Although it ’ s a devil to get to , it ’ s surprising how many golfers find there way to Machrihanish , and professional golfer Brad Faxon , who ’ s passionate about golf course design once drove the 189 miles from Turnberry to Machrihanish , just to check it out and play a round during the build-up to the British Open .
But there ’ s another reason to make the trip to the Kintyre Peninsula , because sharing the same breathtaking ocean views with the adjacent “ Old Tom Morris ” layout , is Machrihanish Dunes Golf Club - the first 18-hole golf course to be built on the west coast of Scotland in 100 years . Scotsman and course architect David McLay Kidd , who is internationally acclaimed for his design of Bandon Dunes in Oregon and the Castle Course at St Andrews has created a real throwback of a links , featuring six greens and five tees at the ocean ’ s edge . “ We followed the lie of the land and unlike most courses around the world , we did not lay out the course and make the land change with it , we designed each hole around the natural terrain ,” says McLay Kid . “ We are returning golf to how it should be played .” Because Machrihanish Dunes has been built on a Site of Special Scientific Interest ( SSSi ) the course ’ s routing in addition to the positioning of tees and greens was also dictated by several endangered species of flora and fauna . Tee blocks had to be excavated and flattened but virtually the rest of the course is natural . Realistically you are not going to score well on your first visit to Machrihanish Dunes and course strategy requires a links mentality . Expect severely undulating greens , blind shots , straight shots that disappear over the hill and fairway maintenance by sheep ( even the odd black one ). In addition to Machrihanish Golf Club and Machrihanish Dunes , another track worth playing is the shorter but equally delightful seaside links of Dunaverty , a few miles away near the pretty port of Campbeltown , a good base for playing this trio of courses . Often referred to as Scotland ’ s only mainland island , the Kintyre Peninsula is also the gateway to islands of the Southern Hebrides – such as the mountain wilderness of the Isle of Jura , home to 5000 deer , a whisky distillery , a pub and a spectacular new golf course on the Ardfin Estate . Then there ’ s the Isle of Arran , also known as “ Scotland in miniature ” which boasts several golf courses despite its small size . The pick of the bunch is Shiskine ’ s idiosyncratic 12-hole layout nestled below Drumadoon Cliffs at Blackwaterfoot . Also worth a visit is the Isle of Islay , famous for its whisky distilleries and home to the Machrie Golf Links – one of Scotland ’ s best island courses . After a bracing round at Machrihanish Dunes we head to the rustic clubhouse and order tasty sandwiches and mugs of hot tea . I go for ’ The Old Tom ’ ( grilled chicken , smoked bacon and lemon mayonnaise on wholegrain ), while Paul goes for ’ The New Kidd ’ ( ham , Kintyre cheddar and chutney on white ). Refuelled up and ready to go , we hit the road , heading north up the coast to Oban to catch the 3.50 pm ferry departure of Lord of the Isles – bound for Lochboisdale on the remote and beautiful Outer Hebridean island of South Uist .
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