An island links between the airport and Laggan Bay.
The Machrie sits on the south-west of Islay, on dunes above the long sweep of Laggan Bay, a short taxi ride from the island’s airport. Willie Campbell laid out the course in 1891, and D.J. Russell reshaped it in 2018; the hotel group Another Place now runs it. You come here for an island trip as much as for golf: a hotel on the course with 43 rooms, suites and lodges, a six-hole par-three course, a covered range, and ten whisky distilleries on the island around it. Visitors can book tee times online, and hotel guests pay less.
The Machrie Golf Links green fees and tee times.
Book tee times online through the Machrie’s golf pages, or call the hotel on 01496 302310. There are three price bands: visitors, members of a Scottish club, and hotel residents. The Scottish Golf rate needs your CDH number, which you request by emailing machrie-golf@another.place before booking. Day rates cover as much golf as you can fit in, which suits a summer evening. The Machrie also sells golf days with Loganair flights from Glasgow included, from £285 per person. The hotel does not publish a handicap rule on its fee page; check the booking terms linked from it before you pay.
INDICATIVE GREEN FEE · CHECKED NOVEMBER 2026From £74
Visitor round, 1–15 March 2027, when the course reopens after winter. Shoulder season 2026 (28 September–15 November) is £148; 2027 shoulder (16 March–30 April and October) is £195; summer 2027 (1 May–30 September) is £245, or £365 for a day. Hotel residents pay £150 a round in summer.
Shoulder, 28 Sep–15 Nov 2026, visitor round
£148
Shoulder 2026, visitor day
£232
Winter, 1–15 Mar 2027, visitor round
£74
Shoulder, 16 Mar–30 Apr & Oct 2027, visitor round
£195
Summer, 1 May–30 Sep 2027, visitor round
£245
Summer 2027, visitor day
£365
Summer 2027, hotel resident round
£150
Summer 2027, Scottish Golf round
£170
Prices change by season and booking route, so confirm the current rate with the operator. Official rates ↗
The round, in perspective.
The hotel quotes Willie Campbell, who laid out the links in 1891: “This place was made for gowf.” Russell’s 2018 redesign kept the dunes but brought the course up to modern championship length, over 7,000 yards from the back, with four sets of tees, some drivable par fours and strategic par fives. The hole guide warns that the scorecard yardage can be very misleading, and that a small change in wind direction alters how holes play. On the 5th you play downhill towards Laggan Bay, the 10th green sits among low dunes, and the closing par four, a sharp dogleg right, hides its green until you are within about 150 yards.
Know before you go.
Winter closure
16 November 2026 to 28 February 2027
Buggies
£40 a round, £60 a day; electric Club Car with GPS
Club hire
Titleist sets, £40 a round, £60 a day
Trolleys
Three-wheel push trolley £10
Scottish Golf rate
CDH number needed; email machrie-golf@another.place
Make the trip work.
Islay is a trip to plan around transport. Book flights or the ferry before tee times, and give yourself a spare day in case weather disrupts the crossing. At the course, the covered driving range, short-game area with bunker practice and putting green are useful on a windy morning, and the six-hole par-three Wee course suits beginners and families. The Hebrides is a separate social course for hotel guests. Dinner is at the 18 Restaurant & Bar, and the Wild Garden has wood-fired hot tubs, a cold tub and a sauna.
Loganair flies daily from Glasgow to Islay in about 45 minutes, and the Machrie is a short taxi ride from the airport at Glenegedale. CalMac ferries sail from Kennacraig on Kintyre to Port Ellen and Port Askaig; the crossing to Port Askaig takes about two hours. Kennacraig is roughly two and a half hours’ drive from Glasgow. Pre-book a taxi if you arrive on foot.
The hotel on the course has 43 rooms, suites and two-bedroom family lodges in all, and residents get the cheapest green fees. The hotel closes from 15 November 2026 and reopens on 1 March 2027. Port Ellen, a few miles south, has the ferry terminal and a handful of inns and B&Bs, and Bowmore, the island’s main village, is about 15 minutes north with more guest houses.
Make a trip of it.
There is no other championship links on Islay, so pair the Machrie with Machrihanish and Machrihanish Dunes on Kintyre, which you pass on the way to the Kennacraig ferry. Between rounds, the three Kildalton distilleries of Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg line the road east of Port Ellen, and the island has ten distilleries in all. The Machrie Open is set for 26–27 June 2027.
Find your season.
The course closes from 16 November 2026 to 28 February 2027. The first two weeks of March 2027 carry the lowest fee on the card at £74. Summer rates apply from May to September, when Islay has its longest days and the Fèis Ìle whisky festival brings crowds and early hotel bookings in late May.
Visitors pay £148 a round until 15 November 2026, then £74 when the course reopens in early March 2027, £195 in spring and October, and £245 from May to September. Hotel residents pay £150 in summer, and members of Scottish clubs £170 with a CDH number.
When is The Machrie closed?
The course closes for winter from 16 November 2026 to 28 February 2027 and reopens on 1 March, when the first reduced-rate rounds are sold. The hotel closes from 15 November 2026 and reopens on 1 March 2027.
How do you get to The Machrie on Islay?
Fly Loganair from Glasgow to Islay in about 45 minutes; the hotel is close to the airport. Or drive to Kennacraig on Kintyre and take the CalMac ferry to Port Ellen or Port Askaig. The Machrie sells golf days that include the Loganair flights.
Who redesigned The Machrie?
D.J. Russell, the former European Tour player, redesigned Willie Campbell’s 1891 links in 2018. He kept the dune setting, lengthened it to over 7,000 yards from the back tees, and added four sets of tees so higher handicaps can enjoy it.
Last checked 11 November 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
