In many circles black sheep might be shunned, Not at Argyll’s ground breaking Machrihanish Dunes Golf Course on the Mull of Kintyre.

These black sheep are Machrihanish Dunes’ first flock of Hebridean sheep, recruited as part of its ongoing commitment to managing the course through environmentally friendly maintenance practices.

Native to the west of Scotland, Hebridean sheep are a breed of small black sheep which are hardy and thrive on the rough grasses found amongst the dunes.They’re often used as conservation grazing animals to maintain natural grassland habitats and are particularly effective at scrub control, having a strong preference for browsing (obviously comfortable online as well) and are able to thrive on grazing that would be considered poor quality for other breeds.

The sheep will play a key role in thinning out the rough and maintaining other areas of the course where mowing is not permitted due to environmental restrictions on this Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSi).

‘The Hebrideans arrived without incident last week and have adjusted beautifully to their winter home here at Machrihanish Dunes’, says Greenkeeper, Keith Martin. ‘This is no ordinary golf course and the sheep are proof of that. They provide a useful tool in conservation management as we continue to maintain a sustainable and natural golf course’.

Hebridean sheep were once widespread in the west of Scotland. They were gradually replaced with modern breeds such as the Scottish Blackface and the Cheviot. They died out on the mainland and eventually also on the Hebridean islands themselves.

However, flocks of black Hebridean sheep survived as ornamental animals on various estates in England and Scotland, and these were identified in 1973 by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust as being in need of conservation. Since then the breed has been revived, and is no longer regarded as rare – it is kept in many parts of the world.

Background information: Machrihanish Dunes is located on 259 acres of pristine links land in Machrihanish, in Argyll’s Mull of Kintyre in Scotland.

Machrihanish Dunes is the first championship links golf course built in Scotland on a Site of Special Scientific interest (SSSi) in over 100 years.

The course won the Best Sporting Facility Award in the ForArgyll 2008 Awards; and in July, Machrihanish Dunes celebrated its Grand Opening with understandably ecstatic reviews of the golf course and its breathtaking natural layout.

Recent articles on the course can be found on the website, The Way Golf Began.

Related Posts

• Machrihanish Dunes’ masterclass in first class inclusive marketing (3)
• VisitScotland Drive it Home golf campaign launched (1)
• £7.4 million funding for two key Kintyre hotels (10)
• Big day for golf in Argyll and in Scotland: Machrihanish Dunes opens (2)
• Diseased: The Herald’s golf scribbler on Trump’s Balmedie course (2)

---

The Latest News from ForArgyll delivered via email, weekly or daily. You know it makes sense!

---

Comments (rss) | Respond | Ping | | Print This Post