The Golf
- Shiskine - par 42, 2,787 yards
- GF: 12 holes £40wd, £42we - 24 holes £65wd, £75we
- W: shiskinegolf.com
Almost unforgivably, I only visited Arran for the first time with three good friends in the summer of 2024, despite it having been on my golfing radar for 45 years and only just over the water from the Top 100 courses at Prestwick and Royal Troon. Even in the unseasonably cool and mixed weather we experienced, we loved every minute playing the island's very different golf courses, with the pinnacle being Shiskine on the west coast.
This unique and beguiling 12-holer is roughly a minute from the Kinloch Hotel and is absolutely packed with charm, challenge and charisma. There are a magnificent seven par 3s, a lone three-shotter and four par 4s, two of which will tempt bigger hitters. This is a course that it would be impossible not to enjoy. Do not be put off by its brevity – go round twice! The other courses are also more than worth a visit, prompting me following that visit to reveal the best-value golf pass in the UK. It's gone up a little since then, but it remains a complete and utter bargain.
The Hotel
Arran is a sensationally beautiful island sitting between Ayrshire and the Mull of Kintyre. On its western coast, and owned and operated by the Crawford family for more than 70 years, the Kinloch Hotel enjoys a glorious and peaceful setting in the hamlet of Blackwaterfoot. Its 22 double rooms, eight singles and seven self-catering apartments cater for groups of all sizes, and while four of the golf courses are on the east of the island, The String is a stunning road through the mountains that gets you to Brodick in just 20 minutes.
The rooms are comfortable and quiet, and the hotel is delightfully and stylishly decorated. My friends and I were hugely impressed with the food – both quality and quantity – with different specials on offer every night. We also thoroughly enjoyed rounding off our evenings with a frame or two of snooker and there's a pool and sauna, too. The best testimony I can offer is that we enjoyed the welcoming and friendly service so much that we're going back this summer.
Best Deal
Enjoy two nights bed and breakfast in a sea-facing room for £110pp per night with a £25pp dinner allowance on the first night. It's also worth exploring the Arran Golf Pass, which this year offers a round on each of Arran's lovely courses for a bargain £175.
