The contract for the development of the Machrie Golf Links Hotel on Islay has been awarded to CorraMore Construction Ltd, which is based in Draperstown, Northern Ireland after a competitive tender process. The company has established a reputation for excellence in the construction industry throughout the UK and is currently involved with several prestigious projects throughout Scotland.

Machrie Golf Links and Hotel Director, Sue Nye said; “We are excited to announce that CorraMore has now started work on the new Machrie hotel and lodges. The iconic location on Laggan Bay deserves a great hotel and a remodelled championship links course and we look forward to welcoming our first guests in 2018.” CorraMore Director, Adrian McIvor, said; “It is an honour and a privilege for CorraMore to have been selected to be part of such an exciting development on Islay. We look forward to working with the design team to deliver a project of which we can all be proud”. continue reading....

The Machrie estate was bought by Gavyn Davies and Sue Nye in 2011 from administrators with the intention of preserving the historic appeal of the famous golf course, while renovating the hotel and clubhouse facilities to become one of Scotland’s prime golfing destinations for golfers and nongolfers alike, as well as being accessible to the residents of Islay. The Machrie went into administration in 2010 due to a lack of potable water and insufficient investment in repairs and infrastructure. A new connection to the main Scottish Water supply is currently being constructed.

Gavyn’s connection to Islay comes through his past experience of playing golf at the Machrie and when the estate became available, he and his wife, Sue decided to make the move from London to take on the project. The couple’s daughter, Rosie, is a professional golfer and both sons are in higher education in Glasgow.

Hudson Architects led by Anthony Hudson have redesigned the existing hotel’s core with the addition of a new south facing wing, as well as four newly-built lodges to provide 47 en-suite bedrooms. There will be a new restaurant and bar open to the public with a west-facing terrace and private dining options offering magnificent views of the golf course and Laggan Bay. The courtyard will offer facilities for weddings, events and dinners. Sue told the Ileach that a lot of people on Islay to whom she has spoken, have hosted or attended an event at the Machrie in the past and her hope is to recreate a venue that is once more used by the community for celebrations and other events.

Businesses will have access to a conference room with audiovisual facilities as well as a 30 seat raked cinema for presentations which will also be used for film evenings and a cinema club. Golfers and residents will have access to a gym, sauna room and spa treatment area as well as a golf shop and locker rooms.

The Machrie Golf Course, originally designed by Willie Campbell in 1891, has been substantially altered on many occasions in the past century and has now been extensively remodelled. The upgraded 6800 yard links course will be fully open for play in 2017. A new driving range, short game area and indoor Golf Academy will be completed by early 2018.

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published with kind permission of the Ileach Newspaper