Machrihanish Dunes

Exactly 130 years after Old Tom Morris journeyed from St Andrews in 1879 to the southernmost tip of the Kintyre peninsula, extending the world-famous Machrihanish course from 12 to 18 holes, a new golfing layout emerged from the sand hills that lie just to the north of the venerable old links.

The vision of Australian businessman Brian Keating, the property at Machrihanish Dunes extends to over 270 acres and, quite remarkably, only a small fraction of these acres were disturbed by architect David McLay Kidd and associate Paul Kimber when they laid out the holes.

Machrihanish Dunes sits within a Site of Special Scientific Interest (monitored by Scottish Natural Heritage) and because of constraints imposed to protect selected wetland areas and dune formations, the routing avoids a number of excluded zones on the property leading, as a consequence, to some lengthy walks along grass paths between holes.

Fairways are mown but they're far from manicured because the use of fertilizers and installation of drainage or irrigation is forbidden. In fact, the playing corridors remain virtually untouched here so expect very few even lies on any of the holes as the heaving landform rises and falls dramatically between tee and green – this is basic, no frills golf in as natural a setting as you could imagine.

The rough remains uncut (there are flocks of roaming sheep to keep the grass down) and bunkers – some are absolutely enormous – are located in all sorts of unlikely places, having originally been formed by burrowing animals over the years. Greens are described in the course yardage guide as "audacious" but they reflect, rather than complement, the testing topography of the site.

The club, after listening to golfers who complained about excessive blindness, long walks between holes, length of the rough and severity of the greens, decided in 2011 to carry out some remedial work to address these problems. Tees were re-positioned, new paths created and a program of rough management was undertaken. A number of bunkers were reshaped, and the large, hidden bunker on the par five 8th was removed. More importantly, six greens were modified and the putting surface at the 17th hole re-positioned forty yards closer to the fairway.