Golf Experiences
Planned to a Tee

The course gives you vast fairways that you can be afford to be aggressive teeing off into. The real test comes on the approaches, where sloping greens narrow entrances and steep runoffs punish the wrong shot selection.
Being around the green leaves you with uneven stances, tricky runoffs and varying sizes of rough and bunkers to content with. As such, you are often better off playing to an approach distance that you are comfortable with and can rely on, rather than trying a bomb and gouge strategy.

Dalmahoy rewards patience more than power, maybe thats because my driver head came off on the first tee (every golfers worst nightmare) and I had no choice but to play that way. The course gives you plenty of chances to score - particularly on the winter set up on the par 5s, but only if you stay focused and don’t chase too early. Fairways are welcoming, but approach angles matter more than you think, especially as the round develops. Pick sensible lines, commit fully when you do go for it, and accept that par is never a bad score here with some of the par 4s clocking well over 400 yards.

Golf has been played at The Machrie since 1891 and you quickly realise what every other golfer who visits has, that brute strength isn’t the main currency here. Distance helps, as it does anywhere, but the Machrie is really about imagination and control. The wind is almost always present, and the ground game is your friend. You’ll need to accept that sometimes the ball will kick in directions you didn’t quite plan but that’s half the fun. Play like Tom Morris, keep it low and keep it rolling & you'll be surprised with the results given how playable the course can be. Regardless of the score you’ll shake hands on 18 with a smile on your face.