Page 102 - Golf World (February 2020)
P. 102
SIGNATURE HOLE the magnificence of the opener – and a sporty par-4 2nd,
complete with burn at driving distance and blind, uphill
1ST | PAR 4 | 424 YARDS approach – the course really starts to kick into gear at the
3rd. This is where the landscape moves from downland
nto the duneland that apparently prompted Old Tom to
While Machrihanish is not short of
memorable holes – the 5th, 8th or 12t tter “Eh mon! The Almichty had gowf in his e’e when
could all be covered here – the sheer e made this place.” A shortish par 4, the 3rd itself is a
statement of the opener sees it take t mouthwatering appetiser to future delights. A blind tee
honours. “I’d say the drive looks more hot gives way to a delicious pitch into a semi-punchbowl
daunting than it is,” says head pro reen apparently protected by a fleet of flying saucers –
Jennie Dunn. “There is plenty of room he ominous shadows of five pot bunkers – with a small
out there, but like every hole here you une and ocean behind. Already, you have been asked to
are at the mercy of the wind, which trike a level, uphill and downhill approach.
ensures it plays differently every day. So begins a superb run of authentic duneland golf,
You can bail out right towards the 18t eading north up the coastline. The short par-3 4th is
fairway but it’s a long way in from the
and you bring four fairway bunkers in mplicity itself, a short iron across a swale from one
play. The ideal drive is a draw, which une to another, with just one front trap needed and a
catch a fairway ridge that helps your evious run-off behind. For many the pick of the lot, the
run down into position. This leaves a ar-4 5th sweeps left over a rumpled and tapering
shorter, cleaner approach from a leve airway to a 40-yard green that features something of a
stance and makes clearing the bunke Machrihanish trademark – a sharp, rejecting drop at the
30 yards short of the green, much ea ront and a subtle, awkward run-off behind.
“It feels instinctive to avoid the beach But on a front nine that constantly delights, the short
all costs, but it is in bounds and you c ar-4 8th takes things up a level. Dog-legging slightly
give yourself a shot at par from down eft, it demands a precise tee shot into a dell before the
there,” adds club captain Willie Ross.
you play too safe, you turn the hole in round rises up to an elevated green, behind which is the
par 5 anyway and it becomes a false ull glory of the southern Inner Hebrides. At only 341
economy. That’s why I believe the bes ards, it encapsulates why Machrihanish plays so much
policy is to go for it every time.” onger and tougher than its modest 6,200-yard length.
102 Golf World February 2020 | golfworldtop100.com
