rather than the flourishing pens strokes of a Gil Hanse or Max Behr, for example). They are highly practical, giving sizes and locations of features, but obviously expecting somebody (the shapers?) to fill in the details. A fascinating example of how Braid worked, and, from what one can see at RA, and else where, he worked very, very well. The second note of interest was an old scorecard (1908) which featured a 310 yard 17th hole called “Redan.” Take that, CB…….
--Changes, Future. As has been mentioned before on this DG, there are some serious erosion problems at Royal Aberdeen, most obviously notable on the 2nd medal tee, which is visible slipping back onto the beach and into the North Sea. Stay tuned.
--Bottom Line. Not one of the very best in Scotland, but comfortably in the (very admirable, even great) second tier including such places as North Berwick, Nairn, Elie, Lossiemouth, Cruden Bay and Murcar. Very much worth visiting, but not worth the journey (say from Chicago) in itself.