The Machrie Hotel & Golf Links

The Machrie Hotel & Golf Links: A trip to The Machrie is an "essential" Scottish golf experience not to be missed. Here on the Inner Hebridean island of Islay, is a full-blooded, through-the-dunes links layout that challenges and inspires in equal measure.

Occupying a stunningly unspoilt and natural setting, several holes run alongside the "Big Strand" (beach) of Laggan Bay. If you are not gazing out across the bay to the open Atlantic, you'll probably be facing inland where extensive peatlands lead up to Islay's small mountain ridge. In the far distance two of the three "Paps of Jura" can be seen, pudding-bowl mountains that are located on Islay's closest neighbouring island.

Willie Campbell's design weaves its way through impressively towering dunes. At the par-4 7th the only route to the fairway is to drive up and over a sizeable dune, one of many testing tee-shots required. On a first outing you may be left thinking there are a few too many blind shots to cope with; be assured this feeling ebbs away the more you play these spectacular links.

Many of the superb greens nestle down in sheltered hollows, sometimes (but not always) protected by well-placed pot bunkers. Deep rough is found not too far beyond the rolling fairways; beware, it is often deep and ball-swallowing rather than light and wispy.

More remote than many of Scotland's renowned seaside links, The Machrie makes up for its "splendid isolation" with a wonderfully natural, scenic and pleasantly challenging layout. All the ingredients are here for a most memorable golf break, where some enthusiastic golfers have been known to go round the course three times in a day. After all that golf, nothing goes down better than a dram or two of the local "peaty" whiskies (Laphroaig, Ardbeg and Lagavulin among them!).