Rosehearty

Rosehearty Golf Club offers up one of the shortest golfing layouts that you will find on any of the NCG Top 100s lists. 

Originally founded in the 1880s, the club fell into disuse during the two World Wars, and was brought back to life in the early 1970s. 

Today, the course is only 2,250 yards. It is a glorious little 9-hole course that features a quintet of par 3s, all of which offer different challenges. 

Visit Rosehearty’s website here. 

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Like many golf clubs in this part of the world, Rosehearty Golf Club was founded in the 19th Century – in 1883 to be exact. 

Colonel Fordyce of Brucklay was the man to have the idea for a 9-hole course, which sits in the shadows of the Castle of Pitsligo. 

During both World Wars, the club fell into disuse, and had to be built back up again. It took much longer following the Second World War, it being the 1970s before Rosehearty was opened once more.

Scotland is home to many a true links course, and Rosehearty Golf Club is certainly one of those. It may only be a 9-hole layout, with a length of just 2,250 yards, but that does not mean that you won’t deal with challenges along the way. There are five par 3s and four par 4s on this par 31 course, with the short holes all playing very differently. The wind is always a factor at Rosehearty, thanks to its coastal location, making it even more of a test. 

The opening hole at Rosehearty is a tough par 3 of 180 yards. The real challenge comes in the form of the green, which you cannot see from the tee. The green is undulating and not easy to two-putt on if you’re in the wrong spot. The 2nd is shorter, at just 140 yards, but the level of danger is still high. Anything right of the green will find thick rough, but with the surface sloping from right to left, the ideal line is on the right side of the green. The Stroke Index 1 comes at the 3rd. It is the longest hole on the course at 430 yards, and has OOB running down the entirety of the left side thanks to the road. The green looks flat, but it slopes towards the sea. 

At 305 yards, you may think that the 4th will be drivable. However, from the medal tees, the hole is blind, which might lead you into the idea of laying up for safety. Driver is the play down the 5th, though, with a wide-open fairway on this 370-yard par 4. The 6th is the shortest hole on the course at just 105 yards. There is a large mound on the left of the green which can be used as a backstop, but it is all about getting your approach into the correct part of this two-tiered green. The 7th is also a par 3, but one that is much different to the hole that comes before it. It is 190 yards, and the approach has to find the green, otherwise you will be in trouble and scrambling to make bogey, never mind par! 

Out of bounds down the left of the 8th makes the tee shot slightly more tricky, but at just 320 yards, it might not require driver off the tee. It is a tight green to find, but one that can yield a birdie chance if you’re attacking it from the left part of the fairway. The closing hole at Rosehearty is the longest of the par 3s on the course, and the only one that pushes past the 200-yard mark. Short is not the worst miss, as long as you carry the burn that runs across the hole. With all 200-yard par 3s, a par is a great score here.

Where is Rosehearty Golf Club located?

Rosehearty Golf Club is situated in the northeastern corner of Scotland, looking out over the North Sea. The club sits to the east of the village of Rosehearty, which is around four miles from the town of Fraserburgh. The A90 is the easiest way for road users to get to this corner of the country, running from Perth up to Fraserburgh. The city of Aberdeen is around 45 miles to the south of the golf club. 

For international visitors to the region, Aberdeen International Airport is the closest major airport to Rosehearty Golf Club – a 45-mile drive from the venue. It is the third busiest airport in the country, behind only Edinburgh and Glasgow. There is no rail service into this northeastern corner of Scotland, with the nearest train station being in Huntly, around 40 miles away to the southwest.

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

Both Fraserburgh (Corbiehill) and Inverallochy are within ten miles of Rosehearty along the coastline to the east, while Duff House Royal is within 20 miles to the west. Peterhead (Craigewan) and Cruden Bay – with its Championship Course and St Olaf Course – are also within a 25-mile drive to the southeast.

What golf facilities does Rosehearty Golf Club offer?  

There is a putting green for practicing before you take to the course, situated next to the unmanned clubhouse.

What are the green fees at Rosehearty Golf Club?  

The price of a green fee at Rosehearty 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 Rosehearty, visit their website here.