
Machrihanish Dunes opened in 2009 and can’t believe ( almost ashamed ) it’s taken me until now to make the journey to experience it first hand, in what is one of the most stunning and rural spots in beautiful Scotland. The area before was probably best known for the traditional Machrihanish Old Course, which was founded in 1876. These 2 championship courses are a short 15 minute drive apart, making this a “must visit” or as others would call it – a “bucket list trip”……
Machrihanish is a village in Argyll and Bute on the “very” west coast of Scotland. It’s a short distance north of the tip of the Mull of Kintyre, which faces out towards Northern Ireland ( 20 miles away ), and the Atlantic Ocean. In fact when Sir Paul McCartney was a Beatle, he and his late wife Linda often spent time at a farm they owned just a few miles from Machrihanish. The McCartneys loved the area, and Paul recorded the famous song “Mull of Kintyre” on one of the nearby beaches with the local pipe band.
On planning your trip to this wonderful wilderness, first thing you need to decide is “how am I going to get there!” As the crow flies Machrihanish is only 75 miles from Glasgow city centre, however to drive from Scotland’s biggest city it’s 140 miles! Although your final destination is south west of Glasgow, you need to drive almost 50 miles north along the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, before sweeping left to make the remainder of the journey driving south. Depending on traffic ( or sheep / cattle on the road ), you are looking at a 3 – 3.5 hour drive. Although a long journey, it’s a beautiful road trip with stunning scenery along the way.
If time is not of the essence, there’s plenty stops along the way to enjoy. Lunch at the Loch Fyne Oyster Bar is to die for. A highly awarded restaurant with fantastic views overlooking Loch Fyne. For Downtown Abbey fans, further south is Inverary Castle where an episode of the popular TV drama was set. Then before arriving at Machrihanish, you’ll pass through Tarbert. A quant little fishing village with shops, restaurants and one of Kintyre’s prettiest harbours. It’s a journey you’ll enjoy and guarantee you won’t ever forget!
Another option is to fly from Glasgow and on this occasion, was yours truly’s choice! I drove the previous twice I was there back in the late 90’s and early 2000's. It’s important for me to experience all different avenues for our Golfbreaks customers who travel from all over the world, wishing to visit this Scottish haven. Loganair have daily flights from Glasgow and the journey from the air is equally as beautiful, as the long and winding road. The best part depending on which way the wind is going, the journey only takes 25-35 mins! You’re barely in the plane 10-15 mins, when you feel the plane start its descent into Argyll and Bute. For those who are not all that comfortable with flying, driving is maybe your first choice and there's no drinks trolley or duty free on this short trip!!
Golf pro coach girlfriend Elaine was back home in Scotland from her base in Germany and joined me on the trip. We boarded our 19 seater “Twin Otter” plane along with our fellow passengers and were both excited at what the next 24 hours would bring. A Golfbreaks familiarisation trip with a difference! The short journey takes you down Scotland’s west coast and hopefully you’ll get a clear day to take in the beauty. There was a little low cloud unfortunately for us on this occasion and weren’t able to take in the sights. Still the flight was great fun, with quite a bit of banter going on with ourselves and our fellow comrades!
We landed at Campbeltown Airport just before 0900 where Susie Sinclair was there to meet us. I knew Susie previously when she worked at Dundonald Links and she joined the team at Mach Dunes just a few months before as Business Development Manager. Clearly loving her job in her new role. The airport was formerly known as "RAF Machrihanish" and hosted squadrons of the Royal Air Force as well as the United States Marine Corps. The United States Navy handed the airfield back to the Ministry of Defence in 1995, marking the end of its service as a NATO facility since 1960.
Machrahanish Dunes is only a 7 or 8 minute drive from the airport. I suddenly realised that from the comfort of your hotel bed in city centre Glasgow, you could be on the 1st tee at Mach Dunes within about an hour and a half! There is no clubhouse as such on site, although plans are in the making for an onsite hotel / clubhouse and there's even whispers of a second course at some point in the future. Instead, there’s a lovely little facility near the 1st tee where you check in with the lovely Lorna who will make you sooooooooo welcome. A local who is born and bred, and who never left “home”. Hot snacks, tea / coffee, soft drinks and beers are all available and Lorna made us the two best bacon and egg ( doubler ) rolls ever! It’s almost like a little halfway house, but you can purchase some lovely embroidered shirts and sweaters as well, and take a little piece of Mach Dunes home with you.
We teed off shortly after and were eager to see the course which I’d heard so much about. The 7,082 yards championship course is a true test and will challenge you to playing every shot in the book, that links golf offers. Mach Dunes pride themselves in that the fairways are untouched. The fairways the golfers walk on, are exactly as they were found and have remained untouched since course designer David McLay Kidd, first laid eyes on the land. The only difference now, is they are mown shorter! Mach Dunes also has the title of being the first ever course created on a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). In order to preserve for all time unmatched natural beauty of the site, the course was built and will be maintained with the lightest touches possible. Of the 259 acres on which the course sits, only 7 of those acres were disturbed during the construction of the course. McLay’s love of the course is evident when he said, “we followed the lie of the land and unlike most courses around the world, did not lay out the course and make the land change with it. We designed each hole around the natural terrain. For maintenance we do a little mowing, but will mostly rely on the wandering sheep to keep the fescue in check”.
Elaine and I loved what the course offered and we knew when we teed off at the fairly gentle and short opening par 4 hole 1st hole, we were on for a treat. A slightly blind tee shot awaits at the 294 yard opener from the white medal tees. An ideal hole to relax and get you off to a good start. Although I didn’t quite have the muscle to reach the green, I managed to hit a nice approach and holed out for an opening birdie, with Elaine recording a comfortable par. True to their word I was amazed at the authenticity of the untouched fairways and was remarkable to see them exactly the same as they always have been since time started. For a championship course, Mach Dunes is quite unique in the fact they have two back to back par 3’s on the front 9, the 5th and 6th. Two brilliant and fun holes where you really get your first look at the beach and the dramatic ocean. A good approach at the 6th and Taity recorded his second birdie of the day! The course in total has 6 greens and 5 tees at the Atlantic’s edge, all offering breathtaking views.
The 8th hole is a monster par 5 at 620 yards from the black championship tee. Just pray the wind is at your back as you manoeuvre your way down this undulating fairway! As it was mid winter, we pretty much had the course to ourselves apart from a couple of regulars who were delighted to take the time to tell us all about the course. Only other people we saw were the hard working greenstaff who were doing winter maintenance work on a bunkering programme. There’s nothing like a perfectly revetted finished bunker! Playing Mach Dunes was a great and slightly different experience for all the right reasons. I can’t wait to go back in the summer months and play it again in slightly warmer climes. The practice facilities are excellent ( great fun trying to chip into the beer barrels ), and the only targets you need to avoid are the wandering sheep who regularly hang out in this part of the course! The big black sheep Kelvin in the foreground is the boss, and not to be messed with. He's also got a bit of an eye for the 4 legged ladies!
Machrihanish Dunes have two properties in the area. The Ugudale Hotel which is in the village of Machrihanish and is a 15 minute drive from the course. The Ugudale also has fantastic cottages in their grounds as well as their own village pub. The hotel and cottages are literally a 50 yards walk from the 1st tee at the aforementioned Machrihanish ( Old ) course. A truly beautiful setting at the 1st tee which almost looks like it’s in the middle of the ocean!! The second property is The Royal Hotel which is in the actual town of Campbeltown. It's 10 minutes by car from Mach Dunes and would be our home for the night. The hotel is in a perfect location adjacent to the town’s harbour, with most rooms offering lovely views over the water.
After its million pound restoration, The Royal features 23 beautifully appointed rooms and ours certainly didn’t disappoint. Within the hotel you’ll find all the contemporary conveniences and amenities you would expect in modern accommodation, but still remaining steeped in old world elegance. The hotel is also home to The Black Sheep Pub and the locally sourced cuisine Harbourview Grille. We decided on a bar snack in the Black Sheep and shared portions of locally caught mussels and some sticky chicken wings. Both were tasty and fab. Ideal, as left room in our bellies for a few drinks as we headed out to a nearby pub to watch a live Champions League game. I’m a lucky boy in the fact Elaine loves her footie as much as me!!
After a really comfortable night’s sleep in our beautiful room, it was time for breakfast before Susie picked us up to take us back to the airport. Breakfast is plated which I always enjoy more than a hot buffet. The food is freshly made to your liking and is always piping hot. It was the full works for both of us, more commonly known as “The Full Scottish Breakfast!” Delicious! The Royal is an ideal location for golfers and the hotel offers a complimentary shuttle service to Mach Dunes between 1st April and 30th September.
It had been a brilliant and fun whirlwind 24 hours and the biggest surprise was yet to come. On arrival back at Campbeltown Airport we were told we were going to be the only 2 passengers on the plane back to Glasgow! Our very own private jet ( well kind of )!! You can’t help but laugh when after the air steward does his safety procedures routine, he says “right enjoy your flight ladies and gentlemen", and then jumps into the cockpit to fly the plane as well!!
Fancy making the journey to experience what we did? Contact me at ATait@golfbreaks.com and will get you sorted. www.golfbreaks.com
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Glenmuir - www.glenmuir.com Sunderland of Scotland -www.glenmuir.com/Sunderland
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