Machrihanish lies near the southern tip of the Kintyre peninsula, about 20 miles of sea from Northern Ireland, and that remoteness is part of the appeal. The links wraps around Machrihanish Bay, and the round starts with a drive across the corner of the beach, an opening hole Jack Nicklaus is widely quoted as calling the best in the world. The club welcomes visitors all year, sells day and week tickets, and its 9-hole Pans course is cheap enough for an evening loop. In 2026 it marks 150 years since it was founded.
The Machrihanish Golf Club green fees and tee times.
Book visitor tee times online through the club’s booking hub, or call the professional’s shop on 01586 810277. Online booking is for men with a handicap of 28 or less and women with 36 or less; golfers without a handicap must be able to play to that standard. Talk to the shop before booking if you plan a long stay, because online bookings are not refunded once confirmed. Under the booking terms, cancel more than 60 days ahead and you can move the date or get half the green fee back; inside 60 days you can only move it. Golfers in a party can be swapped if the newcomers meet the handicap rule. Scottish Golf members get 30 per cent off Championship Course fees, but must call the shop before booking online and show proof of membership on the day.
INDICATIVE GREEN FEE · CHECKED NOVEMBER 2026From £95
Current card, low season (November–February), 18 holes. Mid season (March and October) is £120; high season (April–September) is £160, £120 after 4pm, £240 for a day and £650 for a week. The 2027 card rises to £99 low, £140 mid and £175 high. Scottish Golf members get 30% off.
Low season, Nov–Feb, 18 holes
£95
Mid season, Mar & Oct, 18 holes
£120
Mid season, day ticket
£190
High season, Apr–Sep, 18 holes
£160
High season twilight, after 4pm
£120
High season, day ticket
£240
High season, week ticket
£650
Pans Course, 9 holes, all year
£25
2027 low season, 18 holes
£99
2027 mid season, 18 holes (with £20 food voucher)
£140
2027 high season, 18 holes
£175
2027 high season, day ticket
£260
2027 high season twilight, after 3pm
£125
Prices change by season and booking route, so confirm the current rate with the operator. Official rates ↗
The round, in perspective.
A group of golfers met at the Argyll Arms Hotel in Campbeltown in 1876 to found the Kintyre Club, playing ten holes under Prestwick’s rules. Charles Hunter, Prestwick’s professional, extended the course to 12 holes. In 1879 Old Tom Morris took it to 18 and moved the opening tee to where it is now. J.H. Taylor made minor changes in 1914, and Sir Guy Campbell another set after the Second World War. It is a traditional out-and-back links, par 70 from the regular tees, with both par fives early on the back nine. The 1st, 2nd, 17th and 18th sit on lower ground, cut off by a burn. The 3rd plays straight at the sea with Jura behind, and holes 5 to 9, known as the gauntlet, punish loose driving.
Know before you go.
Handicap
28 or less (men), 36 or less (women), or equivalent standard
Buggies
Book with the pro shop; last 18-hole hire 1.30pm (noon Nov–Mar)
Clothing
No football shirts on the course or in the clubhouse
Clubhouse
No hats inside; open to visitors 48 hours either side of your round
Shipping clubs
Do not send clubs ahead by Ship Sticks
Dogs
Not allowed on the course
Make the trip work.
Fire destroyed the old clubhouse in December 2018, and the new one opened in early 2021 with a restaurant and bar overlooking the course and the bay; booking a table is strongly advised in summer. Visitors and their non-golfing companions can use it for 48 hours either side of the round, and the locker rooms are open from 7am to 10pm. A Trackman swing room can be booked. The 2,376-yard Pans course, once the ladies’ course, runs beside the Championship Course with tiny greens. Ask the shop about maintenance work, which may run from late September into October.
Loganair flies from Glasgow to Campbeltown in about 40 minutes, with two flights each weekday and one on Sunday in summer, and the airport is ten minutes from the club. By road, Glasgow is about three hours away via the A82 and A83, and Edinburgh about four. CalMac sails from Ardrossan to Campbeltown from Thursday to Sunday in roughly three hours. The Citylink 926 bus from Glasgow takes about four hours.
The Ugadale Hotel, with 22 rooms, stands beside the first tee, and the two-bedroom Ugadale Cottages sit beside it. Both belong to the Machrihanish Dunes resort, as does the Old Clubhouse Pub next to the golf club. Campbeltown, about five miles east, has more rooms, including the resort’s Royal Hotel on the harbour, along with B&Bs and the town’s distilleries.
Make a trip of it.
Machrihanish Dunes is next door, so two links in a day is easy. For a week or more, the club suggests its Associate Membership, open to people living outside the PA28–PA31 postcodes. Dunaverty Golf Club at Southend, near the end of the peninsula, is about half an hour south. Off the course, Campbeltown has three working distilleries, Springbank, Glen Scotia and Glengyle, and the beach beside the 1st runs for miles north.
Find your season.
High-season rates apply from April to September; on the current card twilight starts at 4pm, and on the 2027 card at 3pm. From November to March, buggies and electric trolleys must go out by noon and be back by 4pm. Summer clubhouse hours started on 17 April in 2026. The 2027 card adds a £20 food voucher to mid-season green fees.
The current card is £95 in low season (November–February), £120 in March and October and £160 from April to September, with a £650 week ticket in summer. The 2027 card is £99, £140 and £175, with a £260 summer day ticket. Scottish Golf members get 30 per cent off.
Why is the first hole at Machrihanish famous?
The tee shot has to carry the corner of the beach, at an angle across the shape of the hole. Long hitters can cut off more sand for a short iron in. Old Tom Morris moved the tee there in 1879, and Jack Nicklaus is widely quoted as calling it the best opening hole in golf.
Do I need a handicap to play Machrihanish?
For online bookings men need a handicap of 28 or less and women 36 or less. If you do not have a handicap, the club asks that you can play to an equivalent standard. Any golfer swapped into a booking must meet the same limits.
How do you get to Machrihanish from Glasgow?
The quickest way is the Loganair flight to Campbeltown, about 40 minutes. Driving takes around three hours by the A82 and A83 along Loch Lomond and Loch Fyne. CalMac’s Ardrossan–Campbeltown ferry runs from Thursday to Sunday and takes about three hours.
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.
