Playing Through: As winter strikes Machrihanish Dunes in Scotland, the black sheep hit the links

The Hatch gets hundreds of requests about golf destinations. Where to go, when to go, what kind of golf packages to buy, which are the best courses to play, Scotland or Irelend…you know, the important stuff. One question I haven’t been asked yet? Who tends the greens at Machrihanish Dunes, one of my favorite golf courses in Scotland. Well, add a herd of nibbling black sheep to the list of hazards you have to negotiate at Machrihanish Dunes.

The pros at Machrihanish Dunes say they’ve kicked off their celebration of the Year of Natural Scotland by herding their crew of lawnmowers back onto the course. Their flock of 40 black Hebridean sheep nibble away during the winter months, which cuts down on labor and makes for a pretty cool round. (You can see a video about my recent to visit Machrihanish Dunes here, read more about it here, and in the July print edition of AvidGolfer Magazine.)

Check out the sheep here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wQ52WyzAuME

and my video of the course here: