Fractional Ownership Alongside Scottish Links and “The Way Golf Began”

In southwestern Scotland, on the tip of the Kintyre peninsula – called the Mull of Kintyre – sits the village of Machrihanish. Here in the “very cradle of Celtic Scotland,” the waves of the Atlantic Ocean crash into the shore and the air is thick with the sea.

And here, where land and water meet, is Machrihanish Dunes, a golf course reminiscent of The Way Golf
Began. These 18 holes hearken back to the original Scottish meaning of the word links: a golf course situated along coastal dunes, which is the oldest style of golf in the land where the sport was invented.
The area itself has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest by an independent public body
whose goal is “to protect and improve the natural environment and encourage people to enjoy and get
involved in their surroundings.”

Indeed, the surroundings here in Kintyre are captivating: Craggy cliffs alternate with smooth beaches, rolling hills meet green fields, and views of both Ireland and England compete for the traveler’s gaze. It was this area that Paul McCartney and Denny Laine immortalized in the song, “Mull of Kintyre”:

Mull of Kintyre
Oh mist rolling in from the sea,
My desire is always to be here
Oh Mull of Kintyre

Given the beauty of the surroundings, it is quite understandable why Kintyre Development Company Limited is creating fractional residences here. But it is the seaside golf that is truly at the heart of the resort.

A Golf Heritage
Machrihanish Dunes Golf Club opened to the public on 2 May 2009, and is the first 18-hole links golf
course to be built on the west coast of Scotland in 100 years. Course Architect and Scotsman David McLay
Kidd, who is internationally acclaimed for his design of Bandon Dunes in Oregon and The Castle Course at St. Andrews, created the 7,175-yard course that features six greens and five tees at the ocean’s edge.

Machrihanish Dunes shares sea views with the adjacent Machrihanish Golf Club links (which was designed by legend Old Tom Morris and in 2008 was ranked 39th in Golf Digest’s “Top 100 Courses Outside the U.S.”). What’s more, five of the world’s top courses are within a 35-mile radius, with four having hosted the Open Championship. Courses including Turnberry, Prestwick and Royal Troon in Scotland, and Royal County Down and Royal Portrush (the only Irish golf course ever to host the Open Championship)


The rest of this article is for registered users only.
Login now using the right hand sidebar or select "Create An Account" to register FREE for full access to all articles, groups and forums.

Tags: Bandon Dunes, David McLay Kidd, Fractional Ownership Articles, golf, kintyre, Kintyre Development, Machrihanish Dunes, mull of kintyre, Old Tom Morris, Oregon Fractional Property, Prestwick, Real Estate Scotland, Royal Troon, Scotland Fractional Property, scottish links, Southworth Europe Limited, St Andrews, The Castle Course, Turnberry, Ugadale Hotel and Cottages