MACHRIHANISH GOLF CLUB - 17 POINTS

Those who have been to Machrihanish always speak about it wistfully. The first hole, the dunes, the remoteness, all contribute to their love of the place. And to be honest, that left me a little worried. What if I wasn’t beguiled by the setting? What if the course didn’t quite live up to the billing? Well, I’m glad to say, Machrihanish hit all the high spots, and then some!

The course itself is a pretty traditional, out-and-back links. The first tee is positioned next to the small pro shop, on a little rocky outcrop. To your right lies the tiny village of Machrihanish. To the left, nothing but the sea.

Much has been said about this first hole. Some call it the best opening hole in Scotland, others call it the best in golf. I would say it has a good claim on the former; the latter may be a bit of a stretch! The question on the tee is all about how much of the dogleg over the water you want to take on. It is pure risk and reward. Go too safe on the right and you will be hard pushed to get to the green in two shots. Be too greedy on the left and you risk bringing the beach into play.

It’s a very stout first hole. At 424 yards I was always going to be happy to keep my ball and make a bogey.

In some ways I think all the hoopla about the first hole slightly risks overshadowing the rest of the course. Yes, it’s a great hole, but this place is about so much more than just one hole. The entire front nine is one of the best opening stretches in Scotland. In fact the high standard keeps going on the back nine, at least until the 12th hole. If you like links golf, you will revel in it.

Machrihanish is built in proper, rolling dunes land. The fairways are pretty wide but often with significant undulations over and around the dunes. At times, this feels more like Irish golf than Scottish. Where some courses are routed between the dunes, Machrihanish often goes over them. Those who like their golf straightforward and ‘fair’ might be a little disappointed in Machrihanish. The rest of us can enjoy hitting the ball and finding out several minutes later where it actually finishes!

The early holes are great fun. The course opens up from the third tee, and the run all the way to the turn is quite exhilarating. Although there are plenty of blind tee shots, when the fairways do become visible you often find they are pretty wide and that the rough running alongside isn’t too punishing. If you go really wide it’ll be hard to find your ball, but this isn’t a narrow course by any means. 

I genuinely think this may be one of the best front 9s I’ve played in Scotland. The course doesn’t demand brute force, although a couple of holes do reward the longer hitter. The 7th is a good example. It’s 429 yards long, with a blind second shot over a massive hill. But, like so many holes at Machrihanish, there are options. I happily knocked it short to the left from where I had a good view of the green, and a good opportunity to get it up and down. While you won’t feel too intimidated playing here for the first time, Machrihanish is definitely one of those courses which would reward multiple plays.

As you may have gathered, the course doesn’t quite manage to maintain the high standard throughout the whole round. As it winds its way back inland to the clubhouse the terrain becomes a little less interesting and the course suffers a little as a result.

The back 9 starts well with two shortish par 5s at the 10th and 12th where once again the humps and swales define the test. The green site at the 12th is particularly fun. But things definitely drop off a little after that and the holes become a little more bland. Internal out of bounds, to accommodate a short course, comes into play at the end and that’s never great. 

It would be easy to let these blander holes define your round at Machrihanish, but that would be a great shame. The course is absolutely deserving of its place in the higher ranked echelons of GB and Ireland golf. And, it’s about so much more than that first hole. 

I read on another site that if this course was in East Lothian or Fife it wouldn’t be ranked as highly. I don’t agree. I think that, if anything, this course may be a little held back in the rankings because of its remoteness, and that many are yet to discover it.

But that remoteness only adds to the enjoyment. For most, it will take a pilgrimage to get to Machrihanish. But it will be a pilgrimage absolutely worth making.

BOOKING THE COURSE

The cost of a round at Machrihanish has gone up quite significantly in recent years. It’s now £120 a person in the summer, although Scottish Golf members will have this reduced to £90. You can book online, although if you want a discounted rate it’s best to phone up.

There are some seasonal discounts available. In March and October the green fee drops a little and there are some reductions for twilight golf.

Prices correct as of August 2023.

TOUR TIPS

You’re not likely just to be passing by, so it’s likely that you are going to do a fair bit of planning for a game at Machrihanish. But it’s not actually as difficult to get to as you might think. You basically have three options:

• Fly from Glasgow. It’s less than 45 minutes and, if you speak to the club, they will arrange for you to be picked up.

• It a spectacular car journey. From the Central Belt, you go up along the shores of Loch Lomond, then past Inverary and down the Kintyre coast. It’s about 3 1/4 hours from Glasgow or 4 hours from Edinburgh.

• Ferry is another option. There are a handful of crossings a week from Ardrossan, on the Ayrshire coast, to nearby Campbeltown. This one takes a bit of advance planning, and you don’t actually save much time on the drive, but you may want to consider it.

If you are heading on west to Islay (or coming from there) then it’s a couple of hours from Kennacraig (near Machrihanish) over to Islay on the large car ferry.

For accommodation, most people will stay either in the small village of Machrihanish or in Campbeltown. The high quality Ugadale Hotel and golf lodges, next to the first tee at Machrihanish, are, slightly confusingly, owned by Machrihanish Dunes (a separate club) which is 15 minutes drive away! It takes some time to get your head around that!! Campbeltown itself has plenty of Airbnb and guest house options too, as well as the Royal Hotel.

When it comes to other golf courses to play on a trip to this part of the world then Dunaverty (20 minutes south) and Machrihanish Dunes (next door, but 15 minutes away by car!) are likely to be on your list.

Dunaverty is a short 18-hole course but with sensational views and some really lovely holes and features. Machrihanish Dunes was carved out of the landscape with barely any land moved and offers a much sterner test.

It would be a shame to have made it all the way to Machrihanish and miss out on getting the ferry over to Islay to play The Machrie too. It’s a lovely course with a great hotel attached and would make for an enjoyable couple of days add-on to your trip.

CONTACT DETAILS

Machrihanish Golf Club
Golf Club House
Machrihanish
PA28 6PT

Web - https://www.machgolf.com/
Phone - 01586 810213
Email - secretary@machgolf.com

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