Machrihanish Golf Club is the most remote place on mainland Scotland you can travel to play golf. It is found 35 miles off the west coast across the Firth of Clyde and around 20 miles from another golfing haven – Northern Ireland. Having travelled from St Andrews, the birthplace of Old Tom Morris, it was just over 5 hours by car to reach the course.

Given this remoteness, it is all the more impressive that there lies a championship golf course designed by the most famous golf architect in history. On this stretch of the Kintyre peninsula overlooking Machrihanish Bay, the land conditions are perfect for links golf. There is an expansion of dunes that flow around the bay that lay host to Machrihanish Golf Club’s Championship Course.

This is a course that had long eluded me due to the remoteness, however, having now taken the plunge, I can confirm that this course is one that should not be missed on a Scottish Links Tour. 

The club was originally founded in 1876 as The Kintyre Club. The initial course was just 10 holes until the golf professional at Prestwick, Charles Hunter, redesigned the course and extended it to 12 holes, as was tradition in the early days of golf. Then, in 1879, Old Tom Morris made further expansions to the course to improve it to an 18 hole layout. He was also integral in the movement of the 1st tee to its current iconic site overlooking Machrihanish Bay.

The clubhouse, having been rebuild in past 5 years, provides panoramic views of the course which builds a lot of excitement for the round to come. The modern design of the clubhouse is a vast contrast to the golf course, which is very traditional out and back course. The front 9 follows the bay and definitely gets the better scenery. The back 9 is further in land and is towards the furthest extent of the dunes. However, it still offers some incredible views of the mountains behind Machrihanish and of the sea, which you struggle to see much of on the front 9 as you are mostly beneath and in between the dunes. 

The biggest talking point at Machrihanish is the 1st hole. It has routinely been called ‘The best opening hole in golf’ and I would be inclined to agree. The hole plays as a dogleg from right to left with the beach severely cutting in on the left side. A good tee-shot would be one which cuts over the beach, significantly reducing the distance and difficulty of the hole. There are 4 perfectly placed bunkers, which will catch a tee-shot that is trying to safely go up the right hand side.

The theme of the front 9 is blind shots, this begins at the 2nd and is consistent throughout the first 12 holes. Sometimes it is blind on the tee-shot and other times it is on the approach to the green. Luckily for the golfer, there are marker poles everywhere dictating which line to take. Overall, 7 of the front 9 have blind shots built into them. I am a big believer in courses with this as I like the character and uncertainty it creates. I like how committed you must be to the line and feel that blind shots are an essential detail of links golf. I know not everyone feels this way, but in order to enjoy Machrihanish, you must enjoy the challenge of blind shots.

In my opinion, there is a gulf in quality between the front and back 9’s at Machrihanish. The front 9 is wonderful as it weaves its way through the dunes, providing a variety of holes. Unfortunately, the back 9 suffers slightly as it is on higher and flatter ground and it simply can’t keep up with the character that the front 9 has. Holes 10-12 have 2 magnificent par 5s and a par 3. However, from hole 13 onwards the blind shots disappear as you move onto higher ground. The perk of this is that the views are tremendous and you can see more of the course as you move back towards the town. However, the last 2 holes are slightly underwhelming and don’t match the quality of the course you have just played. Both have out of bounds to the left and do not feature the same dunes that the rest of the course sits on. The 18th is a drivable par 4, which would be a great hole for matchplay. However, for the conclusion of an enjoyable round on a magnificent layout, it is a little anticlimactic.

Personally, I loved the variety in the par 3s with some playing very long and others playing very short. This is summarised by the back-to-back par 3s near the end on holes 15 and 16. The 15th is a classic short/mid length par 3 which plays around 150 yards. The green is incredibly tough to navigate as it is narrow with steep run offs at both sides. The hole reminds me of the 7th at Muirfield (also Old Tom Morris) and the 2nd at Royal Dornoch (Donald Ross). The 16th is then a classic long par 3 playing just over 220 yards. The hole slopes in from the left and requires an amazing shot to reach the putting surface. 

Overall, Machrihanish is a fantastic golf course and the first 12 holes blew me away. There was a magnificent variety in the holes, which creates true excitement and anticipation for the next hole you play. The golf club and links also have a great history that really add value to the golf you play at Machrihanish. This is a course that we will definitely visit in the future once again!