Big course changes at Mach Dunes

31 October 2011

The green of the second hole has been altered

Extensive course changes will greet visitors to Machrihanish Dunes in Scotland next year.

The course, designed by David McLay Kidd, and opened in 2009, was constructed under severe environmental restrictions, and has been criticised by a number of commentators, who have cited excessive blindness, long walks between holes and the severity of the rough among its problems.

The changes aim to address these issues. Several tees have been moved to improve visibility, while new paths have been cut in a number of areas in order to shorten the walk. Extensive rough management will make it easier for golfers to find their balls, while also aiding the rare wild flowers that flourish in the Machrihanish dune system.

Most radically of all, though, a number of the greens have been altered, and in one case a green has been moved entirely. At the very difficult par four eighth hole, which has a protected wetland between the landing area and green complex, the green has been moved between 40-50 yards nearer to the fairway, reducing the second shot carry.

Other greens that have been altered include the first, second, seventh, twelfth, fourteenth and eighteenth. The dramatic half-pipe green of the drivable par four thirteenth, though, remains untouched. A number of bunkers have been reshaped, and the large, hidden bunker that threatened the second shot on the long par five seventeenth has been removed.