Our first course on the Old Tom Morris Trail was Cullen Links – the Shortest True Links Golf Course in the world! Want to watch every shot from our round? Check out our YouTube video over at: https://youtu.be/UwTqwO4mnxI
Cullen Links Golf Club lies at the mid-point between the golfing destinations of Aberdeen and Dornoch. It began as a 9 hole course originally designed and opened in 1870 by Old Tom Morris and was then lengthened to an 18 hole layout in 1905 by Charlie Neaves. Unusually, the course consists of 10 par 3’s, 7 par 4’s and 1 par 5. Holes 2 through to 6 play at the top of a steep slope that lines the course, while the remaining 13 holes weave through large blocks of sandstone on the linksland below the slope. It is widely known as the shortest true links course in the World.
Upon getting out of the car at Cullen, you can’t help but turn around to take in the view of the giant viaduct that you have just driven through. Your eyes follow the viaduct and then you stumble upon a wee golf course nestled between the 100-foot embankment on the south and the sparkling Moray Firth to the north. It is on this stretch of land in 1870 that Old Tom Morris laid out Cullen Links, the shortest true links in the World.
What stands out so well to me about Cullen Links are the rock features on the golf course. Giant red sandstone rocks are a major feature in the routing of this course and are especially prevalent on the back nine. These rocks, despite being 400 million years old, have been placed perfectly to provide a backdrop and sheltering to some of the greens on the course. There are even a couple of holes where you need to hit directly over these rocks. The only indication on your line is a haphazardly painted white line on the leading edge of the rock face.
While the course is only 4623 yards at its longest, it plays all of its par 63. With the courses’ 10 par 3’s playing from 99 yards, all the way to 224 yards, the course provides a great test of holes for all abilities of player. The most interesting stretch on the course for me were holes 11 through to 14. Four par 3’s requiring very different shots. These holes all play different directions and require quite significant thought to avoid the rocks. These are the holes where a score can be made or broken at Cullen. If you walk to the 15th tee with four pars on the previous holes, you will have a big smile on your face.
The 12th hole is my favourite hole on the course. You walk back to a tee that borders the beach and look out without any inclination of where to hit it. Only after a minute of puzzled looks with your playing partners do you finally conclude that you must be playing back across the 11th green and over a couple of the great rocks that stand proudly.
At 179 yards, it certainly isn’t the longest par 3, but it is a significant challenge. It requires a blind shot to a tiny, raised target, where anything short gathers into a giant swail and anything long is bound for heavy fescue. On this occasion we both caught the swail and ended up with another blind shot, this time from 20 yards short of the green. Once on the putting surface this hole is no less challenging. A large slope from back to front means any putt from above the hole risks being de-greened back into the swail that surrounds the front. This time round we both got away with bogey 4s. One can imagine this hole has wrecked some scorecards in its time.
As you make your way back to the clubhouse on the final stretch, there are several fair finishing holes offering the chance to redeem yourself. Hole 15, the lone par 5 on the course, measuring 511 yards, is a great opportunity for birdie or better for the longer hitter. The approach shot is played blind if you hit it up the left, courtesy of a large dune 40 yards short of the putting surface. Hole 17 is another blind shot. This time on a 270-yard par 4 with trouble all up the right side. It is the definition of a risk reward hole. The carry of around 240 yards over deep rough is enough to strike some fear into the everyday golfer. A shot carrying the trouble is bound for the large, shared green that adjoins to the 1st hole. A two putt is certainly not guaranteed on this green as there are several difficult slopes to navigate.
Once you are finished your round at Cullen, you can’t leave without a large bowl of Cullen Skink. Lily’s Café along the main street in town is a previous world championship winner for the best Cullen Skink. It did not disappoint. You leave Cullen feeling very warm and welcomed. It is a quiet fishing town, but home to one of Scotland’s best short links courses. It is certainly not one to be missed on a trip to the area!
If you’re heading over to Cullen and want our notes from each hole, check out our mini course guide below… and good luck!
Cullen Links Course Guide and Notes
Hole #1 – par 4
The first hole at Cullen Links is a simple start, provided you keep the ball in play down the right hand side. With the 18th running adjacent to you, there’s lots of room out here compared to the out of bounds that comes in quickly on the left hand side. Luckily, G’s ball was just in play, but it wouldn’t have taken much more to be re-loading before the round had even begun.
An interesting feature of the 1st hole is that it shares its green with the 17th pin. We appreciated this with Cullen being our first course to tick off on The Old Tom Morris Trail, as it reminded us of both the Old and New Courses in St Andrews, who also have their spot in the trail. Luckily, this green is relatively flat and kind compared to some links greens you can come across!
Hole #2 – par 3
The 2nd hole isn’t quiet so forgiving as the first.. An uphill par 3 where you can just about see the pin from the tee. It certainly goes without saying, you cannot leave this one short. The 3rd tee sits behind this green so there is a little leeway long and left, but only by a few yards once the green ends.
Other than the daunting tee shot, there isn’t too much trouble on this hole if you can get yourself to the top of the hill. Just be sure to take some time to enjoy the views once you’ve made it.
Hole #3 – par 3
The 3rd hole plays as a par 3 under the men’s rating, or par 4 for the women coming in at just over 200 yards long. With the road running all the way down the left, you run the risk of a three-off-the-tee if you try to go for this one too aggressively.
The green is protected long and left, so we both took the route of going slightly short down the right hand side, hoping to then make an up and down to save par.
Hole #4 – par 3
This is when the really blind holes begin! Another fantastic view point down your right hand side, however you might be slightly pre-occupied in simply trying to work out where you’re meant to be hitting here to fully appreciate it.
Similar to the first hole, you can just about see the very top of the pin if you’re lucky and you must make the carry over the trouble. There are a couple bunkers to try and avoid down the left hand side, so generally at or just to the right should be a safe play from the tee.
Hole #5 – par 4
You might be noticing a theme at this point – if its not a blind par 3, its a par 4 with out of bounds all the way down the left side of the hole! With the 5th, you’ve got slightly more leeway given the 6th hole runs all the way down your right hand side. You can see on the images above where my drive ended up, which resulted in a nice line in despite unintentionally sending it down the right!
If you’re feeling nervy about the out of bounds, the safe option is there. Just keep in mind the fairway runs out at around 250 yards, so if this is the line you’re taking, you’ll want to choose your club accordingly.
Hole #6 – par 3
If you’ve watched our YouTube video, you’ll know this hole wasn’t our finest display of golf! After a mis-hit chunk from the tee, G noticed this was a slightly more forgiving par 3 than some of the others we’ve come across, as there is a bail out shot to the right going back down the previous hole if you’d be struggling to make the carry here.
If you’ve not watched the full matchplay, be sure to check it out here: https://youtu.be/UwTqwO4mnxI?si=rxDtvg7218EANkg9
Hole #7 – par 3
If you came to Cullen for the views, the 7th hole will likely be your favourite. A long par 3 by the scorecard, but a sharp downhill descent makes it play significantly shorter. With 200 yards from the tee, we both played down by about 40 and ended up just to the side of the green.
There is a burn that runs through the back of this hole which you’ll revisit on the 10th. With a lot of ground short here, once you’ve made it over the hill the safer option is certainly finishing up at the front side of the green. Anything going only a few yards long could easily land you in the hazard here.
Hole #8 – par 4
After some tough par 3’s to start, you’ll likely breath a sigh of relief as you reach the 8th. This hole is a short par 4 (although it might be played as a par 3 from the mens front tees) that could be driveable for most players – including G this day!
There is a bit of trouble at the back of the green being guarded by heavy rough and gorse bushes if you overshoot, however, this is a very open hole with lots of space short and right. If you are taking this pin on, you’ll need to be careful not to turn it over too far left as there’s further rough guarding this section. This course is certainly set up for those who favour a left-to-right shot from the tee.
Hole #9 – par 3
The 9th hole is a great little par 3 where you’re hitting right up to the water from the tee. A small green with a ridge at the front left that will help guide any balls slightly short down towards the pin.
This is probably the kindest par 3 on the course, with only a little bit of trouble if you go long and left – a common theme on this course. We were playing from a temporary tee which helped in making the hole a bit shorter, however the new tee being built at the time looked to be slightly elevated which will make for an even more fantastic view on this hole!
Hole #10 – par 4
Here we revisit the burn that guarded the back of the 7th hole. Although this is a short par 4, the burn stops the longest of hitters attempting to drive this one, whilst potentially catching some others out on the approach.
From the tee you’ve got more space either side than we had on the front nine – its at this point the course seems to open up slightly. The green is longer than most we’d played so far, so the pin position would likely have a big impact on wether the burn could be a risk or not.
Hole #11 – par 3
It took us a moment to work out where we were hitting from on the 11th. You retrace your steps slightly back down the 10th and back over the burn to find your next tee box. Although a lot more open and visible than most of the par 3’s on this course, the 11th is by no means an easy feat.
At over 200 yards, you may find yourself hitting a longer club in, which for G ended up being her driver going straight back into the wind. If you’re feeling brave and want to enjoy the true links experience of working with the courses slopes, you can take the ball slightly up the left hand side here. However, there’s only a small room for error taking this approach, with the beach running down your left hand side.
You can of course just take the ball right at the pin – but where’s the fun in that when there’s a ridge to work with?!
Hole #12 – par 3
The 12th hole at Cullen Links might very well be one of the most interesting holes we’ve both ever come across. You play back over the 11th green – don’t be fooled into thinking this is a 40 yards mini par 3! – to a green completely hidden behind a large hill. There’s a black and white pole on the hill to help guide you in the right direction, however, what you can’t see from the tee is the large dip ahead of the green that both our balls landed in.
Whatever the scorecard is saying, I’d suggest adding maybe 10 yards on to give yourself a chance of getting up and not being caught in this dip. The green itself is a fun experience as you’re walled in by various rocks and hills at every side. We also found this to be one of the more sloping greens, with G having a 4 foot putt that finished up 6 feet away..
If you feel your ball heading slightly left and short, don’t be surprised if you take a large bounce away from the green here.
Hole #13 – par 3
Well, you’ve just had one quirky blind par 3, no time like the present for another one right?! The 12th is followed up by a very similar hole, although slightly shorter and hidden away by giant red rocks instead of grass hills.
The bottom right image is from the back of the green facing back towards the tee, so as you can imagine, you do not want to be badly short here in fear of having your ball ricochet from the rocks!
Although there’s some slightly thicker grass at the back of the green, it wasn’t as vicious as the rough seen elsewhere. At this point, you might be feeling slightly disoriented, but make sure to take a moment to appreciate the landscape around you, and how creatively they’ve managed to build a golf course into it.
Hole #14 – par 3/4
The next par 3 takes you around the giant rocks, however they don’t come into play as much as they have the previous two holes. This long par 3 plays as a par 4 from the women’s scorecard, at around 200 yards going back down towards the water.
There isn’t much space long or too far left here, but you’ll have no problems at all coming up slightly short.
Hole #15 – par 5
The first and only par 5 you’ll come across at Cullen Links. At just under 500 yards, this will certainly be a three-shotter at least for most golfers. Impressively, Cam managed to get himself on for two, however he less impressively proceeded to three putt the relatively flat green!
As you play up towards the clubhouse, you’ve got another hole all the way down the right hand side, with that tee cutting across the fairway you’re currently playing up. The same as we’ve seen on every hole so far – keep the ball safe down the right hand side.
Hole #16 – par 4
The 16th takes you back up towards those impressive red rocks we saw earlier on the 13th and 14th holes. This is certainly the widest hole on the course, with the 17th to your left and 15th to your right.
Everything is pretty much out in front of you and there’s a lot of leeway to play with. A welcoming hole as you come towards the end of your round at Cullen.
Hole #17 – par 4
With living in St Andrews, both of us have been lucky enough to play the Old Course Reversed – an experience truly like no other. Playing the 17th at Cullen was one of the only times I’ve been reminded of the layout of the reversed course, as you play back up to the green shared with the 1st thats protected by a large mound in front of it, that feels like it should be placed at the back.
At 300 yards, some players might be able to take this on, however the large mound makes it tricky to commit to a line if you’re playing this for the first time since there’s so little visible around the green.
Interestingly, this is the first hole where you do not want to be heading out to the right. Thick rough guards this fairway and is ready to catch any mis-hit shots, especially those heading directly on the line to the green. There are no other holes where this can be applied, but you certainly want to be down the left on the 17th hole.
Hole 18 – par 4
The final hole at Cullen feels like it perfectly summarises the rest of the course – safety down the right, trouble to catch you down the left, but some incredible views that you must enjoy as you come down your final hole of the round.
There’s a path that separates the first and the 18th, cutting diagonally into the 1st fairway. G took her line almost parallel to this which ended up safely down the middle and with a good line in. However, she didn’t manage to reap the benefits of this, sending her approach shot into the rough down the left hand side of the hole. Both of us got caught in the rough here, and let me tell you it is brutal! To finish strong here you really must avoid that left hand side, or risk adding a few shots to the end of your round.
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