Cruden Bay Golf Club in Scotland: Modernizing a classic Old Tom Morris links

ABERDEENSHIRE, Scotland -- Altering a classic links by Old Tom Morris dating to 1899 can be tricky business. Cruden Bay Golf Club seems to have pulled it off with universal appeal.

Earlier this year, the firm of Tom McKenzie & Martin Ebert transformed the weak transition hole at no. 9 into a memorable 461-yard par 4. Its new elevated tee overlooks the links, beach and the pounding surf of the North Sea. With three bunkers and out of bounds on the right and the fairway shifted left, the new ninth now rates as the hardest hole on the golf course.

The par-4 10th hole has shifted left to feature a more interesting downhill tee shot. A burn crossing the fairway lurks right of the green on the approach. The terrain approaching the par-3 16th hole, called "Coffins," has also been altered to allow more of a ground game.

What hasn't been tinkered with is Cruden Bay's quirky -- and beloved -- personality.

The third hole, which plays 274 yards from the 6,261-yard white tees, introduces the first of three blind shots during the round. A bathtub green sunken into the dunes confounds first-timers on the par-4 14th hole. Balls hit short tend to funnel down to the hidden green. The blind tee shot of the par-3 15th hole requires a slight draw around a dune to a large green. Already ranked among the top 100 courses in the world by several publications, the new and improved Cruden Bay Golf Club could see a bump the next time rankings are released.