9, 12 or 18 holes?

During its existence, the course at Shiskine has been 9, 12 and 18 holes. Given its surroundings, it is not hard to see why they ended up with 12. The land formed part of Drumadoon Farm and the adjoining area is still used for farming. The strip of links land running out to the promontory in the Kilbrannan Sound is fast and firm.

Perhaps surprisingly, Shiskine is the only proper links course on Arran. There are 7 courses on the island, all of which are on or near the coast. They are, however, characterised by soft and springy turf, except for Shiskine. The course is not only on high-quality land, it is also great fun and has stunning views.

The club dates back to 1896 and Willie Fernie (then the club pro at Royal Troon) laid out the original 9 holes. This was extended to 18 in the early 1910s, but part of the land was reclaimed for farming during WW1. Willie Park redesigned the course in the 1920s but kept the total to 12 holes. Shiskine is very proud of its 12 hole layout (even incorporating it into its logo) and can happily claim to be the best 12-hole course in the world.

Arran – a golfer’s paradise

Golfers on the west coast of Scotland often overlook the Isle of Arran, and therefore miss out on Shiskine. Personally, I think that is a huge mistake. Despite my current quest, golf is not just about getting a bag tag from the famous championship layouts – it should be fun. Arran’s courses have this in spades. They are also short and can be played in relatively short time. Even those who are not interested in playing 36 holes in a day will want to play these courses again and again.

There are three 18 hole courses, Shiskine, two 9 hole courses and a 9 hole pitch-and-putt. I would highly recommend both of the 9 hole courses (Corrie & Machrie Bay). The 18 hole courses at Brodick and Whiting Bay are well-kept, but not particularly memorable. Lamlash, however, has interesting routing through the wooded in-land areas, great elevation changes and stunning views over Holy Isle and the Firth of Clyde.

For those creating a West Coast itinerary, I would recommend starting in Ayrshire, budgeting an overnight stay on Arran and travelling onto Kintyre. Even if you only played on Arran for a day, you could easily manage 3 or possibly 4 of the courses. Leave the courses on the west of the Island (Machrie Bay & Shiskine) until afternoon/evening for the best light.

The Course

I have played the course twice and had phenomenal weather on both occasions. The 12 holes comprise 7 par 3s, 4 par 4s and a solitary par 5. It measures a fraction under 3,000 yards from the whites and 2,800 yards from the yellow tees. Curiously, the pro was insistent that play should be from the yellows when I played this year.

The par 3s are varied and include three blind tee shots. The white tees on the 5th are at the furthest part of the course and stretch the hole to over 240 yards. A small burn runs across the course and comes into play on the 2nd and 9th. Both shots are blind and so it is easy to get caught out if you don’t know where you are going. The bunkering is sparse, but clever: the centre-line bunker on hole 2 and green-side bunker on hole 8 being great examples.

The greens are impeccable and are as good as any at the championship tracks on the Ayrshire coast. In fact, as you will see from my recent visit, they are very slick!

Hole 1 – Road Hole

A bridle-path runs along the left side of the first hole, which is a straight par 4. Anything left of the path will end up no the beach, but the ideal tee shot will be on the left side of the fairway. There is plenty of space to the right, but this leaves a blind shot to the green.

Similarly, the approach should be played to the left centre of the green. Anything long will be lost into the bushes, so you should use the ground and run the ball on. The green slopes towards the water, so if you do bail out right you will be pitching onto the down-slope.

Hole 2 – Twa’ Burns

The 2nd hole is as far inland as you get. It is a par 4 which runs adjacent to the farm on the right of the property. Over the fence is out-of-bounds. This is another relatively short par 4 and, as mentioned above, there is a centre-line bunker. This is on the upslope at about 220 yards. The best play is to lay up ahead of this, which will leave about 130 to the green. Walk up to the top of the ridge to get an idea of the pin position. The advantage of trying to get beyond the bunker is, however, that you will have a much better look at the green. If you are in the bunker, however, you will not be going for the green.

The burn runs in front of the green, so you will need to make sure that you take enough club. There is a bit more space on the left, if you are going to miss. Long right will have you in the bushes!

Hole 3 – Crows Nest

The fun continues with a short par 3. The green, however, is set 30-40 yards above you on a platform beneath the huge rocky out-crop which dominates the course. There is plenty of space on the platform, but the green itself is quite small.

There are two markers on the ridge, which give you an indication of the right edge and the left edge. When I played, the left marker was an actual flag, which was a little confusing. Anything left of that would have been in danger of running off into the bushes or falling back down the slope. The slope is from right to left, as you look from the tee.

Hole 4 – The Shelf

Take a moment to admire the view. This is the high spot on the course and the views around are stunning. This is a par 3 that is the precise reverse of the previous hole. This time, however, everything is in view and on a still day it is a fairly straightforward hole. The green is on a very exposed part of the course and so when the wind blows club selection becomes rather more challenging.

Once you have descended from the shelf, there is a large green with plenty of space on all sides. There are no bunkers or other hazards.

Hole 5 – The Point

If plans for a new deep-water pier at the point had progressed, there would never have been a course here. As it is, the point became the 5th hole at the far end of the course. From the white tees, this is a ridiculous par 3 that stretches out to over 240 yards. When I played here the first time, it was into the wind and was playing longer than all of the par 4s!

The yellow tees are rather less dramatic, but still require a good tee shot to find the green some 195 yards away in the corner of the course. There is a forced carry over some rather pretty purple heather, but that should not be an issue for most players. Once over the heather, there are a few small undulations and then everything feeds down to the green.

The green is set on a slightly raised area which falls away to the back.

Hole 6 – Shore Hole

As the name suggests, the par 4 6th hole plays back along the shore. The hole is basically straight, but the fairway winds first to the right and then back to the left. The closer you get to the green, the narrower the fairway gets.

There is a decision, again, to be made – the right side of the fairway gives the best view and angle of approach, but brings the beach into play. If you go left and try to play it safe, you will have a more difficult approach and will likely have an uneven lie. The undulations get more extreme the further left you are and will push your ball towards the heather.

The green is beautifully framed in a little punch-bowl. The putting surface itself, is, however slightly raised with run-offs on the left, right and back.

Hole 7 – Himalayas

Another blind par 3. Named after the original Himalayas hole at Prestwick (which of course was also originally a 12 hole course), this requires a similar leap of faith. Check the number and trust your club! There are no hazards once you get over the dune, but there is a bit more space right than left. When you have played your tee shot, I thoroughly recommend heading up the dune. The views (again) are great.

The green itself is quite small and slopes from front right to back left.

Hole 8 – Hades

After a few fairly challenging holes, the 8th is a bit of light relief. It is a drivable par 4 and, at 220 yards, plays shorter than the par 3 5th! The only difficulty here is making sure you get the right line off the tee. If you are slightly too far right, the deep pot-bunker at the front right of the green. Anything left will run out into the bushes and heather.

Once you get up to the green, there is loads of space to the right. The positioning of the bunker means, however, that you will likely need to chip over it. The green runs away from you and so is difficult to hold.

Hole 9 – Drumadoon

The only par 5 on the course can be a scoring opportunity or a real challenge. It all depends on the wind. The first time I played here, the wind was blowing and I couldn’t get to the green with 2x 3woods and a 3 iron! This time it was rather easier.

The main challenge once is the second shot. At 370 yards, it should not be difficult to clear the burn in two, but the wind can play a big part in the decision. The burn is only about 110/120 yards short of the green, so if in doubt there is a safe option. There is also gorse that runs almost the entire length of the hole on the right side.

The burn is in a ditch as well, so just be careful with your yardage if you do lay up. Once over it, the terrain rises back up to a green that is on a little plateau which slopes from right to left. There is also a false front to the green, so make sure you take enough club to get it up onto the main level.

Hole 10 – Paradise

There are 3 contrasting par 3s to finish. The tee box at the 10th affords excellent views across the beach and the bay. This is a medium length hole which plays downhill and so slightly shorter than its yardage.

The green is protected by 3 bunkers . Long or short right are the best places to miss.

Hole 11 – The Hollows

The Hollows is a very tricky hole. It measures just short of 200 yards, and requires a very good tee shot to hit the green. The main reason is that you will need to carry the ball all the way. Committing to a shot of this distance when it is totally blind (and with no markers) is not easy.

When you get to the top of the first dune, you realise that you need to get up the next one before you get to the putting surface. This double-dip means that anything landing short of the green will stop in the upslope and potentially run back to the bottom of the hollow.

The green is in a punchbowl and has a ridge which runs across the middle. Once over the ridge, everything feeds to the back-left.

Hole 12 – Kilmory

The finishing hole is the shortest hole on the course. The tee box is next to the tennis courts and is slightly raised. There are two bunkers which protect the entrance to the green and a further bunker at the back left.

Short is better than long here, if you are going to miss, as the green falls away on all sides from the back.