Newburgh-on-Ythan

Newburgh-on-Ythan Golf Club is a great links layout on the northeastern coastline of Scotland, with the course being a tale of two halves.

Founded in the late 19th Century, Newburgh spent most of its life as 9-hole course. It was only in the 1990s when it became an 18-hole track, after nine more holes were constructed on the hills above the clubhouse.

The two nines offer very different challenges. The front nine is the new addition, and has plenty of undulation, while the back nine is much flatter, and plays as an old-school links.

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Newburgh-on-Ythan, like many golfing venues in Scotland, was founded in the latter half of the 19th Century.

The golf club dates to 1888, when it was opened as a 9-hole course on the flat part of the land. Extended to 18 holes in 1912, it went back to being just nine again following the end of the First World War.

It would remain as a 9-hole layout for further 17 years, only being extended into an 18-hole golf course in 1994, when the new front nine was opened on the side of the hill.

Newburgh has a distinct look and feel to it, with the two nines both being very different. The front nine is the newer of the two, and plays up and down the hill, with undulating fairways and green complexes. Meanwhile, the back nine is much flatter, and remains very much how links golf once was a century ago. Throughout the opening half of the course, there are stunning views of the Ythan Estuary and Newburgh Beach. From the tips, this par 72 layout plays more than 6,400 yards, with that front nine playing longer up the hill, but providing chances on the way back down.

The course begins with a tough par 4 up the hill. A solitary bunker on the right side adds to the danger, with the hole playing much more than its carded length of 385 yards. The 2nd is a long par 3 of 220 yards, but plays slightly back down the hill. Anything long and left might well be in danger of going out of bounds. 3 is a dog-leg right around the par 3 course, with anything right also in danger of flirting with the OOB. Longer hitters will be able to cut the corner of the dog-leg to give themselves a much shorter shot for their second into this short par 5.The aiming point for the 4th is the stone wall in the centre of the fairway, just make sure you stay short of it to allow for your approach into the green.

201 yards is the distance of the 5th. Another long par 3, with a pair of bunkers guarding what is a large, round green. The 6th takes you to the crest of the hill once more, with this 350-yard par 4 playing as a dog-leg left. The ideal tee shot will get you to the top to give yourself the best viewpoint of the surface. The 7th plays as two different holes depending on whether you’re off the whites or yellows. Off the whites, it is 380 yards, but off the yellows, it is only 280, making it drivable down the hill.

The 8th is the shortest par 4 on the front side at Newburgh, at just 310 yards from the tips. However, it plays much longer than its yardage as the approach is up a steep incline. The front nine ends with a great par 5 that can offer up birdies, but also give out doubles and triples. 510 yards, playing downhill and then from right to left, the play is to aim at the fisherman’s shed off the tee. Large mounds at the end of the first part of the fairway, along with the curvature of the hole, might well make the second shot blind.

As you walk back past the clubhouse and start the flat half of the course, the back nine begins with six straight par 4s. The first of those is the 10th, a good birdie chance. Only 335 yards, arrow straight and without a single bunker in sight, this is a green light to attack. 11 and 12 are much more difficult, both pushing past 425 yards from the tips. Gorse lines both sides of the fairway on the former, while there is a pair of greenside bunkers protecting the small, round surface. The 12th is the Stroke Index 1 at Newburgh Links, thanks to a fairway that is difficult to find due to the hole moving from left to right. Anything that is left of the green on the approach will see you reaching into your bag for a second golf ball...

If you can come through those two holes unscathed, you are gifted with three scoring chances. The 13th is just 316 yards, but keeping your tee shot on the top of the fairway is the key, so something less than driver might well be the play. The 14th is a dog-leg right in which the tee shot needs to carry some 200 yards to find the fairway. The approach also needs to carry all the way to the putting surface for the best result. 15 is the shortest of this trio of par 4s at just 305 yards. The miss off the tee is to the left, with gorse lining the entirety of the right side. There are no bunkers by the green, but it is another approach where your ball really must carry to the surface.

By the time you reach the final par 3, the short 16th, you are down on the banks of the River Ythan. It has been known that this hole has been taken out of play due to flooding in the past. It is just 150 yards, and easily the shortest hole on the course, but that doesn’t make it easy. It requires a semi-blind shot to a small green, one guarded by a trio of sand traps. 17 is a tough par 4, which although has a wide fairway, is often played into the prevailing wind. The finishing hole at Newburgh-on-Ythan is also the longest on the property. The 18th is a great par 5, with the glorious clubhouse as the backdrop. It is a dog-leg left with thick gorse lining both sides of the fairway. The approach to the green is somewhat blind due to the direction of the hole, and the fall away to the putting surface. A par on Newburgh’s last is a great way to end your round.

Where is Newburgh-on-Ythan Golf Club located?

Newburgh-on-Ythan Golf Club is based on the northeastern coastline of Scotland, just outside the village of Newburgh. The club is named as such thanks to sitting on the banks of the River Ythan, which flows through to the North Sea next to the southern end of the golf course. Newburgh Seal Beach and Foveran Links are to the southeast of the layout, with the A90 just a couple of miles to the west of Newburgh-on-Ythan Golf Club. The A90 runs down to Aberdeen, which is around 15 miles to the south of the venue.

Thanks to its proximity to the city, Aberdeen Airport is also within a 15-mile drive from Newburgh-on-Ythan Golf Club. Aberdeen Airport is the third busiest airport in the country, behind only Edinburgh and Glasgow. There are no train services that run towards Newburgh, with the closest station being Dyce, which is the station that serves Aberdeen Airport.

Are there any other NCG Top 100s: Scotland venues nearby?

There are a number of venues on the NCG Top 100s: Scotland list within close order to Newburgh-on-Ythan Golf Club. Trump International is just five miles to the south, while the likes of Murcar Links, Royal Aberdeen and Newmachar’s Hawkshill Course are within 15 miles. Cruden Bay, with its Championship Course and St Olaf Course, is ten miles to the north.

What golf facilities does Newburgh-on-Ythan Golf Club offer?

There is a practice ground and a 6-hole par 3 course which is a short walk from the clubhouse, along with a pair of hitting nets which are on route from the clubhouse to the first tee. There is also a large putting green that sits in front of the clubhouse.

What are the green fees at Newburgh-on-Ythan Golf Club?

The price of a green fee at Newburgh-on-Ythan Golf Club changes throughout the year, depending on the season. It is also different depending on whether it is a weekday or weekend.

For more information on current green fees at Newburgh-on-Ythan, visit their website here.