Shiskine
Royal Dornoch Castle Stuart Nairn
SCOTTISH ISLANDS ( Inner & Outer Hebrides ) Askernish Old : If Machrihanish is remote , then Askernish Old on the Outer Hebridean island of Uist is at the end of the world . First laid out by Old Tom Morris in 1891 , in recent years it has been unearthed and restored to its former glory by Gordon Irvine ( Master Greensman ) and Martin Ebert ( Canadian course architect ) using entirely traditional design principles . Enviromental experts have already hailed Askernish Old as “ the most natural links course in the world ”: the dunes ’ natural contours form the fairways , no artificial chemicals are used in maintenance , and during winter months sheep and cattle graze the course .
Irvine , who worked for free on the project , believes that based on his ability to distinguish natural landforms from man-made ones , he has correctly exposed and recreated the original layout . “ We ’ ll never know for sure ,” he says . “ We can ’ t bring Old Tom back . But this course is as close as you ’ ll get to an original Old Tom Morris layout .”
The 6164-yard layout begins and ends in understated fashion , but from seven through to seventeen it ’ s a roller coaster ride through terrain as violent as a storm-tossed sea . The par-4 7th runs south along the shore from a dune-top tee to a green sheltered by even taller dunes and the green at the eleventh , a long and spectacular par-3 played directly into a sea wind , looks as if it could only be reached using rock climbing gear . Perhaps the star of the Askenish show is the sixteenth called Old Tom ’ s Pulpit , a memorable short par-4 with a two-level green , the back half of which forms a punchbowl , where most approach shots are likely to end up .
Other golfing options : Machrie Golf Links ( Isle of Islay ), Scarista Links ( Isle of Harris ), Shiskine ( Isle of Arran ).
FURTHER INFORMATION :
www . visitscotland . com www . visitscotland . com / golf
17