Machrihanish, SCOTLAND   

2nd hole, 370 yards: The green immediately grabs the player's attention. While it is a modified punchbowl with a pronounced valley running through the spine of the green, the player's first thought is that he has never seen anything like it before. His second thought is 'Why not?'. At first there might not appear to be enough hole locations, but the left side is more usable than one might think. The gathering green fits the hole well, with its uphill, sometimes blind approach shot.

3rd hole, 385 yards: After the blind tee shot across the rear of the sixteenth green, a most appealing hole unfolds for the player. With the Irish Sea visible beyond the dunes behind the green and the wonderfully old-fashioned sunken green set at a slight angle to the fairway with the revetted bunkers dug into the hills near the green, this hole perhaps best embodies Machrihanish. First, it is visually appealing from both the natural perspective and the architectural one -- it is a well-designed hole in a beautiful setting. Second, in relatively calm conditions, it is not that difficult of a hole - it offers a birdie opportunity for the player who thinks his way round the hole. A drive down the right opens up the green for a straightforward pitch, but the real fun of the hole comes into play with a tee shot down the left side. The thinking player will then use the bank to the right of the green to bounce his ball left toward the hole. It is a pity such greens are not built these days. While the agronomic merits of a sunken green are minimal for reasons such as drainage, surely the architectural elements can, every now and then, take precedent over turf concerns.

From behind the 5th green.

5th hole, 370 yards: The authors' favorite hole. From the tee the player has the choice of banging a driver toward the narrow neck of the fairway or laying back with a fairway wood to the wider section of the fairway. While the daunting aspect from the tee would seem to make the decision an easy one, the knowledge of the difficulty of the approach shot nevertheless tempts the player to seek that distant twenty-yard stretch of fairway with the driver. The long, narrow, sloping green would be much easier to find with a 9-iron than with a 6-iron. This hole has wrecked many cards of players off to a good start in stroke play and is a terrific match play hole.

8th hole, 360 yards: A wonderfully natural hole where all that was needed was to have a tee flattened, a fairway mown and a hill leveled for a green. The fairway is generous for a hole of this length, but the approach is most precise. If the shot goes long, the player faces a fifty-yard pitch back up the hill, while an approach that is just short will likely roll back thirty yards toward the player. Familiarity makes the hole seem harder the more you play it.

12th hole, 510 yards: Proof that a good green complex can save a three-shotter from two dull first shots. The slightly raised green runs most noticeably away from the player, requiring the player to think a good deal about where he wants to position his second shot. Also, the bunkers and dip in front of the green force the long player either to be sure he can get home in two or to lay up as there is nothing but trouble for being in the no-man's land short of the green. The openness at the rear of the green does encourage attacking play and lets the golfer putt back up the hill.

13th hole, 390 yards: The key is the putting green with its abrupt three foot rise at the front followed by its front to back pitch. To get the approach shot close to the hole when it is on the front just beyond the rise, requires a tremendous amount of skill and imagination.

Note the three foot rise at the front of the 13th green.

15th hole, 160 yards: A fetching short hole that is probably a Morris original. Players can easily volley from one side of the table top green to the next and back again. Once you have seen it done, you begin to appreciate that this may be the most exacting shot on the course.

The dangerous 15th, with its right-to-left sloping green and abrupt drop-offs on either side.

Absent a brisk breeze, Machrihanish is not too difficult a course, given it barely stretches past 6,200 yards from the championship tees. There are several birdie opportunities and a handful of key shots that the player must execute properly to score to his handicap. Otherwise, the golfer feels he might be able to 'take' the course. This rarely happens, but it is this feeling mixed with the sheer fun of playing here that keep bringing players back from all parts of the map.

Machrihanish is one of few courses in the world that would have the player, after playing 54 holes in one day, checking his watch against the setting sun to see if there is still time for a few more. Is there any greater compliment to be paid to a course?

Machrihanish is indeed special.

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