The Machrie: 2026 Access and Booking Update
The Machrie is the links reborn on the great sweep of Laggan Bay on Islay, the Hebridean island as famous for its whisky as its golf. For 2026 the course and its hotel run under the Another Place name, with the links on fine form.
The news: an island links under new ownership
The Machrie on Islay enters 2026 under the Another Place hospitality group, which now operates the hotel and the links together as Another Place, The Machrie. For travelling golfers that means the whole visit, golf, rooms and dining, comes as one booking on an island that already draws pilgrims for its distilleries.
Islay sits off the west coast of Scotland, reached by ferry from Kennacraig on Kintyre or by a short flight from Glasgow, and the Machrie is its golfing heart. The combination of a serious links, a comfortable base and eight working whisky distilleries within driving distance makes this one of the most distinctive trips in British golf.
The course: a Hebridean links remade
Golf at the Machrie dates to 1891, but the modern course is the work of the former tour professional and architect DJ Russell, whose full redesign reopened in 2017. It plays as a par 72 stretching to around 7,000 yards along and through the dunes of Laggan Bay, with a separate short Wee Course, a range and practice areas added at the same time.
Russell kept the wild, tumbling character that made the old Machrie famous, with blind shots and rumpled fairways, while smoothing the rough edges that had dated it. The greens are bold and the dunes are huge, and the Atlantic light over the bay gives the place an atmosphere that few inland courses can match.
How to play it in 2026
To play the Machrie in 2026, the natural approach is to stay at the hotel and book golf as part of the visit, which also smooths the ferry or flight logistics of reaching the island. As a guide, the 2026 green fee is around 185 pounds and includes access to the Wee Course and the practice facilities, with reduced rates for hotel residents. Treat these as indicative for 2026 and always confirm directly before booking.
The season runs from spring to early autumn, with May, June and September offering the firmest turf and the longest daylight. The island weather is changeable and the wind is ever present, so pack for four seasons in a day and treat a calm afternoon as a gift.
Our take
Our take is that the Machrie is one of the most complete golf escapes in Britain, a genuinely good links, a stylish base and a whisky island all in one. The new ownership should only sharpen the welcome, and the remoteness that puts some golfers off is precisely the point.
If you are planning a 2026 island trip, build it around several nights at the Machrie, a round or two on the links and a tour of the Islay distilleries, with Machrihanish across the water as a natural extension. Tell us your dates and group, and we will route the ferries, the tee times and the drams into one easy itinerary.
Plan your Islay golf trip
From the Machrie links to the Islay distilleries and Machrihanish across the water, tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge builds and costs the island trip, ferries included.
Questions
Can visitors play the Machrie on Islay in 2026?
Yes. The Machrie welcomes visiting golfers, and the simplest approach is to stay at the hotel, now run as Another Place, The Machrie, and book golf as part of the visit. The island is reached by ferry from Kennacraig or a short flight from Glasgow.
What are the green fees at the Machrie for 2026?
As a guide, the 2026 green fee is around 185 pounds and includes access to the Wee Course and practice facilities, with reduced rates for hotel residents. Treat these as indicative for 2026 and always confirm directly before booking.
Who redesigned the Machrie links?
Golf at the Machrie dates to 1891, but the modern course is a full redesign by the former tour professional DJ Russell, which reopened in 2017 along with a short Wee Course and practice facilities.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course, access and fee details verified June 2026 from club, resort and golf travel sources; conditions and green fees change, so always confirm directly before booking. Last reviewed June 2026.