Why this Top 100 course is more than just the world’s ‘greatest’ first hole

When Jack Nicklaus calls the first hole on a course “the best golf hole in the world,” you can bet the place belongs in the conversation among the top 100 in the world. At Machrihanish Golf Club, the opener – The Battery – is risk-reward golf in its purest form: Play conservatively and you’ll face a demanding second course; take a thick line on a long stretch of white sand, and the hole can be turned into a short iron or even a wedge.

That kick-off shot put him on the map, but Mahrihanish’s ranking wasn’t built on a single postcard moment. It’s this sequence of holes – especially the front nine, which unfolds like a masterclass in classic links design – that make the course more than just a pilgrimage for architecture buffs. Mahrihanish proved himself over and over again, hole after hole, in every wind.

In its 150th anniversary year, Machrihanish’s origin story reads like an introduction to Scottish golf. Like many clubs, its original course had fewer than 18 holes. The original course had 10 holes and was known as the Kintyre Club after the peninsula on which it was located. A few years later, the club brought in Old Tom Morris, who fleshed out the course to 18 courses while establishing a memorable first tee location between the current pro shop and the Atlantic Ocean.

Part of Machrihanish’s charm lies in its setting—and the effort required to reach it. On the map, the course is closer to Northern Ireland’s important courses than to many of Scotland’s larger grounds, and reaching this corner of Argyll still feels like an adventure. This remote location has long attracted those seeking an escape. During the height of Beatlemania in the 1960s, Paul McCartney found his version of himself here.

Even the club’s identity fits the place. If there was a World Hundred logo, Machrihanish would make a case for it: its emblem is a simple oystercatcher – black and white with a bright orange beak – native to these shores. Like the course itself, it’s understated, defined, and perfectly integrated into the Atlantic edge.