Machrihanish travel options?

[ed_getka]

Damn! Prestwick is closed when I will be over for the Scottish Ladies Championships, so I am going to Machrihanish instead. What is the best way to get there from the Highlands? Can I fly to Machrihanish area from Inverness? What would the drive be like?

[George Pazin]

You might want to try messaging Darren Kilfara - he used to live there.

[ForkaB]

Ed

Play Western Gailes, if you can.  It is as good as either Prestwick or Machrihanish, and won't require you to either wear a skirt or travel 3-4 hours around the Mull of Kintyre (each way!).

[ChipOat]

Drive from Inverness to Machrihanish a good 6 hours; can fly to Glasgow and take puddle jumper instead but not cheap and weather makes the schedule a crap shoot; can also take 2 ferries between Ayrshire and Mull of Kintyre but miss either one and you're stuck on a little island overnight with no escape except to swim.

If you drive and play 36, it's a full 2 day trip; you can fly in the night before and be out 24 hours later if the weather cooperates.

Machrihanish is very special but the ultra-remote location is just not suitable for an "extra" round (ask Tom Huckaby).  Western Gailes is excellent and you can spend the night at Turnberry for what the airfare to Machrihanish costs.

[peter_p]

Ed,
  Do a google search - machrihanish flights -, and use the third option (cheap flights). The flight from Glasgow is about
120 pounds ($200?), no weekends.
  Packing all my rain gear for this weekend.

[THuckaby2]

Peter:  you will not need rain gear this weekend - leave it at home.  If for some reason I am wrong, I will give you mine - it never leaves the car (like everything else I own re golf).

Ed:  we can discuss this this weekend if you wish - Machrihanish is exceedingly difficult to do as an add-on - it just plain does take a lot of time.  That being said, if you can get to Glasgow, British Airways' local affiliate does run day trips... flights at app. 9am going and 5pm coming back.  But such aren't cheap.  Another thing is that from everything I hear, you wouldn't want to short-shrift Machrihanish with a quick in and out - it's too good for that.

I'd say listen to Messrs. Chipoat and Goodale... Western Gailes will certainly not disappoint and it is right there next to Prestwick and Troon.

TH

[Brian_Gracely]

Ed,

My friend at Prestwick also recommends Kilmarnock Barrassie Golf Club, http://www.barassie.net/, which is in the same areas as Western Gailes.  

They are hosting the Junior Open Championship in 2004 and are a Open qualifying venue when the Open is at Troon or Turnberry.  

The green-fees appear to be very reasonable.

[Dan Grossman]

Barassie (Kilmarnock) is a neat course to pick up as an extra, but it is certainly not in the same vein as Western Gailes.  The new 9 holes at Kilmarnock (intermingled with the old 9) are not very good and overall detract from the course.  I would give the  course a 4 on the Doak Scale.

Western Gailes is really cool and a much better course if you are looking for "world-beaters."  Donald Steel has a neat write of Western Gailes in his Golf Links book (I think) and the course is probably a 6-7 on the Doak scale.

[ed_getka]

Thanks gents, that settles it. Machrihanish will have to wait for my deferred Prestwick visit (damn women golfers )
  I'll see some of you this weekend. Pete you will NOT need your raingear, I guarantee it. I will personally carry an umbrella for you to keep you dry if it rains.

[ed_getka]

Will keep in mind Western Gailes, but since Prestwick isn't possible and Machrihanish is too inaccessible, I will probably stay on the east coast. I'm playing Dornoch, Cruden Bay (thanks Dan, you clinched it for me), TOC, and North Berwick.
What would you add on the east coast, keeping in mind my love of quirk please?

[Dan Grossman]

Ed,

If you love quirk, you HAVE to go see Elie.  Elie is one of my all time favorite courses in Scotland.  Ran's write up doesn't have a ton of pictures, but it is a fantastic golf course.  The course has no par 5s, and finishes with 7 par fours of the very strong variety.  Holes 6, 7 and 10 are drivable and you might have to chip from behind the green.  Also, if you are thirsty, you can hop over the stone fence next to #4 tee, run into the pub and grab a pint!  Or, at least that is what I hear.  


Some of my favorite shots at Elie were the second shots into the short par 4s.  One of them I played backwards into the hill and then watched it roll 80 yards down the hill to the green.  Elie is in Fife.

Also, there are the two courses at Crail (Balcomie and Craighead).  Craighead is Gil Hanse's course.  It is a neat course, but bring your A-game.  Between the rough and the greens, I thought it was as tough or tougher than Carnoustie.

Unfortunately, I did my trip to Fife in 2001, which was before I had my digital camera.  Sorrry.  

[ed_getka]

Peter,
  I've used that logic myself. I would never make any guarantees for NorCal weather in March, but I am perfectly comfortable with a SoCal prediction. See you Friday! BTW you are on the wrong thread.

[Doug Siebert]

I'd second the recommendation for Crail Craigshead.  It isn't a North Berwick on the "quirk" scale, but its got walls that come into play, some big elevation changes, a nifty cape hole, and I thought it was generally a fun place.  Dunno about it being as hard as Carnoustie, I haven't ever really had too much trouble with either one when compared with Prestwick.  If Carnoustie and Crail are equal, they are a 7 in difficulty compared to North Berwick's 5 and Prestwick's 10 in my book, YMMV.

When I was over there last in 2001 I wanted to do the Machrihanish thing as well but had to punt when I saw how hard it really was to get to.  I think the secret there would be to have a buddy in Scotland with a private plane and some free time on his hands.  Anyone want to volunteer to fly the GCA shuttle to all the remote but wonderful courses in Scotland -- and Ireland, while we are at it?  Pilots get free fuel, greens fees, lodging, meals and drinks (but only when there's more than 24 hours before the next flight )

[ForkaB]

Ed

I'd heartily second Dan's nomination of Elie.  It's great fun and a fine challenge.  However, don't give up on Western Gailes, whcih is slihgtly better, but less quirky.  The route TOC-NB-WG-Painswick is not much different time wise than TOC-Elie-NB-Painswick

[Darren_Kilfara]

I see I'm a bit late to this thread for Ed's purpose, but just to reiterate what chipoat said: having made the drive between Campbeltown and Inverness quite a few times now, it takes me almost exactly five hours - so from Machrihanish (+10 minutes) to Dornoch (+1 hour) figure just over 6 hours in total. The Inverness-Glasgow-Campbeltown flight path will take less time - if you get a timely connection - but is subject to high fares in general and bad-weather cancellations on the Campbeltown leg. All in all, the drive is also stunningly beautiful throughout, so if you're going to make the trip (which is not for the faint-hearted), driving is really the way to go. Make sure you go via the Glencoe route and not via Oban, too - the former is marginally quicker and, for my money, the prettiest drive in Scotland.

I liked Elie and the original course at Crail a lot, but the Craighead course at Crail isn't one I would encourage anyone to seek out. It has a few high points but rather more mundane farmland - I know it's profiled on this website, but I can't really figure out why.

Cheers,
Darren

[Norbert P]

I know (Craighead) is profiled on this website, but I can't really figure out why.

 Because too much is never enough.  It's also interesting in that it is one of the first courses built in Scotland by an American designer and has good insight and opinion on how it turned out.  

[ed_getka]

Darren,
   Thanks for the feedback. If Neil Regan flies over I will make the drive, otherwise Elie will be the choice. I'll do WG when I make my return trip to see Prestwick.
  I too have found it curious that the Hanse course at Crail is rarely mentioned in Scottish course discussions.

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