Murcar Links: 2026 Access and Booking Update
Aberdeen's wilder, more natural links sits next door to Royal Aberdeen and rewards the golfers who make the trip north. Here is the 2026 access and price picture, and how to book a tee time.
Photo via Google.
The news: visitor access holds, plan around members
The practical 2026 news at Murcar is about timing rather than the layout. The club continues to welcome visitors on most days, with tee times booked ahead through the office, and access is governed mostly by the members' competition calendar rather than any handicap barrier. Weekends carry more member play and the prime slots go first, so midweek rounds are the easiest to secure and the surest way to get the tee time you want in high season.
Pricing follows the usual links pattern. Recent visitor green fees on the championship course have sat around 130 pounds on weekdays and around 150 pounds at weekends, with reduced winter rates running roughly November to March. Murcar is increasingly booked as part of an Aberdeen two ball with Royal Aberdeen next door, so if you want both in a single trip, lock the dates early and build the rest of the week around them.
Archie Simpson's natural links
Murcar opened in 1909 to a design by Archie Simpson, the professional at neighbouring Royal Aberdeen, with later refinements credited to James Braid. The championship links plays as a par 71 of roughly 6,516 yards through some of the most natural dune country in Scotland, tumbling and twisting along the coast just north of the city. It is a course of blind shots, humpback fairways and a famous early stretch where the Burn of Murcar cuts across the line, and it consistently ranks inside the top 30 courses in Scotland.
The club also runs the shorter Strabathie nine, but it is the championship links that draws the travelling golfer. The full facts box, signature holes and our verdict sit on our Murcar Links course page.
Indicative 2026 green fees and access
Links fees move with the season and the day of the week, so the timing you choose matters as much as anything. Treat the guide figures below as indicative and confirm the exact price for your dates when you book.
| When | Round | Indicative 18 holes |
|---|---|---|
| Weekday, season | Championship links | around 130 pounds |
| Weekend, season | Championship links | around 150 pounds |
| Winter, Nov to Mar | Championship links | reduced rates |
Indicative recent and 2026 guide rates; visitor access is governed by the members' competition calendar and weekends fill first. Prices and availability change, so always confirm directly before booking.
Murcar sits a short drive north of Aberdeen city centre, with the airport close by, which makes it one of the most reachable great links in the northeast. The smart play is to pair it with Royal Aberdeen and base yourself in or near the city for a compact, high quality Aberdeenshire trip.
Our take
Our take is that Murcar is one of the best value great links in Scotland and the right partner to Royal Aberdeen rather than its understudy. It is wilder, more natural and a touch more fun, full of the quirks that make links golf addictive, and the green fee is gentle for a course of this rank. Go midweek in the long northern summer, when daylight stretches past nine, and you can pair it with its neighbour without rushing.
Build it into a northeast week with golf in Aberdeenshire and our best golf courses in Scotland ranking, see how the trip comes together on our Scotland golf holidays page, then use plan my trip to put it together.
Plan your Scotland golf trip
Murcar and Royal Aberdeen make a tight, high quality northeast pairing. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge builds and costs a trip around the region's courses and hotels, with no obligation.
Questions
Can visitors play Murcar Links in 2026?
Yes. Murcar welcomes visitors on most days outside members' competition times, with tee times booked ahead through the club. Weekends are busier with member play, so midweek rounds are easier to secure. Book early for the long summer evenings, when the Aberdeen links is at its best.
How much does Murcar Links cost in 2026?
Indicative visitor green fees on the championship links have recently sat around 130 pounds on weekdays and around 150 pounds at weekends, with reduced winter rates from November to March. These are guide prices that move with season and demand, so always confirm directly before booking.
Who designed Murcar Links and what are its numbers?
Murcar opened in 1909 to a design by Archie Simpson, the professional at neighbouring Royal Aberdeen, with later refinements by James Braid. The championship links plays as a par 71 of roughly 6,516 yards through tumbling dunes on the coast just north of Aberdeen.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Tee time windows, course access changes and the trips worth taking. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts, history and indicative fees verified June 2026 from club, golf travel and ratings sources; rates, seasons and access change, so always confirm directly before booking. Last reviewed June 2026.