Aberdeenshire in the north-east of Scotland is famed for its links courses old and new, with the likes of Royal Aberdeen, Trump International Scotland, Cruden Bay and Murcar not only featuring in any list of the best golf courses in Aberdeenshire, but also our biennial UK&I Top 100 Course Rankings.
But, of course, there is plenty of fine golf away from the coast too, with Meldrum House providing a perfect stay and play location on any visit to the county…
The golf
Par 70, 6,372 yards
I’ve been fortunate enough to have stayed at Meldrum House three times now, and there had been a number of changes since my last visit to this fine parkland course that perhaps flies a little under the radar. Among them were an intriguing new 5th green and 6th tee complex, reworked green surrounds on 14 and a fairway that has shifted 50 yards left on 16.
Bunkers galore on the approach to the 11th hole at Meldrum House
(Image credit: Meldrum House)
There is a real elegance to the layout, with water a regular adversary right from the opener, where it lies in wait left off the tee, then right on the approach. It comes to the fore on the seriously tough 7th, jutting into the fairway twice as you contemplate a daunting approach.
A bird’s eye view of the hotel and parts of the golf course at Meldrum House
(Image credit: Meldrum House)
That 16th plays steeply down to a green beyond more water, with 17 a tempting risk-reward dogleg and 18 a mid-length par 3 to a green keenly guarded by a mature tree front-left.
The green on the par-5 16th at Meldrum House
(Image credit: Jeremy Ellwood)
The hotel
The façade of the main building couldn’t be any more Scottish baronial if it tried! The golf course may be a mere babe, arriving in 1998, but the house is steeped in history, with the old part of the hotel decorated and furnished in keeping with its heritage. Our excellent modern-wing room was spacious and comfortable, with views out over the course.
Several rooms in the modern wing at Meldrum House enjoy views over the golf course
(Image credit: Meldrum House)
If dining in the atmospheric 1236 @ Cave Bar (the year Meldrum House dates back to) was memorable, the meal my wife and I enjoyed in the eye-catching Luna dining dome on the front lawn was next-level – great food, great ambience and very attentive service. It was also reassuringly cosy even on a chilly late October evening.
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