Paul_Stewart
Tour Rookie
The penultimate course on my tour and the No.2 course at Turnberry. Played it at 5.30 and had no problem getting on and could easily have played the championship Ailsa course again if I had wanted. The cost of the Kintyre is £95 (£50 after 4pm). The Ailsa is £150 (£75 after 4).
The Kintyre is mainly to the right of the Ailsa as you look away from the clubhouse and hotel towards the sea. It has all the same stunning views and the two courses run parallel at the end of the round.
After a gentle par-5 start, the gorse-lined fairways kick in to keep you on the straight and narrow from the 3rd to the 5th and then a lovely fir-tree lined hole at 7. But this just prepares you for the most stunning golf hole I have ever played.
As you walk up the hill from the 7th green, you feel the wind hit you and the sun and sea hit you at the same time as you smell the sea air. It's total sensory overload and you then have a short par 4 towards the horizon and a generous fairway.
The final 100 yards are all downhill to a green set into a cove with the sea lashing the rocks behind the green. It's a true masterpiece of a hole and makes the Kintyre worth playing just for that experience. Had I not been running out of time, I would have gone back to play the 7-8-9-10 loop all over again.
There are enough long par-4s to make scoring difficult but the greens are not as fierce as the Ailsa and the rough not so penal. But there are enough pot bunkers to keep you interested and the final two holes run parallel to the championship course to bring you back home.
Turnberry is worth playing on a summer evening and the twice I have now been there, I have been fortunate enough to experience perfect weather. The Old Course at St.Andrews may be No.1 in my listing but Turnberry is 1a and the Kintyre has the best hole of all.
SOME PICTURES OF THE COURSE
http://www.flickr.com/photos/52763424@N03/sets/72157624702199228/
The Kintyre is mainly to the right of the Ailsa as you look away from the clubhouse and hotel towards the sea. It has all the same stunning views and the two courses run parallel at the end of the round.
After a gentle par-5 start, the gorse-lined fairways kick in to keep you on the straight and narrow from the 3rd to the 5th and then a lovely fir-tree lined hole at 7. But this just prepares you for the most stunning golf hole I have ever played.
As you walk up the hill from the 7th green, you feel the wind hit you and the sun and sea hit you at the same time as you smell the sea air. It's total sensory overload and you then have a short par 4 towards the horizon and a generous fairway.
The final 100 yards are all downhill to a green set into a cove with the sea lashing the rocks behind the green. It's a true masterpiece of a hole and makes the Kintyre worth playing just for that experience. Had I not been running out of time, I would have gone back to play the 7-8-9-10 loop all over again.
There are enough long par-4s to make scoring difficult but the greens are not as fierce as the Ailsa and the rough not so penal. But there are enough pot bunkers to keep you interested and the final two holes run parallel to the championship course to bring you back home.
Turnberry is worth playing on a summer evening and the twice I have now been there, I have been fortunate enough to experience perfect weather. The Old Course at St.Andrews may be No.1 in my listing but Turnberry is 1a and the Kintyre has the best hole of all.
SOME PICTURES OF THE COURSE
http://www.flickr.com/photos/52763424@N03/sets/72157624702199228/
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