ARMED with unlimited resources and 12,000 acres of coastal land to play with, a man known as the ‘Wizard of Oz’ set out to create a spectacular golf course.
After realising his dream, the course is ranked not only as one of top venues in Scotland – but one of the best in the WORLD.
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But those who have actually played it are few and far between, for a number of reasons.
The course we are talking about is Ardfin, on the Isle of Jura in the Inner Hebrides.
The first reason why you may never have seen this place is because of how remote it is.
Jura can only be reached either by helicopter or private jet (for the uber-rich) or by either two boats or a plane and a boat (for the mere mortal).
The second factor is how much it’ll cost you to play there.
But before we dive into that, it’s worth exploring the backstory and indeed the controversy surrounding the course, and the man who owns it.
Millionaire’s playground
When plans were first lodged to build a golf course on Jura, it’s fair to say the natives were restless.
Trouble is, how could a small island with population of barely 250 stand up to a hedge fund manager worth half a billion pounds?
Greg Coffey bought the 12,000-acre Ardfin estate for £3.5million in 2010 and sought to build a private golf course on the site of the old Ardfin Farm, which was no longer in use.
The Australian multi-millionaire also pledged to renovate the dilapidated Jura House but, much to the locals dismay, he also shut down the Jura House Gardens.
And despite promising to reopen them, the treasured walled garden remains closed to the public to this day.
The gardens were part of the island’s heritage and a popular tourist attraction but now, the only visitors to the estate are golfers and shooting enthusiasts – and only ones with the deepest of pockets.
Several locals protested the development and even the Scottish Golf Union (SGU) got involved on the grounds that the country needed more accessible and user-friendly courses, as opposed to restrictive and testing championship-style venues.
While some Jura residents supported the project, there was always a worry that it would never be open to the general public – only Coffey’s mates and invited guests.
And for the most part, that has rung true.
Who is the Wizard of Oz?
Greg Coffey is an Australian hedge fund manager who earned his nickname thanks to his knack for making vast sums of money and was able to retire at the age of just 41.
He made his fortune working in London and along with his wife Ania, owns a ski chalet in Switzerland and a 45-acre estate in New York that used to belong to Anne McDonnell, the first wife of automotive tycoon Henry Ford II.
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More millions to burn
Coffey isn’t the only person with ties to the estate who had millions of pounds to burn.
In 1994, members of British electronic band The KLF infamously BURNED (literally) £1m in cash – recording their stunt from the sanctuary of the isolated boathouse on the Ardfin estate.
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Now 31 years on from that anti-capitalist performance, the boathouse has been renovated as part of Coffey’s investment and it now plays host to the golf course’s halfway hut.
It’s probably the most remote halfway house in the world but perhaps the most lavish too – serving up soup, scallops and fillet steak from within a cosy cottage aesthetic.
Golf’s ‘Miss World’
The quaint boathouse is one of many old buildings on the estate that have been redeveloped under Coffey’s watch.
But the most breathtaking transformation is reserved for the disused farmland on which the course itself is built on.
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It took a while for Coffey’s plans to come to fruition, with the course only opening for play in 2019 (to a select few).
The course is perched on clifftops alongside ten miles of coastline, with some of the holes dropping down towards the Sound of Jura.
Ardfin’s unique topography means it doesn’t fit into anyone category of course. It’s a links course in terms of sea views and terrain (think Kingsbarns in Fife or Bandon Dunes in the USA) but the turf is spongy (due to the heavy rainfall in the Hebrides) but some of the holes are more akin to moorland layouts.
Golfweek described Ardfin as the ‘Miss World‘ of golf, in terms of its beauty.
Bob Harrison, Coffey’s fellow Aussie who had previously worked on astounding courses as part of Greg Norman Golf Course Design, was recruited to bring Coffey’s vision to life.
His work sees the golfer traverse the clifftops, hit shots that could end up on the beach and over ancient stone walls incorporated into the routing.
Along the way are some of the most exhilarating views anywhere in the world, let alone in golf.
The course starts at the manor house and heads east for the first three holes as the golfer works their way along a ridgetop with burns and gorges to carry.
There aren’t too many blind shots at Ardfin but one of them comes off the tee at the fourth, where the direction changes too.
After a pit stop at the unmanned greenhouse that acts as a pre-halfway hut, the mesmerising eighth hole awaits. A short part four cut into a hillside, it’s just about reachable for a big hitter – but not without risk due to bunkers and a small green to aim for – yet equally challenging for those who choose to lay up short of the wall, or try to land their tee shot in between a wall and the bunkers before that guard putting surface.
The next stretch of holes from the ninth to the 14th run along the seaside (with the par three 12th featuring all carry over water) before the closing run from 15 to 18 head gently back uphill towards the centre of the majestic estate.
It’s ranked as the eighth best course in Scotland and the 44th best in the world according to Top100GolfCourses.com.
It was briefly opened to the public in 2020 and again in 2023, but more on that later…
An experience like no other
“Scotland’s most exciting hotel opening…”
“An experience where you can truly get away from it all…”
Just some of the quotes about the Ardfin estate.
If the golf is considered a once-in-a-lifetime event, the overall experience of staying at Ardfin is simply out of this world.
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The hotel is fully deserving of its five stars. The Quadrangle, a converted stables, now houses 13 luxurious rooms plus a bar and dining area called the Atrium and an adjoining Ceilidh Barn where guests can relax, play billiards, and sample a range of whiskies.
And at the more grand scale there is a cinema room, a restaurant (run by a Michelin chef) and pro shop.
A further ten bedrooms are in Jura House and each is decorated with fabrics from local mills, opulent Scottish artwork and marble flooring in the bathrooms.
Also on the estate is a rifle range, tennis courts, kennels and a harbour and some of the extra-curricular activities on offer include clay pigeon shooting, deer stalking, various boat excursions plus dolphin and whale watching.
Oh, and there’s also a helipad on site. Which brings us to our next topic…
Island hopping
You can reach the Isle of Jura multiple ways.
But all of them involve crossing the sea.
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For those with the provisions, you can fly by helicopter from Glasgow directly to the estate.
And if you own a private jet… well, you’ll have to land at neighbouring island Islay and find your way over to Jura.
If you’re travelling by other means, all routes go through Islay.
Driving from Glasgow it’s around six hours to Kennacraig ferry terminal near Tarbert, and a two-hour crossing to Islay which in turn is followed by a ten-minute crossing from Port Askaig to Feolin.
From the unattended boat ramp at Feolin it’s a 20-minute drive on a single track road to the Ardfin estate.
Of course, you can ditch the car and fly via Loganair to Islay and take the naval route from there.
The elephant in the room
If you’ve read this far you’ll have noticed one glaring omission…
A price.
No green fee, no accommodation rate, nothing.
Prices of any kind are nowhere to be seen on the estate’s website.
SunSport contacted Ardfin for comment.
But the latest information is that it will cost you at least £120,000 to experience Ardfin.
In order to play the course, visitors must stay on the estate and there is a minimum two-night stay in the hotel at a rate of £50,000 per night plus VAT.
If you have anything spare (and if you’re dropping £120k on a golf trip you presumably do) then you can rent Jura House out for £24,000 per night, but there’s a three-night minimum stay for that.
You’ll need an extra £125 to cover food costs.
Given the number of rooms on site, Ardfin rarely allows for more than two or three groups of people to stay at any one time.
And, if the owner ever drops in for an impromptu visit, all guests will be asked to leave.
So, can the average golfer play it?
For starters, getting in touch is pretty difficult. The website doesn’t list a phone number and the press enquiries email is no longer in use (instead, you’re met wit ha bounce back email directing you to the inbox they use for invoices).
And it depends on your definition of average but for a period in 2020 and again in late 2023, the course was made available to the public.
In 2020, Coffey opened Ardfin up to visitors for the price of £1,600 a night and £500 on top for golf.
In 2023 it was open for play for charity, allowing another influx of regular punters.
But other than that, Ardfin remains an elusive course to tick off anyone’s bucket list, much like catching a glimpse of the eagles that soar over the Paps of Jura.
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