XXVI: Fraserburgh

Setting the scene, building anticipation and whetting the appetite, for many of the world’s great courses it becomes apparent on the road in that you are entering the realms of a special property; winding through the pines up to the clubhouse of Tara Iti, the drama below as the dunes unfold on the road into the town of Portrush, and the splendour of 17 Mile Drive’s rocky coastline paving the way to Cypress Point. Bookended by two relatively featureless holes, the first and last, across pancake flat terrain, Fraserburgh’s only view from the roadside offers no hint of the dramatic terrain or forthcoming magic they sandwich on the scorecard. Putting the car into park, I found harkened back to all the courses we have bypassed, underwhelmed from the road, and rue the laziness of first impressions, mourning the potential for their own moments of brilliance.

Beyond the opening pair, Fraserburgh's land looks a little like this.....

The more clubs and courses I visit, the more it becomes clear that there is an obvious diminishing rate of joy that comes with the extra frills, fuss, bits and pieces which over time have become the expectation for visiting golfers. Over time the excessive carpark welcoming party, shiny bagtags, first tee gifts and new build clubhouses quickly exhaust their novel bandwidth and become bloated distractions from the game. In scenes from a bygone era, Fraserburgh’s upstairs bar doubles as the pro shop and picking up a scorecard involves a warm welcome and a look of excited confusion as to why a pair of Kiwis would find themselves at their home – a refreshing change of pace from tour bus loaded carparks and mechanical operations. Free from the fluff and charming in every way, Fraserburgh has maintained the cleanest ‘keep the main thing the main thing’ set-up you will ever find.

Rugged, raw and an embodiment of what matters

At 6,300 yards, Fraserburgh is short and cheerful but no less testing. Routed across a wide range of landforms and terrain it stands as one of the most natural courses in the world, its bumps, hills and valleys weathered for centuries and with a set of greens which appear as though they have been painted onto the turf. Small clusters of tiny flowers grow sporadically in spots of the fairways, in no way detracting from play, but adding greatly to its delightful allure, and vistas across the linksland are loaded with the textures layered only with age – like the old furniture in your own home, everything at Fraserburgh just looks and feels so right.

Plateau greens and elevation changes define the early stretch

With Corbie Hill as the predominant feature, the stretch from 2-5 takes on a up and down personality of its own. When we talk about variance between holes, there may be none more dramatic than Fraserburgh’s bowling alley first and hilltop second. The steep uphill second does a brilliant job of climbing graciously, its tee and perilous green site bookending a choppy, mounded fairway.

Reminiscent of Gullane and County Sligo, every summit plunges from the other side and the third nosedives straight downhill towards a dramtically false-fronted green – Fraserburgh’s gorgeous setting brought to the forefront and a sharp introduction to its trademark plateau greens. The fourth switches back on itself, its uphill approach to a plateau green benched seamlessly into the hillside and a drop-off left spelling death – despite a similar piece of terrain the approaches into the third and fourth are wonderfully mismatched.

The exacting short 7th

A captivating set of par threes can quickly elevate a course and few can match the completeness of Fraserburgh’s set nor the standalone excellence of each. Despite both diving downhill, the shots at the fifth and seventh are the antithesis of one another. The long fifth is characterised by a large mound front left which partially obscures the surface which is most receptive to a shot which bounds up. An intoxicating view across the dunes presents at the seventh tee, demanding an all carry short iron into the diminutive and severely tilted green – one of Fraserburgh’s most exacting shots.

Like the previous uphill approaches, the downhill shots ask completely different questions and command entirely different shots, a trademark of Fraserburgh’s variety. The testing pair of short holes on the way in are just as gripping – the double-tiered green at 14 and the classic plateau green of the dune to dune 17th could both be considered the strongest par three at a number of more famous venues.

The 10th green, the end of one of golf's great two-shotters

Dicing through the more traditional linksland, Fraserburgh’s second half moves away from dramatic elevation changes, but its bumpy terrain and crafty green sites make it every bit as compelling. Drivable on paper, to reach the putting surface of the 10th would require a decent dose of luck – the arrangement of broken ground short of the slender green adding an endearing dose of randomness.

From the tee, the 13th is quizzical – a pair of pot bunkers and humps obscuring the landing area and green. What lies behind the spectacles perfectly encapsulates the spirit of Fraserburgh – natural, raw and unique, a series of hillocks frame the green, concealing the wonders of its punchbowl where the back edge rises multiple feet above the front, making a runner past the flag the trading currency.

When people’s minds drift away to the idealisms of Scottish links golf, whether they’ve experienced it or not, the 13th, with its eccentricities, sense of humour and flat-out fun is the physical and spiritual embodiment. Invigorating, stimulating and timeless expressions of the game, these two sub-350-yard par fours should be at the forefront of any discussions of the exaggerated merits of length and deep rough

Hillocks wonderfully frame the 13th green

Because it's so good, a view from the back of 13

With centuries of history and as the home of golf, people often refer to Scotland as the soul of the game, however this perhaps neglects to acknowledge the intelligent decision making and sustainable practices of clubs like Fraserburgh. Unfussy, unspoiled, everything you need and nothing you don’t, Fraserburgh’s awareness of its own priorities within the game is refreshing and at times it’s hard not to wonder if they understand just how special what they have on their hands is, but perhaps that’s the secret of it all.

The list of purer experiences than a loop of Fraserburgh is short

With more than 300 years of golfing magic under its belt and far from the middle of nowhere, squeezed between the Highlands and Aberdeen, it’s amazing to me that Fraserburgh flies under the radar of so many golfers. With its idyllic setting, enchanting views, wonderful land and one of golf’s most varied and diverse links, Fraserburgh is hardly an acquired taste. Fraserburgh personifies traditional and proper Scottish golf and the game would be in a much better place if more clubs adopted a similar ethos, personality and expression of the game.