The Wee course
The great Scottish links usually have a second course. At the Machrie, we have created the Wee Course, a six-hole golfing playground with no bunkers and just a second cut of rough. No lost balls! It’s just a two-minute stroll from the hotel – perfect for an hour in the fresh air at any time of day.
A course for everyone where anyone of any ability can learn to play golf.
DJ's Wee Course design principles
“Many of our hotel guests might not have played golf before," says course-designer and two-time European Tour winner David J. Russell (DJ). "I wanted it to be like going to a ski resort when you haven’t skied before – you can visit the Machrie and learn how to play golf without being intimidated by the main course. The Wee Course is the perfect spot for children to enjoy their first taste of links golf. What I love to see is great-grandparents out there playing with their great-grand-kids.” There’s no need for families to have a full set of clubs or a bagful of balls. And no stuffy dress code either.
Golfers of all standards can develop short game skills without having to negotiate lengthy par 4s and forced carries. Experiment with bump-and-runs and low punch shots and see if you can get up and down from the grassy hollows.
For everyone to play
D.J. Russell says: “I’ve played the Wee Course with major champion Ian Woosnam, the 1991 Masters winner. He loved it."
“The winner of each hole got to choose where we went next. That could be as much as 210 yards from the 3rd tee to 6th green or just a short pitch – it can be anything you want. The two golfers were winning Ryder Cup Captain and Vice Captain when Europe beat the US by the record margin of 18.5-9.5 at the K Club in 2006." The records do not show whether Russell beat Woosnam that day on the Wee Course!
But both emerged smiling. “Isn’t this this what golf is really all about? It’s golf as it should be,” said Russell.
Flexible play
While there is a prescribed routing each day, we can present four different courses – the James Braid, the Harry Vardon, the JH Taylor and the Willie Campbell on different days. And, if you have the facility to yourselves, you can play from any tee to any green – giving a potential 36 holes to choose from.