Beyond the Claret Jug

Scotland is home to some wonderful championship venues, but as Mark Alexander explains, even greater riches lie beyond

Rolling and rustic, the 15th at the Askernish Golf Club on South Uist

Askernish Golf Club

On South Uist, where 20 miles of brilliant-white shell beaches run continuously down the west coast of the island, the pure love of golf has inspired a group of enthusiasts to resurrect a lost course. Lying roughly 60 miles west of the Scottish mainland, somewhere towards the outer extremities of the UK, a golf course has been built by hand on a pristine stretch of stunning linksland. Most importantly, it has been built by those who treasure the game and its origins.

Records show that Askernish Golf Club stretches back more than 120 years to the time of the grand master of golf himself: Old Tom Morris, who first conceived the twists and turns of this enigmatic place in 1891. But after years of neglect, this historic plot returned to grazing until a chance discovery by master greenkeeper Gordon Irvine a few years ago. Inspired by the tales of Old Tom, Irvine enlisted the help of some esteemed friends and resurrected the track with spectacular results. The rest, as they say, is history. www.askernishgolfclub.com 

The scenic 11th hole at the resurrected Askernish

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