Askernish Golf Club

Golf Course Review

In total, there have been five iterations of Askernish Golf Club. From Old Tom Morris to Tom Doak, we detail the course's evolution below.

Old Tom Morris' Askernish Golf Club

In June 1891, Old Tom Morris and Horace Hutchinson traveled to South Uist, Outer Hebrides, and laid out Askernish Golf Club for a wealthy landowner in 1891. The original course was abandoned and transferred into a crofting tenure land in 1922.

The 12 Hole Golf Course

In 1936, regular air service from Renfrew to Askernish was established and a 12 hole course was laid out on the machair. The 12 hole course was in play until 1938 when the regular flights ceased with the course slipping into disrepair.

Dr. Robertson's Golf Course

A third golf course was established in 1956 and lasted until 1982 after the prime motivator, Dr. Robertson, left the island.

Modern Day Foundations Re-Laid

In 2002, Colin MacGregor began cutting the grass and soon had 9 holes to play on. Gordon Irvine heard of the course and arrived in December of 2005 to inspect the site and establish the credibility of the Old Tom Morris design.

The Modern-Day 18 Hole Askernish Golf Club

Returning in March of 2006, Gordon Irvine, Martin Ebert, Chris Haspel, and Adam Lawerence returned to find the original Askernish Golf Club design. On a single day, the architects looked for the original green sites and then routed the course. In total, it is reckoned four of the original greens were found and have been included in the new routing. The rediscovered course was laid out in the typical Old Tom Morris fashion of 18 stakes on a Sunday afternoon.

The modern Askernish Golf Club course opened for play on August 22, 2008. Since then, Tom Doak and Mike Keiser have made further tweaks, fine-tuning the design.