I found the Kintyre to be an enjoyable course, but I must make one thing clear, it ain't a links! The turf is heavy and meadowy. That said, the green complexes were a bit more interesting than Southerness. The course does have a few standout holes and a few other very good holes. I didn't like the many gorse holes. They all seem to blend together and are difficult to distinguish.
The approach to #1 from just beyond a burn.
The short 2nd, the trees behind are not terribly attractive, but the hole is ok. I especially like the nob in front of the pin.
Just short of the 3rd. You will notice returfing going on all over Turnberry.
I thought the 4th was the best of the gorseland holes. The bunkering is very strategic.
The approach after a layup.
The 5th continues the gorse theme.
Approach to #5.
The short 6th.
The 6th green from the left. This fallaway section is hidden by a little nob from the tee.
The course really kicks into gear on the 7th - a lovely dogleg left and up the hill approach. The green is quite difficult to hold even with a wedge.
Suddently the sea comes into view on the 8th - a driveable par 4
The approach is quite dramatic and hard to judge because the green is so far below the golfer.
The 9th is the last of this excellent run of holes. The 9th features a tee which is 180 yards further back from the daily markers - this is the first time I have seen such a huge difference in tee sets. Here is a photo back to the tee.
The approach to #9 if you are Tiger Woods. For the rest of us poor saps the approach is semi-blind.
A closer look at what I think is one of the best green complexes on the course.
The approach to #10 after driving over the crest of a hill - a good hole.
A hazard left and gorse right frame the 11th.
A closer look at the murky green.
Back to the gorselands for the 13th.
The gorse features on the next two holes as well, this is third to the par 4 15th.
17 & 18 finsih up on more open land. The tee shot of one of the best holes on the course - #17.
The 17th was yet another unreachable par 4. I have never played so many unreachable two shotters in my life as I did this past weekend.
The 18th is a tough par 5 with a raised green. A good finisher.
The look after a solid 160 yard drive.
The green is just about in range from here.
If I am honest, I would say the Kintyre is slightly better than Southerness despite the abundance of gorse holes. Even so, I was a bit disappointed and wouldn't bother going back and considering the price difference I would much rather play Southerness. I would give the Kintyre a 4.8 on the SRA Scale- it is heavily knocked down because of the crazy price tag. While the course is good, it isn't nearly as a good as the Ailsa and I don't think anybody would bother with the Kintyre if it wasn't part of packages.
Some Ailsa pix next.
Ciao