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Kings Links Golf Course is an 18-hole public links course on Aberdeen's beachfront, between the city and the North Sea. Sport Aberdeen dates the current course to 1872, while historical records show that the layout reached 18 holes in 1876 after successive extensions of golf ground that had been used in Aberdeen for centuries. The modern White course measures 6,442 yards at par 71, with a course rating of 70.8 and slope of 120.
Its scorecard contains four par 5s and five par 3s, while the Yellow tees measure 5,850 yards and the women's Red course measures 5,259 yards at par 68. The routing occupies natural coastal dune terrain, with quick greens, extensive bunkering and wind forming important parts of the challenge. Kings Links is municipally operated by Sport Aberdeen and is open to pay-as-you-play visitors as well as Golf Aberdeen members.
The course is an 18-hole links golf course. It plays to par 71, 6,442 yards, course rating 70.8 and slope rating 120. The course originally opened in 1872. It is open to the public. On-site facilities include Driving Range, Putting Green, Chipping Area, Golf Lessons, Buggy Hire.
Golf on Aberdeen's coastal links predates the modern Kings Links by centuries. City records document golf on the town links in 1661, while even earlier Aberdeen references to golf holes date to the seventeenth century. The early organised course occupied the Queen's Links and Broad Hill farther south.
By the nineteenth century, increasing play and changes to the available ground led to repeated alterations. Willie Park of Musselburgh added new holes to the older links in 1852, and Willie Dunn undertook further changes in 1856. These alterations belong to the predecessor Aberdeen Links rather than to the present Kings Links layout.
The present course developed by extending golf northward onto natural coastal linksland rather than through the work of a documented single architect. Its defining features come from the site itself: sandy ground, natural dune contours, exposure to North Sea winds and extensive traditional bunkering. Sport Aberdeen describes the course as a classic east-coast Scottish links, with large dunes and quick greens.
The current scorecard produces an unusual par distribution from the White and Yellow tees, with four par 5s and five par 3s within the par-71 total.
In 1872, organised golf expanded north onto ground forming the southern part of today's Kings Links, initially as a 14-hole layout. Another hole was added in 1873, and in 1876 the course was expanded to 18 holes. Historical mapping indicates that several holes or areas of the present course and adjoining practice ground have been used for golf since at least the 1870s.
Royal Aberdeen's predecessor club played over the Aberdeen links before moving to Balgownie in 1888 as congestion increased. Other local clubs subsequently established themselves around Kings Links, including Bon Accord, founded in 1872, Northern in 1897 and Caledonian in 1899.
Kings Links is significant primarily for continuity rather than for a modern championship résumé. Independent golf-history research identifies it among Britain's oldest surviving 18-hole courses, while National Club Golfer has included Kings Links in its regional course rankings and notes that substantial portions of the nineteenth-century routing remain in use. Its history also connects the course directly with Aberdeen's much older tradition of golf on common linksland.
Kings Links is a public municipal course operated by Sport Aberdeen. Visitors can book through the BRS Golf visitor system, while Golf Aberdeen members receive broader booking access across the city's municipal courses. The official 2024 scorecard lists the White course at 6,442 yards, par 71, rated 70.8 with a slope of 120; Yellow plays 5,850 yards at 68.1/115, and the women's Red course is 5,259 yards, par 68, at 70.5/116.
Practice facilities are available at the adjoining Kings Links Golf Centre, including a driving range and short-game facilities.
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| Fee Type | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Other | ||
| Summer 18 Holes – Adult | £35.6 | Applicable 1 April to 31 October. Sport Aberdeen's standard visitor rate for its 18-hole courses, including Kings Links. Golfer protection insurance included. |
| Summer 18 Holes – Junior | £8 | Applicable 1 April to 31 October. Golfer protection insurance included. |
| Summer 18 Holes – Student | £17.8 | Applicable 1 April to 31 October. Golfer protection insurance included. |
| Summer Two 18-Hole Rounds – Adult | £52.5 | Applicable 1 April to 31 October. |
| Summer Two 18-Hole Rounds – Junior | £13.5 | Applicable 1 April to 31 October. |
| Summer Two 18-Hole Rounds – Student | £26.25 | Applicable 1 April to 31 October. |
| Winter 18 Holes – Adult | £22 | Applicable 1 November to 31 March. |
| Winter 18 Holes – Junior | £6 | Applicable 1 November to 31 March. |
| Winter 18 Holes – Student | £11 | Applicable 1 November to 31 March. |
| Twilight | ||
| Summer 18-Hole Twilight – Adult | £17.8 | Applicable 1 April to 31 October. Twilight is defined by Sport Aberdeen as two hours before sunset. |
| Summer 18-Hole Twilight – Junior | £5 | Applicable 1 April to 31 October. Twilight is two hours before sunset. |
| Summer 18-Hole Twilight – Student | £8.9 | Applicable 1 April to 31 October. Twilight is two hours before sunset. |
Prices are indicative and subject to change. Contact the course to confirm current rates.
| Front 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 37 |
| Yards | 376 | 406 | 172 | 481 | 399 | 409 | 508 | 205 | 558 | 3514 |
| Index | 11 | 3 | 17 | 9 | 13 | 2 | 7 | 15 | 5 | - |
| Back 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 34 | 71 |
| Yards | 183 | 369 | 282 | 402 | 428 | 494 | 176 | 402 | 192 | 2928 | 6442 |
| Index | 12 | 6 | 18 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 16 | 4 | 14 | - | - |
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