Shiskine

Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club throws up one of the most unique golfing experiences that you will find on any of the NCG Top 100s lists. 

 

The club, which was founded in 1896, offers up a 12-hole course. It was 9, and then 18, but six of those holes were lost during the First World War, and never regenerated. 

 

Instead, Shiskine now offers a beautiful setting for golf, on the southwest coast of the Isle of Arran, with views over the Firth of Clyde to the Kintyre Peninsula.  

 

  

Visit the Shiskine website here.  

Go Back To NCG's Top 100s Homepage. 

 

The land on which the golf club sits was originally part of Drumadoon Farm. There was a chance that the course would not have been built on the land, due to the possibility of a deep-water pier being built on land adjacent to the 5th fairway. Thankfully for golfers, this did not happen, and Shiskine was constructed. 

 

The course was laid out in 1896 by Willie Fernie, with the original layout being nine holes. Willie Park Jr, another Open Champion, extended the course to 18 holes soon after. 

 

The First World War saw six of the new holes fall into desuetude, and they were never brought back to life. This left Shiskine as a 12-hole layout, something you don’t see very often around the world.  

Despite only being a 12-hole course, Shiskine is still thrown out there with some of the bigger names in Scottish golf courses. There are single holes here that contain more intrigue and excitement than your average parkland course. With hole names like Twa' Burns, Hades and Paradise, Shiskine is simply packed with character. No wonder this is so many golfers' favourite holiday course. Seven of the 12 holes are par 3s, and there is a solitary par 5. The 12 holes in total do not quite stretch to 3,000 yards, which would be shorter than your average nine.  

 

The course begins with a pair of par 4s. The opening hole at Shiskine is played along the coastline of Arran. Drive the ball left and you’ll be reaching into your golf bag for another ball. The 2nd is the hardest hole on the property, with a bunker right in the centre of the fairway. This time, there is out of bounds down the right side, and there is also a cross ditch running in front of the green. It is a tough start for a course that measures less than 3,000 yards. You then come to a run of three successive par 3s – something you will encounter twice in 12 holes.  

 

The 3rd, Crows Nest, sees you play a blind short iron, uphill, to a hollow that seems little larger than a generous soup bowl. There is a green there somewhere. You are never far from the water at Shiskine but the best view comes from the tee at the par 33 4th – a hillside shelf pointing towards the ocean and the Kintyre Peninsula beyond. It's just a pitch back downhill towards the sea before the stunning Point, running alongside the ocean. The 5th is one of two par 3s of more than 200 yards in length, and is usually played with a cross wind. Miss this green and you’ll face a very tricky up and down. Oh! And you’ve got the rock edge on your right as well, just for an extra bit of danger.  

 

The 6th is a drivable par 4 of just 270 yards, but it is blind and there is trouble on both sides, including out of bounds down the right. It might be worth laying up into the fairway which has plenty of bumps and hollows, before taking a wedge to find the green. 7 is another par 3 that plays along the water’s edge, while the 8th is another short par 4. At just 240 yards, some might not even driver to reach the green on the 8th. There is much more room than on 6, so this is a green light! 

 

The 9th is the only par 5 at Shiskine. It measures 477 yards and can be reached in two for the longer hitters. A burn runs across the fairway in the lay-up zone, so you might need to make a decision with your second if you’re playing 9 as a three-shotter. From there, the course closes with a trio of par 3s. The 10th tee provides one of the best views of the area, with panoramic views of the water and the golf course. 11 is the longest of the three, coming in at 200 yards, with the closing hole being nothing more than a flick. At just 120 yards, it is the shortest hole on the course, but there are three greenside bunkers awaiting anything slightly mishit.

Where is Shiskine located?  
Shiskine is the only golf course on the NCG Top 100s: Scotland list that is situated on the Isle of Arran, which is based off the west coast of mainland Scotland – across the Firth of Clyde from Ayrshire. Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club is in the southwest corner of the Isle of Arranwith views across the Firth to Bunlarie and Ballochgair on the Kinytre Peninsula. The A841, which runs around the outer edge of the Isle of Arran, is the main road that services Shiskine. 

 

There is no airport on the Isle of Arran, so the only route to get across to play at Shiskine is via ferry. Ardrossan Harbour is the most popular route to cross to Arran, with ferries travelling to Brodick on the eastern side of the island. Ardrossan Harbour is around 35 miles from Glasgow, while the ferry takes just under an hour to get you to Arran. 

What golf facilities does Shiskine offer?  
Unfortunately, due to the lack of space, there is not a driving range at Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club. There is a putting green by the clubhouse to allow you to get a feel for the greens before taking to the course, though. 

What are the green fees at Shiskine?  
The price of a green fee at Shiskine changes throughout the year, depending on the season. It is also different depending on whether it is a weekday or weekend. 

 

For more information on current green fees at Shiskine visit their website here. 

 

  

Visit the Shiskine website here. 

Go Back To NCG's Top 100s Homepage.