A unique golfing experience awaits close to the sands of Stravannan Bay on the west side of the island, here you will find a hidden gem. Players can enjoy the splendour of seaside golf in a spectacular setting with the dramatic backdrop of The Sleeping Warrior on Arran. Bute Golf Club’s nine-hole Kingarth course provides an opportunity to sample the very origins of the game. The course opened in 1888, making it the oldest on the island and was laid out by David Cuthbert of St Andrews but at the time, the professional at Millport.

The course, although only nine holes, offers an array of challenges from the tricky second over the wall to negotiating the burn at the short third, the captain’s favourite, and the hillocks at the eighth. The course at Kingarth may be short at a 4994 yard par 68 for two laps, but it’s not just great fun; it provides members and visitors with a genuine challenge over a course that asks some demanding shots like the 147-yard par-3 third along the shore where you miss the green at your peril. Indeed, this is a wonderful little tester of a course amid stunning surroundings.