I Boarded An Exclusive Charter Flight To Explore Two Of Scotland's Most Dramatic Links Courses

Long before I had heard of Royal Dornoch, one other links course held true pilgrimage status for me. It was the early 1980s, I'd just got into golf and my two pals and I were flicking through a golf publication – maybe even Golf Monthly – when we stumbled on a photo of Machrihanish on the Kintyre peninsula. We knew we just had to go there.

Somehow, as a trio, we never did, and it took me another 15 years to finally do it solo. I can't remember the exact reason for the delay, but looking back, I wonder if the course's inaccessible location lay at the heart of it.

We couldn't afford to fly back then, and looking at Google maps, it's ten-and-a-half hours by road from Sussex even now, so a fair bit longer in those days, with the M25 not yet complete and several other major routes not quite what they are today.

Which is what made my latest trip to both the Old Tom Morris original links and the 21st-century David McLay Kidd newcomer at Machrihanish Dunes all the more appealing.

We flew direct from Gatwick into Campbeltown on an hour or so's charter flight, from where it was then just a piffling ten-minute drive to Machrihanish Dunes' very own accommodation at the Ugadale Hotel and Cottages almost opposite the 1st tee of the original Championship links.

This charter flight was clearly a big deal as we were made to feel like VIPs on arrival, with two young bagpipers playing us into the terminal to be welcomed by folk from Machrihanish Dunes and the wider community who had worked hard to make the charter flight a reality... and to enjoy a whisky from the local Glen Scotia distillery.

After an enjoyable meal in the Ugadale Hotel's Kintyre restaurant, I retired to one of the cottages ahead of a not-too-early battle with the original Old Tom Morris links next morning. A real talking point here is the world-famous drive across the beach on the fairly long par-4 opener, which moves gently right to left.

In my eagerness to avoid playing from the sandy beach, which is in bounds, my ball didn't move gently right to left and my bail-out right left me too much to do.

After the intriguing 2nd, which plays across a burn and up to a raised green, we were into what many feel is the best run from the 3rd to the 8th, with some even hailing it one of the best links stretches anywhere.

It is undoubtedly enormous fun as you play over tumbling fairways with occasional blind shots that leave you not quite sure where you should be going... and not quite sure if you can execute successfully when you do find out!

Later on, a bit of downtime presented the chance to play the club's nine-hole Pans course for the first time, thus advancing my ‘courses played' count by one. It was beautifully presented, with a mix of sporting chances and tougher tests.

Next day it was over to Machrihanish Dunes, which, although abutting Machrihanish in places, requires a ten-minute drive. Blessed with even better weather than on day one, we set out on this real adventure through the dunes via McLay Kidd's attention-grabbing greens.

Yes, it's sometimes a bit of a walk from green to tee through the fescue, but while this may add slightly to round times, who isn't trying to get their step count up these days?

At one with nature

The back nine perhaps just edges it on account of three holes – 11, 15 and 16 – playing along the shore, but the wonderful par-3 5th boosts the front nine's claims with its gorgeous backdrop across Machrihanish Bay towards town. It comes hot on the heels of the extraordinarily narrow green on the temptingly short par-4 4th.

It is just a gloriously natural environment in which to play golf and I'm not sure I've ever been so aware of near-constant bird song throughout a round.

Add in glimpses of the beach, ocean and islands beyond if you venture slightly left as you play those late shoreside holes, and it really does have the ability to transport both body and soul to a far better place.

After the round, our tour bus ventured inside the adjacent airbase to the Gaydon Hangar, which is now home to the Campbeltown Bond, a warehouse that can hold up to 40,000 whisky casks on high-tech racking which allows rapid access to any cask, however high or deep it is stored.

Further local (particularly strong) drams were taken and, as a big whisky lover, this sophisticated operation, still in its fledgling days, fascinated me. I look forward to revisiting as other elements of the project, such as a tasting room, shop, bottling plant and even accommodation, come on line.

After dinner in the Kintyre restaurant, everyone (even the Scots!) retired to the bar for the England-Norway World Cup quarter-final.

Despite being buoyed by the result, tiredness had caught up with me, so I opted for a leisurely breakfast and just nine holes next morning back at the Dunes, where we took on the back nine once more and I surprised myself by playing quite decently despite low energy levels.

The peninsula's golfing appeal is enhanced by three other fun courses, all of which I'd played previously – Dunaverty at the southern tip, which now has quite a reputation among aficionados, the nine-hole Carradale on the eastern side looking across to Arran, and another nine-holer at Tarbert in the peninsula's northern reaches.

The two Machrihanishes plus this supporting cast make Kintyre ideal for an all-encompassing golf trip, especially if access were just a little easier.

You can do it via a two-ferry hop or long drive from Glasgow airport, both of which are beautiful, but how much more golf could you get in if you could fly direct from London, or American visitors could connect on arrival at Edinburgh?

Future hopes and plans

Indeed, with Southworth, Machrihanish Dunes' owners, being granted planning permission in 2024 for a second course plus accommodation on site, there's every reason to believe that, with better flight connections, the best is yet to come for this relatively remote western peninsula.

Ian Ferguson, the resort director at Machrihanish Dunes, explains that the Charter Flight Series (two more flights were successfully completed after my visit) came about after they had presented an outline business case through MKA Economics (a specialist socioeconomic impact company) to Transport Scotland last year.

“Transport Scotland formally responded by stating there is no evidence of unmet demand,” Ferguson says. “This conclusion was based on the existing twice-daily flight from Glasgow, which uses a 16-seater aircraft, operating at less than 50% capacity during the season.

"This aircraft is a Public Service Obligation (PSO) flight, designed to provide quick and direct access to Glasgow from Campbeltown for local people to access health care.

“From our perspective, it has obvious limitations when catering for tourism, not least the weight restrictions, especially since golfers will always have their clubs with them.

"Quite often, golfers and their bags are off-loaded and driven to Campbeltown by taxi if the weight threshold is reached.

“The ball was back in our court, so we had to prove that demand exists. We decided to charter three flights from Gatwick at the start, middle and end of the golf season, to prove our theory on demand.”

Ferguson tells me Southworth underwrote the flight costs plus 50% of a security solution at Campbeltown airport as the security had been taken out about five years ago, with Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) contributing the other 50%.

Scheduled flights from Edinburgh to Campbeltown are one goal, with Ferguson explaining that 14 flights a day arrive into Edinburgh before 11.30am, and that he believes there is strong demand for a connecting flight to Campbeltown early afternoon.

“The passengers will not all be golfers,” he admits. “Campbeltown offers tourists much more, including a world-class whisky experience at Springbank and Glen Scotia, with more distilleries in the pipeline.

"We also feel there is demand to fly to Campbeltown from London, again for golf, whisky and general tourism. The success of The Charter Series has now proven this.”

Machrihanish Dunes' expansion plans would benefit hugely from improved air connectivity, but Ferguson believes local people also crave better access to the Scottish and English capitals, and it would also prove a key economic driver for all of Kintyre. With improved access, I reckon I'd be up there golfing far more often.

Sacred turf

Three more of my maiden golfing outings that I feel truly warrant ‘pilgrimage' status...

● Royal Dornoch

I have surprisingly little recall of my first trip to this hallowed golfing ground, but it was before my time at Golf Monthly, probably in the early 1990s – maybe too early for me to fully appreciate the quality of this renowned links.

Randomly, one thing I do remember is that I stayed in a small hotel called Burghfield House, which I believe now operates as a training hotel.

● Royal St George's

My debut at this Kent coast links came when I was a member of the Association of Golf Club Secretaries in the mid-1990s and the club had kindly offered me a courtesy round.

I was told that they could just about get me on at 1pm but was so excited I got there at 11am and sat in the spike bar with a coffee looking out towards the 1st tee. Not a soul teed off between 11am and 1pm! I've loved Royal St George's, with its rolling fairways and constant changes in direction, ever since.

● Muirfield

My first visit to the Honourable Company at Muirfield was about 15 years ago on Golf Monthly Top 100 UK&I course ranking duty with then editor, Mike Harris. We played with the secretary, Alistair Brown, and I remember being unusually nervous.

Mike likes to say that I hit it between my legs off the 1st tee. It wasn't quite that bad, but it was a low squirter out of the heel that probably had Mr Brown wondering who on earth he'd just let out onto his sacred turf. The lunch was, of course, fabulous.