|
|
|
 |
| |
TURNBERRY
(Ailsa Course) - AYRSHIRE
W
FOUNDED: 1946
DESIGNER: Mackenzie Ross
CHAMPIONSHIP LENGTH: 6,976 yards
PAR: 7O
SSS (Course Rating): 72
TYPE: Links
While the worldwide recognition commanded by Turnberry is due mostly
to the Ailsa course, it should not be forgotten that the Arran course
is also a fine test of golf. With a par of 69 and a yardage of 6,276,
it is definitely worth a visit. There is however, little doubt that
the jewel in the Turnberry crown is Ailsa.
Beginning life as the property of a railway company almost one hundred
years ago, Turnberry, having been used as a wartime airfield, was
on the verge of extinction by 1946. Cue the timely intervention of
course architect Mackenzie Ross, who transformed the property into
what has become one of the world's finest golf courses.
More perfectly manicured than most Scottish courses, this coastal
stretch of holes, intermingling turbulent dunes and rocky crags, represents
links golf at its best. Named after the landmark rock "Ailsa
Craig", holes four through eleven on the Ailsa Course, which
play alongside the sea are among the most beautiful and demanding
as anywhere in the world.
With holes framed by sand dunes and flanked by craggy rocks, the imposing
Turnberry lighthouse stands stoically bearing witness to the many
seafarers who have come to a watery grave off the rugged coastline.
The closing 7 holes, though slightly more inland, are none the easier
for that, while holes 15 through 18 can make or break your score.
That the weather often changes by the hour only serves to augment
the challenge of this superb course.
Turnberry's graduation to the envied ranks of host to the British
Open came in 1977, where Watson and Nicklaus went head to head in
what became known as the "Duel in the Sun". Though Turnberry
has since hosted the Open twice, with both Norman and Price laying
claim to the Claret Jug, little compares to the drama of that final
day in 1977, when Watson claimed a one stroke victory over his great
adversary. As Hubert Green, who finished 3rd some ten strokes behind
Nicklaus, said "I won the Open — those guys were playing
a different tournament".
|
| |
|
