volume 4:
Carradale Golf Club
Tracks Less Taken
Carradale sits quietly on the eastern edge of Kintyre, looking out across the Kilbrannan Sound towards the Isle of Arran. From the higher ground, the sea opens up in wide sweeps, the island rising and fading with the light. It feels less like a destination course and more like a place that belongs exactly where it is.
Founded in 1906, Carradale was laid out on open farmland, shaped with a light hand and left largely to the land itself. It is a nine hole course, but one that rarely feels small.
Each hole carries its own character, moving across heath, gorse and gently sloping ground. The greens are modest, the hazards natural, and the margin for error narrower than first impressions suggest.
Course Reel
The Pudding Bowl
This is golf that rewards attention. Wind shifts across the Sound and plays tricks with distance. Shots that feel safe can quickly unravel if struck without care.
There is a quiet confidence to the routing, asking for placement and restraint rather than repetition or force. The sixth hole, known locally as the Pudding Bowl, captures this perfectly. A simple idea, shaped by the land, and memorable long after the score is forgotten.
Play with the landscape
Carradale has always been closely tied to its community. From its early days welcoming summer visitors to its honesty box green fees today, the club operates on trust and shared respect for the game. There is little separation between golf and place here. You play within the landscape, not against it.
Tracks Less Taken exists to document courses like Carradale. Ones that do not seek attention but reward it. A round here feels less like an event and more like a quiet conversation between land, sea and player.
Course Details
- Designer: Austin MacKenzie
- Established: 1906
- Par: 34
- Yardage: 2,700 yards
- Location: Kintyre
- 55°20'49.6"N 5°38'20.0"W