MACHRIHANISH, SCOTLAND – The Mull of Kintyre dangles down on a finger of land known as the Kintyre Peninsula in Scotland’s extreme southwest, surrounded by the North Atlantic on its’ windward west and the Firth of Clyde to its’ leeward east.
Nearby, the golfers and surfers at nearby Machrihanish often peer up at weather conditions “on the Mull” to determine whether they should proceed with their all-weather sports which take place along and in nearby Machrihanish Bay.
The Flybe flight to (www.Flybe.com), Kintyre Express Ferry (www.KintyreExpress.com) to Campbeltown, or three-hour drive from Glasgow to make the pilgrimage to the remote, 6,462-yard Machrihanish Golf Club, an authentic, antique treat designed in 1876 by Old Tom Morris, just became more justifiable due to Southworth Development’s addition of course-side cottages and dining plus Machrihanish Dunes Golf Club, a 7,175-yard, 18-hole links laid out by David McLay Kidd.
Machrihanish Golf Club: $70-$100. Players under age 12 allowed only on the adjacent 9-hole Pans Course. (44) 1586 810277 www.machgolf.com
Machrihanish Dunes: $70-$140 per-round. (44) 1586 810000 www.TheWayGolfBegan.com
The adjacent courses butt-up against Machrihanish Bay. They are wooly, windy and wet; sheep roam the treeless dunes that define the fairways.
Machrihanish Village’s new, two-bedroom, 1,150-square-foot fractional Ugadale Cottages, with their old- world stone exteriors, have modern comforts, including kitchenettes, HD flat screen televisions, Egyptian cotton sheets, and, in my experience, the biggest towels and hottest, heaviest rain shower heads in all of Scotland. No pets. No handicapped access for upper units. Two-bedroom suites $200-$400 per night. (44) 1586 810000 www.MachrihanishDunes.com�
The Old Clubhouse Restaurant and Pub, renovated and reopened in 2009, occupies Machrihanish Golf Club’s original clubhouse building. It’s warm, cozy and casual. Favorite menu choices include decidedly traditional Scottish Argyll Haggis and Black Pudding; Lobster pulled from the sea visible from the bay window; and Sticky Toffee Pudding…all washed down with Springbank single malt Scotch, distilled five miles away in Campbeltown. Dinner for two about $80.00 before wine. (44) 1586 810000 www.MachrihanishDunes.com/dining
Surfers on Machrihanish’s famed first hole!
