FairwayDodger
Money List Winner
Situated on the coast some sixteen miles south of Ayr, the Turnberry resort is a golfer’s paradise; provided, that is, you experience the sort of weather we were fortunate enough to enjoy during a long weekend break in mid-February.
A stay in the famous red-roofed hotel does not come cheap but there are deals to be had; we opted to take advantage of an offer which gave us a fourth night free after paying for three. Although the rate was higher, the vista from our large and luxurious sea view room overlooking the clubhouse, courses and the Ailsa Craig, after which the “Ailsa†course is named, was quite spectacular and I was glad to have chosen it.
The customer service ethos throughout the resort really is superb. Throughout our stay we felt like valued customers for whom the staff could not do enough.
There are plenty of dining options on the resort and we enjoyed meals in the “1906†restaurant and less formally in the hotel bar and the “Tappie Toorie†in the clubhouse.
In addition to the championship “Ailsa†course, Turnberry offers the eighteen hole “Kintyre†and nine hole “Arran†courses.
The Ailsa is the jewel in the crown, four times the venue for the Open it is a superb links of interesting holes which will test your golfing and course management skills to the full, always surveyed by the iconic lighthouse. Take the 16th for example, a long par four with a fairway that sweeps left and then right before dropping down to an undulating green guarded by the eponymous “Wee Burnâ€. You simply must find the fairway to be able to take on the challenging approach shot to carry the burn and hit the green. With the sun shining and benign wind conditions, my round on the Ailsa was one of the most enjoyable I have ever played; a real treat.
The Kintyre is a decent track but suffers in comparison to its bigger brother. Tighter but less interesting it’s worth playing but you’d probably enjoy a second round on the Ailsa more than your first on Kintyre. There are a number of good holes on it, however, the most memorable being the first, “Barley Rigsâ€; a dog-leg left that, for me at least, is a genuine three shot par five. Once again a good drive is essential to enable the second shot to carry the burn meandering across the fairway and leave a wedge to the green. Having pulled that sequence off you can imagine my annoyance at the three putts that resulted in a bogey six.
The Arran is a short nine hole track; mainly flat it includes five par threes. Although not noteworthy in its own right, this proved an excellent facility since my partner has recently taken up golf so was able to play nine holes in relaxed fashion and experience some of the aspects of links golf for the first time. We were able to access this course without prior booking and, when not busy, they are quite happy for you to go round twice for your green fee.
Remarkably for the time of year and considering the weather we’ve had over the last eighteen months all three courses were in excellent condition. The greens were undoubtedly not at their quickest but were true and fair. A large number of bunkers on the Kintyre were GUR due to waterlogging but there were no such issues on the Ailsa the following day.
Other golf facilities include the range (complimentary balls provided when playing any of the courses), short game area, putting greens and a pitch and putt course.
Finally, after a great day’s golf, what better way to unwind than in the hotel’s spa? A quick swim, sauna and relax in the jacuzzi watching the sun sink slowly behind Ailsa Craig. Perfect.
A stay in the famous red-roofed hotel does not come cheap but there are deals to be had; we opted to take advantage of an offer which gave us a fourth night free after paying for three. Although the rate was higher, the vista from our large and luxurious sea view room overlooking the clubhouse, courses and the Ailsa Craig, after which the “Ailsa†course is named, was quite spectacular and I was glad to have chosen it.
The customer service ethos throughout the resort really is superb. Throughout our stay we felt like valued customers for whom the staff could not do enough.
There are plenty of dining options on the resort and we enjoyed meals in the “1906†restaurant and less formally in the hotel bar and the “Tappie Toorie†in the clubhouse.
In addition to the championship “Ailsa†course, Turnberry offers the eighteen hole “Kintyre†and nine hole “Arran†courses.
The Ailsa is the jewel in the crown, four times the venue for the Open it is a superb links of interesting holes which will test your golfing and course management skills to the full, always surveyed by the iconic lighthouse. Take the 16th for example, a long par four with a fairway that sweeps left and then right before dropping down to an undulating green guarded by the eponymous “Wee Burnâ€. You simply must find the fairway to be able to take on the challenging approach shot to carry the burn and hit the green. With the sun shining and benign wind conditions, my round on the Ailsa was one of the most enjoyable I have ever played; a real treat.
The Kintyre is a decent track but suffers in comparison to its bigger brother. Tighter but less interesting it’s worth playing but you’d probably enjoy a second round on the Ailsa more than your first on Kintyre. There are a number of good holes on it, however, the most memorable being the first, “Barley Rigsâ€; a dog-leg left that, for me at least, is a genuine three shot par five. Once again a good drive is essential to enable the second shot to carry the burn meandering across the fairway and leave a wedge to the green. Having pulled that sequence off you can imagine my annoyance at the three putts that resulted in a bogey six.
The Arran is a short nine hole track; mainly flat it includes five par threes. Although not noteworthy in its own right, this proved an excellent facility since my partner has recently taken up golf so was able to play nine holes in relaxed fashion and experience some of the aspects of links golf for the first time. We were able to access this course without prior booking and, when not busy, they are quite happy for you to go round twice for your green fee.
Remarkably for the time of year and considering the weather we’ve had over the last eighteen months all three courses were in excellent condition. The greens were undoubtedly not at their quickest but were true and fair. A large number of bunkers on the Kintyre were GUR due to waterlogging but there were no such issues on the Ailsa the following day.
Other golf facilities include the range (complimentary balls provided when playing any of the courses), short game area, putting greens and a pitch and putt course.
Finally, after a great day’s golf, what better way to unwind than in the hotel’s spa? A quick swim, sauna and relax in the jacuzzi watching the sun sink slowly behind Ailsa Craig. Perfect.
