Turnberry and Ailsa In All Her Glory.....

Today we made it back safely from Dublin to Turnberry here along the western coast of Scotland. We enjoyed our first time in the Dublin area and will certainly make it back there, Good Lord willing. We docked back into Stranraer and headed back up the coast to Turnberry. Kristen had a date with The Turnberry Spa and I was due a round on the newly redesigned Ailsa course. I was anxious to see how things had changed since last I played here. If nothing else, I really wanted to see the changes to the holes around the turn, the 9th through the 12th in particular. When we got back to the hotel, we were pleasantly surprised to know we were put in the Cink Suite, named in honor of Stewart Cink and his 2009 Open Championship win there in Turnberry. One of the cool things about this was that we were there in 2009 when he won. 2009 was the beginning of our love affair with Scotland. The suite was incredible, spanning across over 1000 square feet of ocean view goodness.

The weather at the onset of my round was cloudy and rainy. I was the last one out on the course for the day which is always a cool experience. My goal was to see the new holes and get back to the hotel in time to join Kristen for dinner after she finished up at the spa. Below are a few shots from the early holes on the front nine. I definitely noticed a few changes to the early holes. The first green was pushed back and to the right 20 yards or so making it a much better test to start the round. The 2nd and 3rd were much the same to me. I will take pause to mention the birdie I made on the 3rd. It wasn't' until the 4th and 5th where I really saw some change. The Par 3 4th was a much better hole, with a forced carry of over 200 yards to the green. The Par 4 5th was made into a much longer Par 5 hole. With the wind hard off the left, the tee shot was all you wanted with a hazard sitting off the right side of the fairway. The Par 3 6th was a much different hole from my last round here. Today it played as a 150ish yd Par 3 with a strong wind into . I flighted a 7 iron in there to about two feet from the hole for my 2nd birdie of the front nine. No complaints! After my tap in on 6 the sun began to reveal itself at the percent time. As you will see from some of the shots that follow, the setting here for the 9th, 10th and 11th holes is second to none. What a wonderful job on the redesign. Even if you aren't a golfer, you have to appreciate the beauty of the following......

So much history here...

Par 4 1st hole...Green has been pushed back and to the right, lengthening the  hole quite a bit. Strong start!

Beautiful Par 3 4th. Love the changes and the forced carry.

View from the tee of the Par 5 5th hole. Was a Par 4 the last time I played it. Will still be for the pros when they return for The Open.

View of what I faced for my 2nd shot of the Par 5 5th. What the camera doesn't show is the 25 mph winds!

The Par 3 6th has been shortened and shifted closer to the sea from the tee's perceptive.

View from the side of the 6th tee. 

"Aim small, Miss small"  

Walking off the Par 5 7th tee....

Approach into the Par 5 7th...

View from my 2nd shot into the long Par 4 8th. As you can see, the skies are starting to brighten....

The Good Lord was smiling down on me this day as I made my way to the newly minted Par 3 9th. The sun now shining, it looked as though I would indeed get to see the new holes along this gorgeous coastline in all their glory. Here are a few of my favorites.

The iconic Turnberry Lighthouse

View from the Medal Tee on the 248 yd Par 3 9th. Gorgeous!

Just off the 9th green....

Looking back from the Lighthouse terrace towards the 9th green....

The next series of pictures are taken from the terrace off the back of the Lighthouse. The lighthouse was transformed into a luxurious suite along with one of, if not the finest turn house you'll ever see. Check out the views below.

The view from the Medal Tee off the Par 5 10th...

The approach into the Par 5 10th. Beautiful bunkering here....

Looking back to the lighthouse from behind the 10th green....

Another beautiful Par 3 here at the 11th. They nailed it with these changes....

Green complex here at the 11th....

 With the light fading fast, the Par 4 12th would be my final hole for the day. So thankful for the sunlight that walked me in over these last few holes. The timing worked out perfectly as it allowed me to catch the Air Force Monument right at sunset and then get back in time for a late dinner at "A Duel In The Sun" with Kristen before heading back up the hill. She was all smiles as folks at The Turnberry Spa took great care of her as always. That is all!

From the tee off the Par 4 12th....

Thank you for your service.....

Perfect....