Strathlene Buckie

Strathlene Golf Club, or Strathlene Buckie as it is affectionately known, is a charming links layout on the coastline of the North Sea. 

One of several stunning golf courses in the Moray region, Strathlene Golf Club sits just outside the town of Buckie on the northern coast of Scotland.  

Four holes from the original 9-hole layout – which dates back to the 1870s – remain as part of the new 18-hole course, which was designed in 1936. They sit as the final four holes at Strathlene Buckie. 

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The history of Strathlene Golf Club dates back to the 1870s, with the original 9-hole course being based next to Strathlene House. 

It was not until 1936 that the golf course was extended to 18 holes, and in doing so, it moved to its current location, with four of the original holes remaining as part of the layout. 

The new clubhouse was constructed in 1974, with the practice areas – including a driving range and short game area – opening in 1997.

Sitting atop the cliffs and looking out over the North Sea, Strathlene Buckie offers incredible views from the Moray coastline, but don’t let that distract you. Strathlene is a tricky golf course, played on pristine, crisp links turf, with players having to deal with undulating fairways and elevated greens. It is just shy of 6,000 yards from the tips, and plays as a par 69. 

A trio of par 4s get you underway, with the first two both offering up early birdie chances. Both are less than 350 yards, and if you can avoid the fairway bunkers on the 1st, then there is a great opportunity to start strongly. There is no sand on 2, with a generous fairway to attack, making it one of the gentler holes on the course. The 3rd is longer, pushing towards 375 yards, but there is plenty of space on either side of the fairway, so you can attack with driver and try and get it as far down there as possible. The first of the quartet of short holes comes at 4, and it is in no way short. It is 200 yards from the tips, and requires a solid long iron, hybrid or even fairway wood for some. The green is square-shaped, and the miss is out to the left as there is plenty of fairway out there. 

5 is another good scoring chance at just 310 yards. The fairway does pinch in around the 220-yard mark, so make the decision as to whether you stay short of that, or whether you try and find the narrow part of the fairway. The 6th is a strong dog-leg right. Although there is a wide fairway, it is almost a 90-degree, right angle turn ahead of your second shot, making the hole much longer if your tee shot finds the left side of the fairway. 7 is a proper links par 3, playing around the 180-yard mark, and to a green that is guarded by a pot bunker front right and a larger, shallower bunker on the back left. 

A pair of strong par 4s take you to the turn, both comfortably over the 400-yard mark. The 8th is the longest par 4 on the course more than 440 yards. A single bunker sits on the right side of the fairway, but that makes it feel narrower than it actually is. Gorse and heather line the hole on both sides as well, and a par is a very good score on 8. The 9th is slightly shorter, running in the opposite direction, and although there is no fairway bunker like on 8, the fairway is tighter thanks to the heather. If you can get through those two holes, the 10th gives you a chance to score at just 315 yards. The 11th is 50 yards longer, but with a generous fairway, you can get down there to give yourself a short iron or wedge in hand. 

12 has out of bounds running down its left side, due to the boundary of the property and the main road. There are also two bunkers that encroach into the left side of the fairway, so the play may well be to stay short of those with your tee shot. The 13th is the shortest hole on the course, at less than 150 yards. This par 3 is still a tricky hole to navigate though, thanks to the diagonally angled green being protected by a pair of bunkers that sit in front of the putting surface. 14 is the only par 5 at Strathlene, and it is a brute at 535 yards. Avoiding the heather on the left and the two fairway bunkers on the right are the keys to having a crack in two. For most, it will be a three-shotter, with the decision on the second shot being whether to stay short of the path or to try and get past it. 

The closing stretch features the four holes of the original 9-hole course that still remain. It begins with the 15th, a dog-leg right par 4 with no fewer than six bunkers by the green. There is a burn that runs across the fairway. Can you get past it with your tee shot? Or do you need to play out to the left to avoid it? 16 is also a dog-leg, but it is also the shortest par 4 on the course at just 260 yards. Most will go for it here, but danger lurks at all corners, with sand, heather and OOBs around the green. The tee on 17 requires a carry over heather and gorse. If you manage that, a generous fairway awaits. The green is also surrounded by gorse, so anything long is in trouble. The closing hole at Strathlene is also the last of the par 3s. At 190 yards, it requires one final strong approach shot, to a large green. There is plenty of fairway in front of the surface, so short is better than long.

Where is Strathlene Golf Club located?

Strathlene Golf Club is situated on the northeastern coastline of Scotland, in the Moray region of the country. It sits between the towns of Cullen and Buckie, with the club affectionately known as Strathlene Buckie thanks to its location. The course overlooks the North Sea, while the A96 – which runs from Inverness to Aberdeen – is around ten miles away. Strathlene Golf Club is almost equidistant between the two cities, around 60 miles from both.

The same can be said of both Inverness and Aberdeen Airports, the two closest major international airports to Strathlene Golf Club. Behind Glasgow and Edinburgh, the two airports are the busiest in the country, and service the northeast of Scotland. For rail users, the nearest train stations are Elgin and Keith, both around 15 miles from the venue.

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

There are plenty of cracking golfing venues in this part of the country, many of which are on the NCG Top 100s: Scotland list. Duff House Royal is around 20 miles to the east, with Elgin and Moray – with its Old Course and New Course – around the same distance to the west. The likes of Nairn, Nairn Dunbar, Grantown-on-Spey, Fraserburgh (Corbiehill) and Inverallochy are also within a 50-mile drive of Strathlene.

What golf facilities does Strathlene Golf Club offer?

Along with the 18-hole links course, Strathlene Golf Club is also home to a three-hole par 3 course which is perfect for dialling in the wedges. There is also a short game area and a full-length driving range, all of which sits over the road from the clubhouse.

What are the green fees at Strathlene Golf Club?

The price of a green fee at Strathlene Buckie 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 Strathlene Buckie, visit their booking website here.