Many golfers (especially Americans) are great fans of Cruden Bay. I am too though I am unconvinced that it offers better golf than Royal Aberdeen down the road. Regardless, both are excellent.
Without doubt, part of Cruden Bay’s appeal lies with its unique features. There is the hard to stereotype drivable eighth and the sunken bathtub green at the fourteenth. The blind par three fifteenth over the brow of a dune isn’t a favorite but the huge landform captured within the center of the seventeenth fairway is. Added all together, and throw in some classics like the par five sixth and dogleg seventh, and you have a course that is immensely fun to play. Obviously, plenty of Americans develop an attachment to this brand of exciting golf as they elect to join as an overseas member.
The fact that a course can exert that much appeal should surely be the hope of any club (though I realize sometimes it isn’t).
Given everyone’s high opinion re: Cruden Bay, my question is
1) could you imagine a more fun course being built on that land today if any living architect was given the same untouched land that Simpson first had?
2) if so, what architect(s) do you think most likely to build a course that much fun?
I ask question number two in particular because it was suggested last night at a dinner party that Mike Strantz would be the answer if he were still alive. Mike 1) was excellent at routing holes, 2) wasn’t afraid of building a green like the fourteenth at Cruden Bay (and he knew it would attract criticism ala the thirteenth at Tobacco Road), and 3) welcomed the occasional blind shot. Who else? Jim Engh builds punchbowl greens. Brian Silva is like me and appreciates it’s a game not to be taken too terribly serious and he likes to build fun shots that can play out slowly along the ground. Baxter Spann delivered big time some quirky features at Black Mesa. What about these guys?
Any architect would relish the opportunity that Simpson had. However, in this day and age of building courses/holes that don’t court controversy, would any living architect be able/willing to produce a course that matches the lasting charm of Cruden Bay? Obviously, there are several architects that are building world class courses in dunes right now. Indeed, some like Ballyneal I prefer to Cruden Bay. Maybe even a better course would emerge? What say you?
Cheers,