Trump Changing 9th at Turnberry into par 3

[Cameron DeVries]

This article is from 3 months ago, I'm not sure if it's been discussed here or not...
http://www.golf.com/courses-and-travel/donald-trump-plans-transform-turnberrys-iconic-9th-par-3

Is there anyone who has played Turnberry who thinks that would be a good decision?
It will be a 245y par 3.  What will happen to hole 11?  A short par 5?

[Carl Johnson]

Wonder where the more forward tees would be placed, assuming the 245 is from the little perch way back where the championship tees have been?  Same place as the more forward tees now?  Whatever -- he owns it.

[Joel_Stewart]

I haven't played Turnberry but was wondering if anyone had comments on the changes?

[paul cowley]

Looking at the aerials it seems to me that the shortening of the hole by 200 +/- yards would allow for the lighthouse access road to be moved and incorporated into a new development area...elaborate halfway house etc...on a great piece of oceanfront.

[Sean Ogle]

I played the course last fall, and frankly was a bit disappointed by #9.  We weren't allowed to play from the championship tees, so without that dramatic tee shot, the hole was actually pretty boring.


Great views, but lots of courses have great views. So this is one change I'm actually looking forward to seeing - as I think it could be a much better use of a great setting.

[Joel_Stewart]

I made a mistake.  I thought this work had already been completed prior to the Richo British Open. 

[Rich Goodale]

My wife and I went to the British Women's Open at Turnberry today, and spent ~4 hours walking the course and another hour in the "tented village," she mostly shopping for cut price sweaters and I spending about 30 minutes looking at a fascinating demonstration by the sponsors of the event (Ricoh) of 3-D printing, and another 30 minutes looking at an even more fascinating map of the course showing all the suggested changes approved by The Donald.  The changes are MASSIVE!  Specifically:

A.  All 18 holes may go under the knife, some just cosmetic surgery but many complete organ transplants
B,  Major potential transplants include (by hole number):

1.  new tee to the right leading to carry over the gorse and green moved back to near the current 2nd tee

2.  tee moved left to accomodate newe 1st green

4,  green moved back and re-shaped

5.  green moved back and reshaped

6.  significantly shortened to accomodate new 18th tee.  new green with multiple tee positions

7.  green moved bck

9.  hole shortened to 235 with tee oriented to a new green towards the lighthouse.

10.  new tee by lighthouse requiring 200+ yard carry over the inlet, green moved back to front of old 11th tee to make it a long par 5

11.  new tee to new green by the ocean (still a par 3)

14.  New fairway to the right of current one heading towards a new green in the middle of what used to be the 9th fairway

15.  New back tee ~230 yards

17.  Green moved forward to accomodate new 18th tee

18.  New tee way back into the dunes, with water to your back and 483 yards to the existing green

I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP!

Rich 

[Ben Stephens]

My wife and I went to the British Women's Open at Turnberry today, and spent ~4 hours walking the course and another hour in the "tented village," she mostly shopping for cut price sweaters and I spending about 30 minutes looking at a fascinating demonstration by the sponsors of the event (Ricoh) of 3-D printing, and another 30 minutes looking at an even more fascinating map of the course showing all the suggested changes approved by The Donald.  The changes are MASSIVE!  Specifically:

A.  All 18 holes may go under the knife, some just cosmetic surgery but many complete organ transplants
B,  Major potential transplants include (by hole number):

1.  new tee to the right leading to carry over the gorse and green moved back to near the current 2nd tee

2.  tee moved left to accomodate newe 1st green

4,  green moved back and re-shaped

5.  green moved back and reshaped

6.  significantly shortened to accomodate new 18th tee.  new green with multiple tee positions

7.  green moved bck

9.  hole shortened to 235 with tee oriented to a new green towards the lighthouse.

10.  new tee by lighthouse requiring 200+ yard carry over the inlet, green moved back to front of old 11th tee to make it a long par 5

11.  new tee to new green by the ocean (still a par 3)

14.  New fairway to the right of current one heading towards a new green in the middle of what used to be the 9th fairway

15.  New back tee ~230 yards

17.  Green moved forward to accomodate new 18th tee

18.  New tee way back into the dunes, with water to your back and 483 yards to the existing green

I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP!

Rich

Rich


Here is the link to Mackenzie and Eberts website with downloads of Turnberry and Portrush changes


http://www.mackenzieandebert.co.uk/download.html


Cheers
Ben

[Adam Lawrence]

And here's a link to a piece I did back in April where Martin Ebert spoke to us quite extensively about the planned works:


http://www.golfcoursearchitecture.net/Article/Ebert-speaks-on-plans-for-Trump’s-Turnberry-revolution/3394/Default.aspx#.Vb4QrXh43zI

[Niall C]

Adam


I was trying to follow Martin's comments on his changes to the 18th but didn't quite follow his rationale. He seemed to be suggesting their would be a strategic with either going for it or laying up with the drive. What would make you want to lay up on that hole ?


Also I wonder about the new 9th and how much use are they going to get out of the very back tee which is what adds drama to the hole. There's not much room to spread the tee about.


Niall

[Rich Goodale]

Thanks, Ben and Adam

I hadn't known until Saturday how massive the remodel was going to be.  This has to be the most comprehensive remodeling of any elite golf courses since, well at least since Turnberry was brought back from the dead after WWII.  I can see where Trump is coming from, given that this course was never solidly on the Open Rota (mostly for logistical reasons) and if the changes work, we'll have yet another Championship Monster that the R&A can salivate about over their Kummels.  What a brave new world this world of golf has become.....

I really enjoyed watching the women play the course in difficult conditions, and re-fell in love with the old Turnberry while walking the course forward and backward in the wind and even in the squalls of rain.  I have always had it in my top-30, 3*** courses, ever since I played it as my first Scottish course in similar conditions in April 1978, but was wondering in the past few years how good it really was due to the occasional slings and arrows of outrageous criticisms that seemed to follow it every time the course was mentioned on this forum.  Now I know I was always right and the naysayers unfortunately misinformed, at least in my mind.

I'm going to miss my old flame once the bulldozers start being fired up, if they haven't been already.....

[Niall Hay]

[size=0pt]The construction work has begun on the Ailsa Course and we have created a fascinating time lapse video of the work on the 9th hole during the first week ‪#‎AilsaCourseReborn[/url] [/font][/size]
[size=0pt][/color]
 https://youtu.be/29XIx6AMGL4[/url][/font][/size]