A golfing podcast has sung the praises of Askernish golf course in South Uist but raised a red flag about ferry services to get there.

Calling their round at Askernish a “pilgrimage” to the Old Tom Morris course, the fulsome review contained a caveat about CalMac.

“Sadly, the news on the ground was less romantic. The unreliable and poorly ran Cal-Mac ferry service which has hit Uist hard, meaning the regular flow of people travelling through Uist and up to Harris has dried up in recent months, which means a significantly lower number of visiting golfers,” comments the Cookie Jar Golf review.

“It’s a real shame, given the work that has gone into building the course, for things like the public transport to be so detrimental.”

Playing the Askernish had been an ambition for years as it is a “mythical Old Tom course” lovingly restored by Martin Ebert, Tom Doak and others as a labour of love.

The review continues: “The first six holes all feel fairly uneventful; however when the v-shaped valley opens up on the 7th tee, you start to really get a sense for what this is all about and what Old Tom would have seen in the landscape all those years ago.

“The 8th was a wonderfully natural short-4 with the saddle green, and the back nine is a rollercoaster of elevated tee shots and crashing dunes.”

However, after ticking off Askernish from their bucket list, Cookie Jar Golf was left to ponder about the South Uist golf course.

“One thing we couldn’t help but wonder as we drove away was the sheer expanse of the land and the remote nature of the island. A big site and a lot for a modest greenkeeping budget to maintain, in a corner of Britain which is highly reliant on the ferry system to support its economy,” their review concludes.

“Hopefully, the ferry service gets resolved sooner rather than later, as it would be a great shame to see fewer people making this trip.”