The tide was out when I had the time to capture what some experts have described as, "The finest opening hole in golf". And when the tide is in, it's a daunting driving test. Standing on the beach I was able to capture the feel of the first tee, the starter's hut, the Ugadale Hotel; which has been renovated to its former glory since my visit and on the far left the Ladies' clubhouse which means Machrihanish has two clubhouses.
The Machrihanish Ladies' Club and Royal Troon being the only two clubs known to have separate ladies' clubhouses.
To reach Machrihanish, Old Tom who was the keeper of the greens at St Andrews had to catch a train, board a steamboat and then undertake a long carriage ride.
Today it's somewhat easier to reach Machrihanish. Nevertheless it's still a 3-hour drive from Glasgow and perhaps explains why Machrihanish is not a well-known destination by the international golf community. In fact most Kiwis in my experience when I talk of Machrihanish have great difficulty in properly pronouncing the name. The guys in Godzone just don't get that guttural "Ccccchhh" sound as in Locccchhh Lomond.
Loch Lomond (And don't forget the "Ccccchhh" sound) is one of Scotland's newer golf courses as is Machrihanish Dunes. A course described as, "The way golf began" and David McLay Kidd the course architect says it is golf in its purest form, untamed and raw.
Golfers from Godzone planning on going there please note that Machrihanish Dunes is the way golf began and that includes a lot of blind shots and I've yet to find a Kiwi who likes them. There's an old Scottish expression that goes, "If there's nae wind, it's nae gowf!" To that I'll add, "If there's nae a blind hole it's nae a gowf course."