Turnberry is toughened up for the 2009 open

Published on Monday 28 April 2008 23:59

DUE to host the Open for the first time in 15 years next summer, the new-look Ailsa links at Turnberry, which is both longer and tighter, will be given a test drive by the game's leading unpaid golfers when the Amateur championship returns there from 16-21 June.

Always regarded as the most scenic course on the Open rota, Turnberry has yet to host Tiger Woods and a new generation of players. The stumbling block which prevented an earlier return centred on road transport concerns that were only alleviated when a team of traffic management consultants found a solution to the Maybole bottleneck.

Once it became possible for spectators to attend the 2009 championship by car with relative ease, the Royal and Ancient decided work was required in order to toughen a links which last hosted the game's elite when Nick Price thwarted Jesper Parnevik in 1994.

Although there was never any doubt the Ailsa would regain its place on the rota, Peter Dawson, the chief executive of the R&A, explained why the process had taken longer than expected.

"The Open hasn't been back to Turnberry since 1994 and in that time the links, which is a resort course that caters for visitors, was in need of attention for a major championship," he explained.

"Work needed to be done and we're very pleased that the people at Turnberry were willing to allow us to undertake these improvements. I'm delighted with the way things have worked out and believe we have a good test there. It's narrower, longer and tougher.

"Perhaps the most noticeable change is at the 16th which is now a dog-leg left-to-right. It's an alteration which (changes the angle] and makes the second shot to the green over the burn much harder. That change has also allowed us to take the tee back on the par-5 17th quite significantly.

"Another difference is a new tee on the third which is much further back on the top of the hill. There's also a tee which is 20 yards back of the one we used last time on the 18th. Perhaps the most spectacular alteration, though, is the new tee at the tenth where the players are going to have to hit their drives over more of the water . One of the great advantages of having an Amateur before an Open is that you can see if what you've planned works. So, some late tweaks could be possible, but I don't anticipate much changing now.

"We have softened one or two changes to bunkers on the first in an effort to get the balance right between risk and reward. If you're tempted to go with a big shot, then the chance is there. As ever on a links, it will depend on the wind."

Deepening the visual appeal of the links as well as adding to the difficulty, the new tenth tee was constructed beyond the halfway house to create a dramatic drive. Situated on a steep crag of rock close to the lighthouse and the remains of Robert the Bruce's Castle, the championship tee requires a 220 yard carry to the fairway straight over Bruce's cave.

If the tenth is the most dramatic of the six new tees on the course, the championship tee on the par-5 seventh is also notable for helping the links flow into the seaside dunes. Fencing has been removed to add to the sense of being part of nature.

In terms of heightening the difficulty of the Ailsa – Tom Watson as well as Price won at Turnberry with 72 hole totals of 268, the lowest winning scores for an Open in Scotland – the key changes have taken place at the 16th, 17th and 18th holes.

The 16th offers a fresh challenge. By moving the fairway left, the re-modelled par 4 has become a 458 yard dogleg which approaches the same green from a far trickier angle.

In turn, this meant it was possible to build a new back tee for the 17th which stretches a previously vulnerable par 5 to 558 yards. With the 18th tee shifting to the left of the 17th fairway, it's expected the alterations to the last three holes will add a stroke and a half of difficulty to the finish. As well as introducing 227 yards of length, the par 70 Ailsa now measures 7,224 yards compared to 6,967 in 1994, 21 new bunkers have also been sprinkled around the links, taking the number of traps at Turnberry up to 85.

Believed to be a takeover target for Dubai World, the United Arab Emirates state owned leisure company, it's thought Starwood hotels and resorts, the American owners, will only sell the property if they can negotiate the right to continue managing the hotel and golf courses. In other words, they want an investment partner to spend money on updating Turnberry and possibly build a fourth course alongside the Ailsa, the Kintyre and the Arran.