Blind shots abound amid dramatic dunes
CAMPBELTOWN, Scotland – Wrapping up our Scotland trip with a 2-for-1 deal. We’re talking about the outstanding Machrihanish Golf Club and Dunaverty Golf Club – two amazing courses for different reasons – on the Kintyre Peninsula. They both are so good that they should be on anyone’s Scottish golf itinerary.
Sure, getting to Campbeltown can be difficult to get to – hell, Paul McCartney wrote a song about it (The Long and Winding Road) – but once you get here you really don’t want to leave. It’s a nice, sleepy little seaside town that is not outrageously expensive and is filled with friendly folks and quaint shops and pubs.
Now to the golf. We played 27 holes at Machrihanish Golf Club, which features and 18-hole championship course and the nine-hole Pans course. The club was founded in 1876 and Old Tom Morris is credited with extending the original nine holes to its current 18 holes.
From the opening tee shot on No. 1– called the “best opening hole of golf in the world” by Jack Nicklaus – you know you are in for something special at Machrihanish Golf Club. That first tee ball on the 424-yard par-4 is played over Machrinhanish Beach. Depending how brave a person is, the more risk you take by playing over the beach, the shorter the hole becomes and the better angle you have to the green. Even if you don’t make it to the fairway, you can always play your second shot off the beach. All three of our tee shots were in the fairway, but well to the right. Safety first, ya know.
With the constant roar of the sea as background music, Machrihanish offers a wonderful Scottish links experience. The land is the star of the course, dictating how it is played. Tee shots bound over generous fairways filled with dips and humps, winding through dunes with views of Jura and Islay. Numerous blind shots make for some uncomfortable moments and make it difficult to execute each shot properly, not to mention the hidden pot bunkers scattered throughout the course that are like magnets for wayward golf balls
Machrihanish: 27 great holes along the Irish Sea
From the yellow markers, Machrihanish checks in at 5,956 yards and is par 70. There are three par 4s that stretch over 400 yards, including Castlehill, a 411-yard brute on the back nine.
The par 3s are strong. There’s only one on the front nine – the 121-yard fourth hole, which was my favorite on the course. The shortest hole at Machrihanish, Jura as it is known, features a smallish tabletop green guarded in front by a couple of bunkers. Anything long runs off the back and leaves a tricky up-and-down for par.
The back nine short holes include No. 11, that plays 195 yards; No. 15, that plays 156 yards and No. 16, a 221-yard brute.
The only hole that I really didn’t love was Lossit, the 303-yard finishing hole. It’s a straight forward short par 4 that shares a portion of the first fairway. As dramatic as the first hole is, No. 18 is kind of bland. But maybe that is a good thing, given that Machrihanish probably has beaten you up for the first 17 holes.
After battling the championship course, two of us moved over to the nine-hole Pans course. It’s only 2,376 yards, but the fairways are tighter and the greens smaller than its 18-hole counterpart and equally fun to play. It’s a perfect way to close out a visit to Machrihanish.
Dunaverty Golf Club: Steep hills, blind shots
When I started planning the trip to Scotland, there were only two must-play courses on my list – Machrihanish and Dunaverty Golf Club. Even though they are far off the beaten path, they were essential for me after reading Jim Hartsell’s heart-warming book “When Revelation Comes.”
Dunaverty Golf Club is Hartsell’s favorite course and it’s easy to see why. It has history, as it was founded in 1889. Dunaverty Rock plays a prominent role in that history, as it once sheltered Robert the Bruce. According to the club’s website, it also is the site of the 1647 “conflict between warring clans that culminated in the surrender and subsequent massacre of the 300-strong Royalist garrison by the besieging Covenanters.”
It’s hard to beat the setting. Dunaverty is a traditional links layout that wanders through farmland adjacent to the sea. Although we caught Dunaverty on a day when it was misting rain and the marine layer prevented extended views, what we could see was spectacular.
Finally, the course itself is a combination of beautiful and challenging. Although it is only a par 66, it plays much longer 4,799 yards from the white tees. Elevation changes make it a tough walk, and the number of blind shots will keep you on your toes.
The first three holes are kind of benign, easing you into a false sense of security. When you arrive at the tee on No. 4, well, things begin to get interesting. Simply known as “Dunaverty,” this 177-yard par 3 is guaranteed to baffle even the best players who are playing it for the first time. David MacBrayne, whose son is one of two greenskeepers, was walking with us while we played. When it was my turn to hit, he pointed to a slight crevice in the distance as my line. A miss left would leave me with another blind shot, so naturally I bailed to the right. He said I’d be OK, and he was right. The fourth green sits sheltered in a valley just over a ridge. Anything that clears the ridge likely will find the green or fringe. Part of the appeal of Dunaverty is hitting blind shots and the reveal when see where your ball has ended up.
Other favorite holes included the tricky par 4 No. 5 (Dalmore) and No. 10 (Mount Zion), a compelling 123-yard par 3 that plays uphill. Anything that lands short is repelled back toward the tee.
The 10th is followed by “The Cleet,” a driveable 266-yard par 4 that plays as much downhill as the 10th is uphill. My round died at No. 13 (The Cemetary), the only par 5 on the course when I blew my drive over the boundary fence into Machribeg Field.
One of the charming local rules is that players get free relief from rabbit holes, hoofmarks, and cow dung. You also can clean your ball.
The 17th hole was also a favorite. Simply known as “The Burn”, this 412-yard par 4 is the longest hole on the course and plays more like a par 5. A dogleg left, the green is guarded in front by Conieglen Burn.
Dunaverty was a perfect way to end the golf portion of the trip. From there, it was back to Edinburgh to catch our flight back to Alabama.
Gregg Dewalt is the editor of Alabama Golf News
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Featured image of No. 18 at Machrihanish Golf Club by Gregg Dewalt
