I'm very familiar with parts of Orkney having helped run a business for a couple of years there. But I haven't done any of the Scottish islands on the west coast. A friend and escapee from Twitter, whose frequent holiday pictures I devour on Instagram, is a regular visitor to Arran.

"It’s my favourite place, maybe ‘cos I grew up just across the water from it so I’ve always felt attached – but it’s really beautiful, and there’s loads to do."

There was loads to do. Surprisingly so. It makes returning to Arran even more attractive, whether with fellow sicko golf buddies, friends, family – or a mixture of all three. Red squirrels? Check. Scenic walks? Tick. Good food and country pubs? Aye. Peaceful and welcoming? Absolutely.

And it turns out, over half a dozen quirky and high quality golf courses dotted around the island, ranging from 9-hole parkland to accessible links. I was unaware – honest! – about any of them, aside from Shiskine scheduled in advance slotted into a family holiday. 12 holes in a couple of hours, nae bother, which we’d on recommendation do twice.

A Scottish guy I caddied for at JCB, on my last day before holiday, told me to book the ferry from Troon toot suite, which I’d been bumping in my to-do list. Douglas also mentioned the greenkeeper at Shiskine, Stewart Fotheringham, who basically lives there, eats his meals there, is always on it. Fair fucks to him – it's stunningly well kept. More on that later. Douglas tipped well, being Scottish, and also told me about Corrie. Maybe Lamlash too but that flew over my head at the time. The views alone from both courses are worth the price of admission, I was assured. He was dead right.

Only staying four nights, and with an increasing non-golf family-holiday itinerary, we managed to slot in nine sunrise holes at Corrie on our first morning. We had the place to ourselves, paying £22 for both me and my son at the cute wee honesty box card reader, which turned out to be extremely fun. And useful.

Fraser had time and space to play his first away course at 12-years-old. Even my wife, Ally, got involved middling a couple of wedges and having a bash with driver. The heather was out and the views on and beyond the course were, indeed, beautiful. The modest track was in excellent condition and exciting to play, to figure out, and to explore. No dress code either and, all things together, a sneaky family favourite. A great start. 

We drove up and down the steep hill which runs briefly alongside parts of Lamlash a couple of times while pootling between places. I'd seen enough to book their 18 holes featuring elevation that makes Cavendish and Rushcliffe look tame. A 4am alarm, on our last full day already including a twilight at Shiskine, to be ready for sunrise, and get back to the family still in their pyjamas by breakfast.  My 25-minute nap on the ferry home the following afternoon was comfortably in the top one.

Out before the greenkeepers, I rattled round Lamlash carrying in under three hours, up, up and down. Not one to walk on a hangover, that’s for sure. Lots of driveable par 4s and long par 3s, extremely scoreable and entertaining to attack. Similarly in great nick and clearly well looked after. Such was the elevation, the views at Lamlash topped even Corrie; Holy Isle and the Clyde in the background. Turnberry and its lighthouse are right there in the distance if you want to add it and other bucket list items on en route. I’ll wait until he’s in prison, or dead, thanks all the same.

Shiskine was the big ticket item. Two twilight rounds back to back the day after each other. The weather was laughably good the entire trip. To the point where you don’t want to be too smug about it. That good. Ally liked Shiskine.

“As a golf noob/normal person, this is by far the best course I've been present at so far. As a spectator it ticked my boxes: sun, sand, scenery, drama, cliffs, geology, wildlife, seclusion, and shortish. On the edge of the island/world, right down in the bottom left corner [of Arran], 12 holes is a far more reasonable ask than 18. Who has the time for that?”

12 holes might, actually, be the sweet spot, you know. It felt the perfect amount of golf.

Shiskine was utterly magical. The short NLU Film Room: Shiskine video – a lovely one, too – will give you a better blow-by-blow of the course. The varied debate on which favourite hole speaks volumes – 4, for me – and a steal at £32 in high summer.

Our first round at Shiskine with all three of us was dampened not by the weather but by navigating a suddenly busy twilight tee sheet with members and visitors. Fraser was tasked with managing his own bag for the first time which would, in theory, allow me more time and space than at home.

We had an amazing time, Ally in tow snapping pictures and taking in the scenery, but I was regrettably on Fraser’s back the whole way to keep up in between shots. Thankfully, he enjoyed it enough to without hesitation want to come back with me again. It was amusing seeing him wrestling with playing, chipping especially, off links turf having had the warning prior.

The second visit was just me and him. Ally had plotted out a walk nearby and we would roughly all finish together. The tee sheet wasn’t as busy and I vowed to not rush and to prioritise Fraser’s experience. We had the best time. Like, seriously. He played really well and had quickly applied a lot of learnings from the previous day, but neither mattered. Shiskine is just incredibly fun, with such conditioning, architecture, and location, made all the more special sharing it.

I was tasked with keeping my mouth shut, only offering advice to my son when asked, which I found extremely difficult on occasions. We had a lovely moment on 10, though, where he asked for a read on a putt, there in regulation, unsure which way it would go. It was tricky – I couldn’t tell until behind it – but reckoned it was dead straight from ~12ft. “Back of the cup.” He hit the putt confidently and drained it. High fives ensued, etc.

The real quiz at the moment seems to be finding, without a hosting member, good value green fees. That’s become increasingly harder since the recent explosion in active golfers post-pandemic, and propped up by the steady influx of Americans happy to pay eye-watering sums. If the cost of a round starts with a £2XX the Americans are immediately interested and, unfortunately, I am immediately not. I simply cannot afford or justify that in most cases.

Arran offers spectacular, great value golf – and more besides. Just hope you are blessed with the weather.

© Thanks, Ally, for the photos. And thanks, Fraser, for snapping the red squirrel.