I think it was all of 20 minutes, wheels up to wheels down from Islay to Benbecula airport on North Uist. It would be our last leg of our Hebrides Squad’s five-day trip. Our destination for this last leg, South Uist and Old Tom Morris’ lost, but eventually found design, Askernish. It would become known as the 1st leg on his Old Tom Morris Trail.

Our pilot, who was all of 10’ in front of us, let us know what was in store as we approached the Benbecula airport on North Uist.

“It is raining heavily down there,” he said. “We’ll grab your bags and you can make a run for it.”

Our scramble was all about fifty yards to the small Airport terminal—and yes we got quite wet. A bit of a precursor to what we would experience when we put the peg in the ground two hours later.

The squad grabbed a table and relaxed as I navigated the transportation. I chatted with the gentleman at the only rental car desk and got the paperwork together. As we went outside to do a run-through of the car and rules of driving on the Island, I sensed that this may not work. I thought we would have five of us and “cram” into whatever they had to make it work. Now that we were a squad of six, he began to shake his head.

“Oh no, sir, that will not work! The law here in Scotland states that every passenger is required to have their own seat belt. I would be breaking the law if I let you rent this vehicle.”

“Is there anything else larger…maybe a van?” I inquired.

“Unfortunately, not.”

We went back inside, cancelled the paperwork and deposit and he said, with a smile on his face.

“I can help you get a ride down to Askernish and/or your hotel. There are a couple van services, let me get you a few phone numbers.”

I let the guys know that we had to call an audible.

It appeared like an all-points bulletin alert made its way instantly to all car services on the Island. Within five minutes we had a huge, 12-seater van rolling up outside.

Background on the Islands & Askernish

The Uist group of Islands consist of North Uist, South Uist and Benbecula which have a total population of ~4,000 people. They are amazing Islands, with beautiful beaches and an abundance of wildlife. Mountains, lakes, ponds, and machair—Gaelic for fertile plain. It is rugged, pure and exhilarating, and the air is fresh and crisp, not unlike a walk in the Rocky Mountains at 10,000 feet.

Askernish is one of the greatest heart-warming stories in all of golf. The golf course was rediscovered in 2002 by Ralph Thompson, a local greenkeeper and golf enthusiast. Thompson suspected that the overgrown land near the island’s machair (coastal grassland) was once part of an old course. Historical research confirmed that the course had originally been designed by Old Tom Morris in 1891 but had fallen out of use and disappeared over the decades.

Thompson met Gordon Irvine who had a golf course consultancy business, in December 2005. On a cold, windy day they walked Askernish, and Gordon showed it to him.

He spoke of Old Tom coming to S. Uist, in July of 1891 for Lady Emily Eliza Steele Gordan Cathcart (1845-1932) to build a course. Horace Hutchinson accompanied Old Tom. Lords and ladies could entertain themselves if they did not want to fish and hunt.

It was abandoned in WWI, as all the men left. It was used for runways for the Royal Air Force and by the Post office in the 1920's.

After the rediscovery, a group including golf course architect Martin Ebert and golf writer Donald Steel helped restore the course, leading to its reopening in 2008 as a revived, authentic “Old Tom Morris” links experience.

In 2009, Mike Kaiser became involved as well and offered his help and expertise to help Askernish to survive. He commissioned Tom Doak to take a look and see what changes he might recommend. His response, per Ralph Thompson was, “I wouldn’t change a thing.”

They sold many lifetime memberships in North America, and Doak and Kaiser were amongst the supporters and financial backers of Askernish.

Askernish is unique in that It has the honor of being the only original ‘untouched’ Old Tom Morris course—never being altered by any other architect. All the others have been altered, updated added to or redesigned—often many times—over decades. Some of his courses have original holes and/or green complexes remaining, e.g., Machrihanish, Cruden Bay, Prestwick, Lahinch, and others but not the original, untouched layout.

In hindsight, I do not know what was more fun, playing Askernish, or our shenanigans at The Borrodale. We were only there for one night, but it seemed like a mini vacation.

We did get there early, pre-lunch and our check-in was quite lengthy. As it turned out, Sheila, the wonderful manager of the inn, had to do some jockeying and gymnastics with the with the reservation. They inadvertently booked us at their sister hotel on North Uist by mistake.

Within thirty minutes, we had six rooms for the night, and a good new friend. Turns out Sheila had visited the US the year prior—making Houston her basecamp. With a determined look and gleam in her eyes, she proudly announced to the group.

“I’m looking to land me a Cowboy who loves horses and wind up back in the States.”

Sam’s reply was equally quick and hilarious.

“Well, Paddy here has a mule!”

Our driver for the 24+ hours that we were on the Island agreed to not only wait for us to take us to the golf course, but also to get us back to the hotel and to the airport the next morning—for a whopping $300, for 6 guys? Scottish hospitality at its best.

We rolled down the access/road, past Lady Cathcart’s old residence and came upon the clubhouse. It truly fits the moment and the course. A tiny, eight hundred square foot, one-room house. Just enough room to accommodate the pro-shop, café/bar with a couple tables and restrooms. It even had a few picnic tables out front. What else do you need?

It made the Dunaverty clubhouse look like a castle.

“You must be the Americans that had a tee time for earlier?” he asked. “I’m glad you made it, usually the rain scares folks away.”

“Couldn’t miss it,” I responded. “I’ve read a lot about the course and its history.”

“Yes,” he continued, “quite a History and an Old Tom classic. So glad it was rediscovered. There is only one group out there, so you will have the course to yourselves.”

We headed out to the first tee as a gang-some, as Woody would call it, six strong, and would finally get to assess our rain gear

As we were prepping for our first tee show, I read this excerpt from the back of my course guide:

“Askernish golf club is one of the most unique golf experiences in the World.

As you will find out, the history of Askernish is one full of mystery, stories, turmoil and intrigue. At the head of this are the people who pioneered golf on the Hebridean Isle of South Uist: from Old Tom Morris in 1891 to the modern-day restorers who continue to develop golf as it should be.

Year round, golf at Askernish is an unforgettable experience set amongst an extraordinary Hebridean landscape. Our island home, untouched by man’s hand, is a haven from the modern world. Playing on our rediscovered golf course, an example of golf as Old Tom Morris would recognize it, is a game you will never forget.

As we welcome you to Askernish and we look forward to seeing you on the links!”

Ralph Thompson, Club Chairman

As we eased into the round, it made me think about how very seldom we (Americans) play in these conditions. I loved it and it certainly makes one concentrate on your swing and be in the moment. The first four holes are non-descript, lifeless holes with not much character.

To get the blood flowing, on hole #3, I walked a bit ahead of the other lads, spun around, and recited a few lines that I had memorized from Billy Collins’ poem about the course:

The hikers come for the air and the sights,
and the anglers are here for the fishing.
But nothing is better under blue skies than when I’m Askernishing.

We had a good laugh and it helped us get in the groove.

As you head up #5 fairway, Marloch, you can feel that you are coming upon the beef and beauty of the course. As we walked off that green and up toward #6 tee, perched over the ocean, we got a fresh jolt of adrenaline.

This hole, called Runway, reveals the magic of Askernish, and is the beginning of the roller-coaster thrill of holes 6 through 16. It is a beautiful, rugged par-5 of 570 yards and is aptly named Runway, paying homage to its use by the RAF during the WWI. Part of our group peeled off after #6 to head back and relax with a few whiskys. David and I made it further through #10, then walked over a dune to play in on 16-18. Old knees and backs can certainly take their toll at some point. Sam and DP made it around the whole track and joined David and I in the clubhouse. They told us the tale of the attack of the killer midges after the rain stopped and the it dried up. The midges won the battle, but they survived to fight another day.

I absolutely loved the stretch of holes from 6 to 10. It wound up, over and around mammoth dunes, with the ocean to our right. At some points we were unsure of which route we were supposed to take—very much like Royal County Down from that perspective. Playing in the rain, this stretch made me feel like I was in a dreamlike, Luis Buñuelmovie.

My favorite holes were indeed, #6 Runway--easily one of my favorite par-fives anywhere, and #16, Old Tom’s Pulpit, a great 363-yard par-four into a blind, punchbowl green.

But the true favorites and winners of Askernish are the dunes and the green complexes themselves. The dunes are towering, more so than any other course in Scotland, and a lot like Ireland. The green complexes are wicked, cool, crazy, and undulated. Wild and natural. More so than any of the other Old Tom courses I have played.

The course does not have a large maintenance staff, and my guess is that they only cut the greens weekly. They use no chemicals and work in close harmony with nature. That is exactly why it is hailed by many environmental experts as the most natural links course in the World.

Another reviewer put it this way:

“One of the game’s most authentic and least tamed playing experiences re-affirms that golf can be simple yet exhilarating. Some of the best holes in world of golf are here, even if it is not expensive to play. Unfortunately, this business model is struggling and words of poor presentation mute the desire to trek to the Outer Hebrides, no matter how compelling the stretch is from holes 6 through 15. Its design has what it takes to be world top fifty if only the green staff could increase to six, or even five, people. Do not miss it.”

My main regret is that we did not play Askernish more than once. In Tom Coyne’s, A Course Called Scotland, he played it four times. Why not! It is, after all, hard to get to.

Here is the other key, when I played Askernish, as well as other Old Tom courses, I tried to put myself in the mindset of Old Tom himself. Do not try to view it and rate it as a Top 100 course, and do not be too concerned that it appears to be ‘rough around the edges.’ Take it for what it is and let your mind wander and harken back one hundred years when they played with hickories and gutta perchas. It is still the same game, and you still need to hit the shots and make the putts on a shaggy green. It is unique, it is wild and fun, and there is nothing better under blue skies than when you are Askernishing.

South Uist: Billy Collins, US Poet Laureate

There’s plenty of reasons to come here.
The salmon’s as good as the drinks.
Some like the whisky, some like the beer,
but I’m happiest when out on the links.
It’s fine to be a student of genealogy,
busy tracing your family’s course.
But the only ghost I need for company,
is the ghost of Old Tom Morris.

The hikers come for the air and the sights,
and the anglers are here for the fishing.
But nothing is better under blue skies than when I am Askernishing.

Billy Collins—an ex-US Poet Laureate--could not have put it better. I, like the poem suggests, do like my whisky, but I am indeed at my happiest when I’m on the links.