Go West Old Men!.....to Machrihanish

Thanks Tom Coyne! I was lucky to have dinner last year with the English professor and author of fine golf books and discovering my love of all things Scottish he said, "You must play Machrihanish!" Now, I went to University in Glasgow, so have been very fortunate to play most of the wonderful links and non-links course in Scotland. Somehow, I have never found the time to visit Mull of Kintyre and its golf courses (maybe it was the dreary Paul McCartney number one song that put me off!)
In the last couple of years Coyne has become the "Rick Steves of golf." His books on Ireland and Scotland have promoted off the beaten path courses (let's not call them "hidden gems") and hopefully led to increased revenues for courses worthy of a golf travelers time and money. And so it was, as the unofficial golf booker of our motley crew that we found ourselves on the road from Glasgow to Campbeltown on the Mull of Kintyre.

Here's our route from Glasgow to Macrihanish. It's around four hours through the most glorious countryside and coastal roads you'll see. No need to rush - enjoy the views! We stayed at The Royal Hotel in Campbeltown, a delightful fishing town. Fair warning, there are very few dining options (very few!) in the town, so we had breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Royal - all were excellent.

Opened in 2009, Machrihanish Dunes brings another fine golf course to Kintyre. Designed by David McLay Kidd, the course rests comfortably in the natural dunes and is a gem. We played it on a five-club wind day and despite that we thoroughly enjoyed it. It does feel modern, which is certainly not a criticism and the greens complexes are remarkable. The course is a 10 minute drive from Campbeltown with a tiny pro shop that also serves food and drink.

The original Macrihanish course was built around 1876 and expanded from 10 holes to 18 by Old Tom Morris in 1879. Further modifications were made by J.H. Taylor and Sir Guy Campbell, so its pedigree is beyond reproach. This was our only planned 36-hole day and what a glorious day we had. The course was everything we had hoped for - great holes out in the dunes, completely natural and short walks from greens to tees. Go play it!

The Road South to Dunaverty
Another recommendation from Tom Coyne was the shortest course we played at just 4,600 yards, Dunaverty. It was founded in 1889 and is on the southernmost tip of Kintyre. It was designed by no one in particular and is a pure delight. Measuring 4799 yards from the back tees it is the definition of fun - there are seven par threes and a single par five. With a long drive north on the books, we needed a short, fun walk and boy did we find one! We left our money in the Honesty box in the modest clubhouse and headed to the straightforward short par four first hole. After scrambled pars there we embarked on a series of the most extraordinary and fun holes you will play - short threes, long blind threes, drivable par fours - it is breathtaking and I will be back.

A Long Drive North to Dornoch
With our change in plans we had the opportunity to reinvent the trip. So, one of the greatest venues in golf beckoned, Royal Dornoch. It's a long and scenic drive from the southernmost tip of Mull of Kintyre to the town of Dornoch, about 40 minutes north of Inverness. With a stop along the way and driving the full length of Loch Ness (with no sign of the monster) it took us about six hours. If you haven't played the course bestowed as a "Royal" in 1906 then I highly recommend you make the journey. The weather can be changeable at this time of the year, but the golf gods were with us and we had two fresh, but fine days. On both occasions we were round in three hours, despite taking photographs and admiring the gorse filled views. Dornoch was laid out by Old Tom Morris in 1886 and is justifiably ranked in the top 10 courses in the world.

And Back Down South to North Berwick
Back into the car for a drive down through Edinburgh (choose your timing carefully to miss the choked ring road) to the seaside town of North Berwick. The town, the golf course/s, the putting courses, the food, the people. It's all quite lovely. The West Links course is in the middle of the town with the first and eighteenth sharing a single fairway and the Glen Course is at the far end of the town and played on a bluff. Yes, I love the West Links, but having played it many, many times we opted to drive east down the coast road to another personal favorite, Dunbar Golf Club.

East to Dunbar
If you are planning a trip to the East Lothian area, do not miss Dunbar. Improbably wedged between the sea and an old deer park wall this true links golf course is an absolute gem. The staff are wonderful and despite a rainy day we once again spent three lovely hours enjoying the scenery and delightful holes attributed to James Braid and Ben Sayers in the 1920s.

And on to Gullane
Gullane hosted the Scottish Open a couple of years ago, won by Rickie Fowler and it is the perfect warm up for the professionals warming up for The Open. There are three courses in Gullane (well, four if you include Luffness) and they are called One, Two and Three - inspired! The number does determine the quality too, with Number One being the course of choice for most visitors. That said the view from all three at the top of Gullane Hill is equally inspiring. With the Forth Road Bridge and Edinburgh in the distance and the North Sea in the foreground the view is wonderful.

By the way, if you haven't read Tom Coyne's books, they are a must read. He walked around Ireland (no, really, he did!) with his golf bag on his back, but sense prevailed for his Scottish jaunt and his musings are delightful. You can buy A Course Called Ireland here and A Course Called Scotland here. Oh, and I hear an American book is in the offing. I'm not a betting man, but I'm guessing it's called A Course Called America! Also a shout out to my friends at Holderness & Bourne for the best quarter knit sweaters in the game!

PS - if you want to see many more pictures visit @macduffgolf on Instagram.

Five Days of Golf in and around North Berwick

An invitation came out of the blue to play golf in Scotland. Would I and a couple of friends like to come to North Berwick for six days of golf? mmmm, let me think about that! YES!
So, flights were booked from DC to Edinburgh and I volunteered to help with the golf bookings. I love an excel spreadsheet! My friend provided the extraordinary accommodations in North Berwick. There are many great golf options that exist in the East Lothian area and you have the ease of travel to and from Edinburgh. We didn't want to travel too far from our home base and The Old Course at St Andrews was out of the question as it was the RandA Autumn Meeting. Most golf is easily bookable online and I found all of the Club Secretaries very responsive through email. Several of the group were golf magazine raters and some clubs very generously gave us a break on the rates, which was kind of them. Contrary to popular belief, the weather in Scotland is actually quite good and we were blessed with a week of incredible days with rain and wind on only one day. I spent two years at University in Glasgow and recall some wet days, but it was always better than dealing with 105 degrees and 95% percent humidity which is DC in the summer! And so our journey began, with only 18 holes and teeing off around midday each day. There would be no 36-hole route marches for us - we are too old and wise for that - ok, just too old!

Our Merry Band

Day 1 - North Berwick

The West Links at North Berwick was heaving with people on Monday morning. Many were Americans, as North Berwick has quite rightly become a "must play". I have played it many times and am never disappointed. The finishing four holes are as much fun as anywhere on the planet and are built for matchplay drama. The 15th is the original Redan hole, the short par four 16th hole with its crazy double green, the 17th and it's blind approach to a punchbowl green and then 18. Wow! The cars that line the drivable 18th were in imminent danger with our group and how Chip missed a car and ended up behind the green we will never know!

The 13th hole - The Pit - They don't build 'em like this anymore, which is a shame!

Green Fee -  £105
Pro Shop - 8/10 - the NB logo is way too complicated to work with - They should call Lee Wybranski who would do a killer rebranding!
Condition - 9/10 - firm and fast, except for rather oddly, the depression in front of 18 which was overwatered
Fun Factor - 10/10 - North Berwick will make you smile all the way around! And then want to go back to the first tee!

Day 2 - Longniddry

A lovely golf course, that with some tree removal could be even better. It is truly hiding it's light under a bushel of trees! Many of the sea views are lost and strategy on a couple of holes has been compromised by trees that need a chainsaw or a storm in the middle of the night! One of the best holes on the golf course is the short par four 5th with its infamous sloping green. Four and even five putts are common here - add my name to the list! Don't look at the scorecard yardage, presume it's too short and make the (wrong) decision not to go - it's a gem!

Green Fee -  £55
Pro Shop - 7/10 - solid selection
Condition - 8/10 - in good shape, but they need to cut down dozens of trees that are killing the views to the sea and adding nothing strategically
Fun Factor - 7/10  - great views and some terrific holes

Day 3 - Dunbar

Dunbar Golf Club opened in 1856 and was recently used as an Open qualifying course. If the wind is up, watch out because the wall that runs around the golf course from the fourth hole onwards will be watching you and your ball! If you are a slicer, bring some golf balls! The course starts with two gentle par 5s, both birdie chances, and following the delightful downhill par 3rd the real fun starts. You feel like a gladiator entering the ring walking through hole in the wall to get to the fourth tee and the fun never lets up. Great views, a great walk and a really solid course that should be on every visitors must play list. On 18, below, I got close and personal as my second shot hit the wall. I couldn't resist the "wally" and salvaged bogey.

Green Fee -  £75 - good value for a classic links golf course

Pro Shop - 6/10 - opportunity missed with small range of merchandise, like the logo though
Condition - 8/10 - in great shape
Fun Factor - 9/10 - the old sea wall provides plenty of drama, especially for slicers!

Day 3 - Musselburgh Links - with hickories

It is billed as the oldest golf course in the world and no one seems to dispute that. So that's cool! However, the experience, although fun, was not quite up to par. Musselburgh Links (not to be confused with Royal Musselburgh) is a 9-hole golf course located in the middle of the Musselburgh race course in a decidedly dodgy part of town. There is no pro shop, just a guy taking money who seemed more interested in closing than having two more groups pay to walk around the shabby golf course. We opted to play with hickories, which were real but in poor shape. It's all a bit sad, because this place should be treasured and promoted. The commercial possibilities could be huge, but it's clearly run by a local council who have no interest in its upkeep or knowledge of what they have. There was no merchandise available, not even a shirt with "I played the Oldest Course in the World and all I got was this shirt!" So, it was fun, but could have been so much more.

Green Fee -  £50 - including the use of 5 basic hickories, golf balls and a bag

Pro Shop - 2/10 - basically a counter at the race track. Huge opportunity missed by the owners

Condition - 5/10 - it's likely the way it was 400+ years ago, but could be better

Fun Factor - 6/10 - wow, what an opportunity missed, though making a two on a 240 yard par 3 with a hickory shafted wood was fun!

Day 4 - Gullane No.2

Dating back to 1898 and course architect, Willie Park Junior, No. 2 is a joy! The first seven holes are close to No.1 before the courses diverge. The views from the top of the hill are stunning overlooking Aberlady Bay. The course is relatively short, but none the worse for that and birdies were few and far between in our groups!

Green Fee -  £53
Pro Shop - 6/10 - should be so much better and they make a big deal about being the shop for Muirfield as there is no pro shop down the road at The Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. But, the lack of merchandise and the rather ordinary Muirfield logo don't make for good shopping. Maybe it was the end of the season and I do them a disservice, but with pretty much every American golfer going through this shop they are missing a trick and oodles of revenue.
Condition - 9/10 - firm and fast, great shape, perfect greens
Fun Factor - 7/10 - it's short, but that doesn't detract from a great walk, views and playability

Day 5 - Gullane No.1
A truly outstanding golf course built in 1884 and the host of the 2015 Scottish Open won by Rickie Fowler. We played it in a three club wind and a smattering of showers, but it never stopped being fun. The views across to Edinburgh, the Firth of Forth and Muirfield (or Gullane No.4 as one member called it!) are breathtaking. The top photo is of my favorite hole on the golf course, the par 3 13th - a world class golf hole with a demanding tee shot.

Green Fee -  £110
Pro Shop - 6/10 - The three courses at Gullane all share the same shop located across the road from the first tee on No.1. See my comments from No. 2 about how it could be so much better.
Condition - 9/10 - great shape, perfect green speeds for the conditions
Fun Factor - 9/10 - with the drivable 17th and 18th it's a course that makes you want to hurry back

And one final gorgeous view of North Berwick Beach to sign off - a magical place!