Memorable Golfing at Machrihanish Golf Club
You can play at Machrihanish Golf Club every day of the week and probably find that it plays quite differently every single time. The location on the Kintyre Peninsula, the temperature, strength and changing direction of the breeze on the course see to that. This is one of the greatest charms and challenges of Machrihanish, a premier golf club in Scotland.
The other attraction is the spectacular opening hole, dubbed by experts as one of the best anywhere. Machrihanish Golf Club is 140 miles from Glasgow and has been a center of golf since 1871, even before the formation of the club in1876. The original Machrihanish Golf Course had 10 holes, extended first to 12 and then to the full 18 holes within a couple of years. Today it is listed among the top 100 golf courses outside the US.
The design has been modified over the years by several golf architects and players including Tom Morris; but basically it has been created by nature. Machrihanish is set amidst rising and falling sand dunes and features large sandy bunkers and neat fairways. The 18 hole course offers some of the most ‘natural’ golfing ground you will find anywhere in the world. There are no man made structures, mounds or hazards added to the course.
The entire course length is an impressive 6,225 yards, measuring 3,101 yards on the inward nine holes and with the outward nine measuring 3,124 yards. The outward nine are exceptional and take the contours of the hills and hollows among the sand dunes, amid great scenic beauty. The opening hole, called the Battery, is a 423 yard par four with an elevated tee on the shore, with incredibly clear waters lapping on the sandy beach on one side. You play the inward nine holes against the pleasant backdrop of the south Kintyre hills.
The greens are placed in widely varying elevations and positions. The ups and downs of the fairways and the sand dunes add a thrill to the game. Most of the holes are par four with a couple of classic par fives. The fourth hole is a tricky par three with the greens a seemingly impossible target. So, go on, take on the challenge of Machrihanish.