Page 100 - Golf World (February 2020)

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The route to the 1st tee at Machrihanish is guarded by
an aptly craggy monolith on which is etched the club’s
crest – complete with oyster catcher – and a legend
reading ‘Best opening hole of golf in the world’. Now it
is, of course, entirely possible the club is biased on this
score. It is, however, equally plausible it is not. For while
the first hole at Ardglass demands a stunning and
similar coastal carry, Portstewart’s Strand layout kicks
off with a gorgeous, dramatic plunge and the Old
Course at St Andrews imbues a unique visceral thrill,
there is nothing quite like the 1st at Machrihanish.
Forget the golfing challenge for a moment (see
Signature Hole) and drink in the scene. The tee itself is
perched a short pitch from the rocks that defend this
slender strip of Scotland from the might of the
Northern Atlantic. Just a few steps in front of you, the
teeing grounds fall away to the start of a glorious sweep
of white-gold sand. Arcing left, the beach leads your
gaze round and beyond to the tawny outlines of Islay,
Jura and Gigha across the bay. The air is a salty perfume
of sea water and seaweed, and larksong fills the
hemisphere above.
Beyond the beach, seemingly five yards further away
each time you look, is the angled fairway you are trying
to find, and beyond that, some 420 yards distant, the
green. It’s a spellbinding scene, and it is almost with
reluctance that you pull your focus away from it and on
to the relatively mundane subject of which club to pull.
The hole was envisioned and created by none other
than Old Tom Morris, brought in to show the locals A view from Prince Andrew who, in simpler times for the Duke,
how it was done three years after their first stab at behind the green was asked to hit a ceremonial tee shot to open a new
on the 6th hole, a
building a golf course in 1876. By all accounts a gentle mid-length par 4 Blue tee, excitingly sited right on the coastline. “The
and kindly man off the course, Old Tom’s called ‘Balaclava’ Prince got a ball from the pro shop, which he signed
uncompromising character on it clearly extended to his by virtue of its ‘HRH A’,” recalls club captain Willie Ross. “All the
clever elements
architecture; this was, after all, the man who saw fit to of disguise. juniors were down on the fairway, waiting to claim it.
built a 578-yard opener at Prestwick when 200 yards However, he hooked the ball down on to the beach,
was considered a mighty blow. and all the kids clambered down there after it. Prince
The 1st at Machrihanish measures only 424 yards, Andrew called for a second ball, and signed it again.
but to say it is challenging is a bit like saying a tiger can When he looked up he saw all the kids down on the
give you a nasty nip. The first task is to pick your line beach, anticipating a second hooked drive. This kind
– no easy feat over the beach to a flat and fairly of annoyed him, and he asked for them to be moved
featureless landscape. The more beach you carry, the back up to the fairway. Sure enough, his second ball
shorter and simpler the approach. Your bravery can be disappeared back down to the beach… followed by
boosted by the fact the beach is in play and the a stampede of juniors.”
prevailing wind tends to push your ball inland… but If you do manage to get your drive away you’ll see
even this causes problems, with four bunkers to the that the second part of the hole hugs the coastline,
right of the fairway, known as the Specs, waiting to rising gently through two cheeky bunkers – 30 yards
catch anything pushed too safe. short of the green to foreshorten the approach – to a
The challenge was certainly too much for neatly-sited green, with plenty of movement in it.

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