McDonald Golf Club

The staff on arrival were nice and friendly. Was a very long 18hole so wear comfy shoes. I was there with my partner who has just taking to golf about 2 months. I felt that the member playing there didn't take any time to allow her to play. We were playing at a good pace of game and still felt rushed with players taking shots before we had even taking our second shot. We allowed players through but got no thanks. We called it a day on the 14 after being almost hit with a golf ball from the men behind who wouldnt wait for us to walk to our second shot.

Overall I might be back to play again but my parter won't be

Weather excellent Course 1st class. What more does a golfer want!,

Played here today front 9 covered in cut grass, fairway seemed pretty poor as well as the greens which appeared to be different paces for each one.

The back 9 was in far better condition except for the short rough on the 11th again cut grass lying all over it.

Standard charge here is £60 and golfnow offer at £45.99. Both of which are extortionate considering the quality of the course. At best a £20 round course.

Front 9 is an absolute bog. Charging £40 for a course of this condition is a rip off however the back 9 was enjoyable. Much better courses for less money

Course is set in beautiful woodland, literally a tale of 2 half’s. A long front 9 short back 9. Grass bare in places and definitely needs some sprucing up. Winter greens and mats in play as expected for north east Scotland in February.

Will be back in summer to play again when new growth and proper greens. Huge amount of leaves and sticks on greens and fairways but would expect this to be absent in summer. We will see.

Played today very good course especially the back 9

Front 9 is great, back 9 laid out over several locations but for all that a nice challenge especially on some of the long par 3’s

Really enjoyed the course, first 9 and back 9 very different but equally good. Course was in very good condition for the end of March, will be back for another game very soon!

Always a joy to play this course unless it's after several days of heavy rain

This is a top top course, easily top 3 nicest I’ve had the chance of playing. Having to walk from the the front to back 9 is a very minor inconvenience and you are welcomed by an excellent 10th hole when you get there. Excellent layout with a couple of back to back par 4’s let you get the birdie juice flowing before the 2 tricky holes 17/18. Was busy the day I was there and as a solo player slowed me down quite a bit but in no way is that a complaint just gave me time to enjoy it even more ! Side note the pro in the shop (didn’t catch his name) he’s a very helpful fella give me a few nice tips to mark on my scorecard when he found out I was a first timer there and fairly new to golf as well

Lovely course based within the town of Ellon. Great forest all around, well cut fairways and rough. Greens ran well.

I first played here 5yrs ago when I started playing golf again and shot over a hundred, returned today and shot an 88 with two bad holes so something must have changed!

Course was in great condition, early in morning so due on the ground but that quickly disappeared. Fairways in excellent condition and greens were smooth and easy to putt on, compared to many courses I've played these were the easier of greens to hold the ball on from approach shots.

Longer front nine but definitely a lot of shots to be gained on the back nine especially from 10 thru 16. Saying that 17 and 18 probably the hardest finishing holes on any course that I've played this year and this was my 21st different course of 2017.

Warm up facilities to hand at club house, junior area beside the 18th fairway but nothing bigger in the way of practice facilities.

Didn't use the clubhouse as it was early on a Sunday morning and quiet so no one in for food etc, didn't bother me too much as I got our earlier than I planned.

Seriously considering this course as my home course next year, if I can afford it.

Had an excellent round of golf, apart from the parties that were infront holdigng up play due to the speed that we play but apart from that no issues. The back is absolutely stunning well worth a round, will most certainly be back

McDonald is a decent track overall, however the front 9 are far superior to the weak back 9.

The front 9 is well mapped with testing doglegs and long in yardage, it suffers slightly from poor drainage in parts, but this is forgiven due to the overall condition being very good. Holes 4,5 & 6 are good tests and require smart club selection and the 9th is a long and good test for a par 5.

The back 9 is much shorter and feels squeezed in, although in very good condition. It finishes with two cracking holes which require again intelligent club selection and I wouldn't be counting my score until the 18th green !

Staff were very friendly and the barman chatty which is always nice after a good round.

Well worth a round if you can pick up a good offer on GolfNow etc

Two very different nines at the MacDonald course in Ellon. The first nine is over the road and newer, I suspect. Not as interesting as the back nine but longer. The only hazards on the front were the occasional strategically placed bunker and the brook running through some of the holes. The back nine had lots of slopes and trees and an awesome finish. Be careful what you hit from the tee on the 18th ! Very friendly staff.