Isle of Harris Golf Club Course Review
GF 9 holes: £16; Full day: £26
Par 68, 4,834 yards (two loops of nine)
Slope 111
GM Verdict – A simply magical setting for a game of golf on the west coast of Harris in the Outer Hebrides, which is guaranteed to raise a smile.
Favourite Hole – The 6th – a short, blind par 4 with a bit of a left-to-right kink playing straight towards the beach. Two hidden bunkers await anything leaking weakly right.
Visual drama and fun golf is the order of the day at Harris
This beautiful nine-holer on the west coast of Harris in the Outer Hebrides looks out over Taransay, the island made famous in 2000 by the BBC’s social experiment programme, Castaway. Golf was once played a little further down the west Harris coast, but the club, which dates back to the 1930s, has been at Scarista since 1985 and ranks among the best nine-holers in the UK. As at many of our best island courses, the setting is simply magical. There can be few golf courses anywhere that better conjure up that ‘wonderful to be alive’ feeling on a fine day. It really is fun golf at its very best, yet not to be treated too lightly whether or not the wind is blowing
The setting is still magnificent even when the elements turn a little moodier
It is understandably relatively modest in nature, stretching to under 4,900 yards for two loops, but all the better for it. The setting is simply heavenly, but don’t get any ideas about a Sunday round, for in this ‘off-the-beaten-track’ world, playing our great game on The Sabbath is still prohibited.
There are views out over the Sound of Taransay from every hole
While some may be pressing to get that overturned at Stornoway Golf Club an hour to the north on Lewis in the quest to make the islands a more appealing weekend golfing getaway for visitors, there appear to be no such moves afoot at Harris where everyone seems quite happy with the status quo. You can, however, enjoy life membership for around about the same price (£350) as a peak-season round on Trump Turnberry’s Ailsa Course!
Even at a mere 349 yards, the 9th is the longest of the five par 4s
The course features three cracking par 3s, five short par 4s (the longest is just 349 yards) and a solitary par 5 in the middle. The 6th may just be the best hole and a great birdie chance if you can find the right line to a hidden green as you drive straight towards the beach. But truth is, you’ll probably be too mesmerised by the views, setting and ambience to be overly concerned about the architectural merits or otherwise of the holes you’re playing. On a fine day, opt for the day rate and just keep going round to your heart’s content!
