TURNBERRY
Enjoying sweeping views across the Irish Sea to the peaks of Arran and the famous Ailsa Craig rock, the Ailsa Course actually begins quite tamely but following an excellent 3rd hole it settles into a memorable out and back rhythm, first along the shoreline and then back along the flattened portion of the property. The strength of the links is the impressive stretch of front nine holes, the 4th through 8th, that head along the high dune ridges that shield the layout from the sea. Its most notorious, however, are 9, 10 and 11 which touch the coast and overlook the iconic Turnberry lighthouse.
The 9th is a one-off hole with a blind drive played from a rocky promontory to a hogs back fairway that is almost impossible to hold. The approach must then find a green which falls away sharply on both sides. The next two are good holes on great real estate down by the surf, and as you turn to head back toward the clubhouse, the rest of the layout is an interesting, if somewhat mixed, collection of holes. The first few along the flattened ground are a little dull but the finish, from the short 15th is terrific. It includes a deep snaking burn abutting the built up back-to-front sloping 16th green and a penultimate par five that is reachable, but cleverly positioned at a pivotal point in the round to bite those pushing too hard for birdie.
Turnberry has hosted 4 Open championships, the latest was last year where Stewart Cink ended the fairytale for all golf fans, by defeating Tom Watson in a playoff.
