Cruden Bay Golf Club in Aberdeenshire - No. 18
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Cruden Bay Golf Club in Aberdeenshire - No. 18
Cruden Bay Golf Club in Aberdeenshire is a one-of-a-kind play in Scotland. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Cruden Bay Golf Club in Aberdeenshire - No. 1
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Cruden Bay Golf Club in Aberdeenshire - No. 1
The first hole at Cruden Bay Golf Club is a short par 4. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Cruden Bay GC - No. 2
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Cruden Bay GC - No. 2
The second green at Cruden Bay Golf Club is steeply elevated. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Cruden Bay Golf Club in Aberdeenshire - No. 5
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Cruden Bay Golf Club in Aberdeenshire - No. 5
The fifth hole at Cruden Bay Golf Club is a long, demanding par 4 played from an elevated tee box. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Cruden Bay Golf Club in Aberdeenshire
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Cruden Bay Golf Club in Aberdeenshire
Cruden Bay is a small town located about 23 miles north of Aberdeen on Scotland's rugged northeast coast. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Cruden Bay Golf Club in Aberdeenshire - No. 7
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Cruden Bay Golf Club in Aberdeenshire - No. 7
The seventh hole at Cruden Bay Golf Club is named "Whaupshank" and plays toward the sea. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Cruden Bay Golf Club in Aberdeenshire - No. 8
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Cruden Bay Golf Club in Aberdeenshire - No. 8
The par-4 eighth hole at Cruden Bay Golf Club is drivable at less than 300 yards. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Cruden Bay Golf Club in Aberdeenshire - dunes
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Cruden Bay Golf Club in Aberdeenshire - dunes
Cruden Bay Golf Club sits atop some of Scotland's most spectacular dunes. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Cruden Bay golf course - No. 10
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Cruden Bay golf course - No. 10
The view from the 10th tee is one of the best at Cruden Bay Golf Club. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Cruden Bay Golf Club in Aberdeenshire - sea
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Cruden Bay Golf Club in Aberdeenshire - sea
Several tee boxes play beside the sea at Cruden Bay Golf Club, including the par-5 14th. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Cruden Bay Golf Club in Aberdeenshire - No. 11
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Cruden Bay Golf Club in Aberdeenshire - No. 11
The 11th hole at Cruden Bay Golf Club is a short par 3 guarded by bunkers. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Cruden Bay GC in Aberdeenshire - No. 15
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Cruden Bay GC in Aberdeenshire - No. 15
The 15th hole features a sunken green and is one of four consecutive blind approach shots at Cruden Bay Golf Club. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
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Cruden Bay Golf Club is one of Scotland's most one-of-a-kind plays

CRUDEN BAY, Scotland -- Located on the rugged northeast coast of Scotland, Cruden Bay Golf Club is one of the country's most one-of-a-kind plays. The club was founded in 1899, commissioned in 1894 by the Great North of Scotland Railway Company, though there is evidence golf was played here on a primitive 9-hole course in the 1700s.

The golf course is set among some of the British Isles' most remarkable dunes, and the holes all wind through and over them. One of the best early holes is the par-3 fourth, which plays along Port Erroll. From the northern end of Cruden Bay Golf Club, a series of holes take you to the highest point on the course, the ninth hole. From here, the course heads back down to the southern end and plays its way back.

Unique to this Old Tom Morris-designed course are four consecutive blind approach shots on the back nine, starting at the 13th hole. The 15th hole is particularly famous, played from a tee box beside the sea between two massive dunes to a green entirely blind.

The club has become one of Scotland's most popular for touring golf groups, thanks to such a unique assortment of holes, and the club has thrived in recent years. On site is a clubhouse overlooking the links, plus a second nine-hole course, the St. Olaf Course, and a driving range.

Brandon Tucker is the Sr. Managing Editor for GolfPass and was the founding editor of Golf Advisor in 2014, he was the managing editor for Golf Channel Digital's Courses & Travel. To date, his golf travels have taken him to over two dozen countries and nearly 600 golf courses worldwide. While he's played some of the most prestigious courses in the world, Tucker's favorite way to play the game is on a great muni in under three hours. Follow Brandon on Twitter at @BrandonTucker and on Instagram at @btuck34.
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Cruden Bay Golf Club is one of Scotland's most one-of-a-kind plays