Not to be confused with the neighbouring Machrihanish Golf Club, Machrihanish Dunes has only been open since 2009, but it has already garnered a reputation for being a stunning golf course.

130 years on from Old Tom Morris laying out the Machrihanish course, David McLay Kidd designed Machrihanish Dunes, which was set among the dunes of the Site of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI). 


Visit the Machrihanish Dunes website here.  

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Golf has been played in Machrihanish since the late 1870s, when the four-time Open Championship winner Old Tom Morris laid out the first course in the region.

It was 130 years before Machrihanish Dunes opened, with David McLay Kidd in charge of the design. The Scot spent his youth in the region, and his layout runs between the dunes of the area, neighbouring Morris' design at the Machrihanish Golf Club. 

The course opened in 2009, and Machrihanish Dunes is the only course in the world to have been designed and laid out on a Site of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI). 

David McLay Kidd was the man to lay out the design of Machrihanish Dunes, though much of the course was already set out among the dunes. Thanks to the natural landscape, only the tees and greens were shaped, with the grass just being mown to create the fairways of the course. Kidd also designed Bandon Dunes and the Castle Course at St Andrews.  

 

The three par 5s are among the four hardest holes on the Machrihanish Dunes layout. The 3rd is almost 595 yards from the tips, while the 8th is the longest hole on the property at 620 yards from the back tees. The 16th, the last par 5 on the course, is also the hardest. It is one of several holes on the layout that plays along the coastline, with the Atlantic Ocean looming on the left of 16. 

Another feature of the Machrihanish Dunes layout is that there are back-to-back par 3s on the front nine – the 5th and 6th holes. The former plays towards the Atlantic Ocean, with the backdrop of the water behind the green. The 6th then plays back inland, with the tee box almost on the beach. It is only 140 yards from the tips and plays to a shallow green. 

The 4th is a drivable par 4 for the longer hitters, at just 310 yards from the back tees. With the wind behind, this is very reachable. 11 and 15 both play along the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean, while both 17 and 18 are dog-leg lefts, and offer a tough finish to the McLay Kidd design.

Machrihanish Dunes is the westernmost resort in Scotland that has a place on the NCG Top 100s: GB&I Golf Resorts list. It is in the Scottish county of Argyll and based on the Kintyre Peninsula. Campbeltown is five miles to the east of the resort.  

Campbeltown Airport is the nearest to Machrihanish Dunes. It is just a couple of miles down the road, and only one service runs from Campbeltown. That is a Loganair service to Glasgow which flies twice a day in both directions. Glasgow Airport then offers flights around Europe and to some destinations further afield.  

 

Along with the championship level golf course, Machrihanish Dunes also has a full-length driving range which can be used year-round. There is also a large putting green which has similar contours and undulations to those you will find on the golf course.  

Prices change depending on the time of season at Machrihanish Dunes. During the summer a round can cost £100, while through the winter months, that price comes down to £70. 

To see the latest prices for a green fee at Machrihanish Dunes, check out their website here.


Visit the Machrihanish Dunes website here.  

Go Back To NCG's Top 100s Homepage.