Course History:

Dunaverty Golf Club was founded in 1889 and was set up by a small group of founder members drawn from the surrounding farms and community of Southend. The original layout was for an 18-hole course which began on the opposite side of the Burn at what is now the 15th. The Course was completely remodeled and extended before the Second World War when the first clubhouse was sited behind the Wallace Cottages part of Southend Village.

I cannot find any record of this, but I am assuming that if Old Tom originally designed it, he must have done so on one of his follow-up trips to Machrihanish G.C. which was

The Course is sited on ground around Dunaverty Rock, a long-established site for fortification which once sheltered Robert the Bruce. It is most famous for the conflict between warring Clans in 1647 which culminated in the surrender and subsequent massacre of the 300-strong Royalist garrison by the besieging Covenanters. Dunaverty Castle was subsequently raised to the ground and precious little remains.

Despite its violent history, Dunaverty today is a beautiful and peaceful place. The Golf Course itself is that of a traditional natural links, laid out amongst the sandy seascape which links South Kintyre’s farmland to the sea and through which the Conieglen Burn flows and Dunaverty Rock towers above.

As with many courses, Dunaverty fell into disrepair during the War years. There has always been a keen sense of tradition at Dunaverty and in the following years, Colonel Taylor, himself the son of one of the founder members together with several volunteers took responsibility for restoring the Course. Around the same time, George MacMillan was appointed Green keeper to undertake the restoration.

Spectacular views over the landscape, Sanda Island to the south, Ailsa Craig and Ayrshire to the east and a mere 20-some miles Southwest, on a sunny day you can see Northern Ireland.

Course Review:

At the farthest south end of the Kintyre province lies the village of Southend (thus the name) and the wonderful Dunaverty Golf Club. It is a short, scenic 20-minute drive down Route B-842 & 843 from Machrihanish Village and the Ugadale Hotel.

Let me start out by saying Dunaverty is a funky, short, quirky course that is not trying to be anything other than sheer fun. An enjoyable, great walk with stunning beach/ocean views and some incredibly fun holes intermixed amongst four others that are flat, Muni-like, mundane and an afterthought. That said, it is the coolest, most beautiful, fun course in Scotland that most people will never see or play in their lifetimes.

"Hidden Gem" is an oft-times overused term, but in this case, it is more than appropriate as 99.9% of all golfers either have not heard of it or will never set foot on its fairways.

Alcohol consumption is prohibited here (can you say hip flask in your golf bag?), a rule established years ago by the farmer who leased part of his land to the club a few electric fences a la Brora in the Northern Highlands.

At a whopping 4,799 yards from the tips, it is not going to scare good golfers, but that is not the point. It is about the electric fences (a la Brora in the Highlands), beach views, dogs, Dunaverty Rock, punchbowl greens, blind shots, fun par-3’s, breath-taking shorelines and a double-shot of quirkiness.

Unfortunately, on my first trip to Dunaverty (pronounced Dune aaahhh VerTee by the locals) with the Hebrides Squad, our round was cut short by a quick rain shower followed by the revenge of the Midges attack. We were only able to play 1-5 and skipped over to 16-18 after the attack.

Turns out that we missed the best stretch of holes and views on the course, numbers 7-13. I know this might not be the correct analogy, but it is the best “Muni” that you will ever play in your lifetime with a whopping ~$35USD greens fee. If it were near New York City or Philadelphia golfers would line up in the parking lot at 5:00 a.m. to get in the queue for a tee time. The only difference? It has some of the best beach/ocean views in Scotland.

On my latest trip, it was Scooter and Lads, here we come! We were headed south on the crazy, narrow toboggan-like ride that is road B-842 that takes you to Southend. We were ready to revisit our match with the Lads from the previous day at Machrihanish Dunes.

It has an incredibly soft handshake start with non-descript holes—Strangs (a three hundred yard, uphill two-Shotter with a road/driveway dissecting the fairway), and Garrach Dhu (a slightly blind shot 150-yard par 3). Then it starts to get interesting. The third tee sits above the beach with the views south to the Northern Coast of Ireland a mere twenty-five miles away. To the East is a beautiful view of Dunaverty Rock where Robert the Bruce hid from the Brits in the early 1300s.

Hole Number 4, Dunaverty (the rock sits in the background) Is an incredibly fun ~170-yard par 3 with an extreme punchbowl green. You simply pound a mid-iron toward the black ‘n white marker on the hill behind the green and the rim of the punchbowl takes care of the rest and guides your ball down the 25’ slope toward the hole. We had fun smashing putts from the top of the bowl to see how well we could negotiate the walls of the punch bowl.

After number 5, Dalmore, a fun, short 260-yard uphill par four, you get to the middle section of the course that has the most undulation, elevation-change, beach views and quality fun holes.

Holes seven through fourteen were among the most enjoyable stretches of golf holes that we played in Scotland. While they did not match Prestwick, Troon, Cruden Bay, and Royal Dornoch in terms of design complexity and challenge, they offered very distinctive and entertaining experiences. They included the finest par three on the course, #7, St. Andrews, with its tee positioned above the beach. Other notable holes were a punch bowl par 4 (#9, Punch Bowl), an uphill par 3 (#10, Mt. Zion), and two short par four holes, The Cleet (#11) and Brunerican (#12), that collectively totaled all of 543 yards. Scooter and I birdied both.

Number 13, The Cemetery, which lies on the left side of the fairway, was a blast. The #1 handicap hole at only 446 holes, with a tenacious amphitheater green complex.

Rounding out the stretch was #14, Rest and Be Thankful, a long, 194-yard par-3 that demanded a golf shot to hit its green, and come out with par.

Seventeen was a highlight coming in. Named after The Burn that fronted its green, it was challenging and the longest par-4 on the course at 412-yards.

When you finish, do not forget the quaint little clubhouse and the wonderful toasties and fries they serve up.

The only thing I think we might have missed was the 19th hole pub. Is there one in Southend? If you find one, please send me an e-mail and let me know. That said, it is only 20 minutes back to The Ugadale.

Why Play There?

Dunaverty is a links course that I highly recommend to anyone that makes their way South to Kintyre. Sheer fun, and one of the best walks in all of golf! It is a great field trip and compliment to the two Machrihanish courses.

Do not let the 4,799-yard length fool you. That includes only one par-5 and seven par-3’s, all of which, except for number 2 (Garrach Dhu) would fit in well on any great golf course.

Tell your friends about it and take dead aim.

--Old Tam

Course Rating: Par, but if I am rating the walk, views and experience, it is an Ace!