Askernish Golf Club, the "Ghost Course"
Askernish Golf Club is located on the south end of South Uist, an island in the Outer Hebrides, 40 miles off Scotland’s west coast in the Atlantic Ocean. It’s here, that in 1891, Old Tom Morris was summoned to design and build a golf course on a sporting estate of the day, where it functioned until the 1930′s. The land is comprised of a vast range of sand dunes, fifty feet or more in height, bordered by a pristine white sugar sand beach, more than 20 miles long, with the Isle of Barra as a backdrop to the south, and the mountains of Beinn Mohr and Hecla to the east. Quite a stunning setting for a golf course, one that rivals any I’ve played, including Royal County Downs!
Askernish, better than Ballybunion?
The course was turned into an airfield which the RAF used during WWII, after which a 9 hole golf course was fashioned on the property without utilizing the original Morris design, which sat dormant until 2008. The locals, thinking that reviving the golf course might help in drawing tourists to the island of 1,800, contacted golf course Master Greensman Gordon Irvine, and architect Martin Ebert to visit the course and assist in restoring the original layout. While the main part of the course was cleared to create a military airstrip, restoring the original holes with the sandhills was impossible. They did find a number of former green complexes that appeared to have been leveled in the past through the remaining dunes, and determined the original routing. Holes 7-12 are routed dramatically through the massive dunes that string along the Atlantic, with the return to 18 of the same terrain through the dunes, but without the Atlantic alongside. The first six holes are somewhat of a mundane start, on less dramatic land, but a good warm-up for the challenge through the dunes. The par 5 6th, in fact is named Runway, as it was apparently routed over the former landing strip, and while its extensive fairway accepts most errant drives, it doesn’t prepare one for the challenge of the coming attractions. Even my generally errant drives found the short grass on the Runway!
With the Isle of Barra as a backdrop, and the Atlantic Ocean, and the white sandy beach to the west, it's stunning to say the least
The course is modest at 6,164 yard, par 72, with some strong holes along the Atlantic, especially with the prevailing wind, and I guarantee you won’t better your handicap here. While it might not be a precise restoration of an Old Tom Morris layout, the preponderance of blind shots, rumpled, fairways, natural green sites, and massive dunes may yet make a believer out of you. Much like some other great British Isle courses, it begins and ends without much fanfare. But, oh the middle will take your breath away. It may the only Tom Morris designed course existing today that hasn’t been touched or modified, much like playing a course saved in a time capsule.
If you make the journey to Askernish, it's likely you won't see another golfer all day!
One of the joys of playing Askernish, is that you will be joining a select few golfers, outside of the Hebrides who will ever make the journey. It was a full six hours for me to travel to the course after landing in Stornoway, and driving the Isles of Harris and Lewis, picking up the ferry to South Uist, and driving 40 miles of one-lane roads to Askernish. Once there, I camped a few days at the Polochar Inn, a 10 minute drive from the golf course, and set on the beach overlooking the Atlantic and the Isle of Barra. Fortunately for me, this Gaelic speaking land of the Hebrides counts English as their second language, so communicating was no problem, that is, if I’d run into any people to talk to! Checking out the guest registry at the golf club, I discovered that Mike Keiser, the owner of Bandon Dunes in Oregon had been there two days before my visit. His comment, ” Beautiful golf course, better than Ballybunion.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself!
