[Kevin Pallier]

What do you think of the Ailsa course at Turnberry ? Is it overrated or underrated ?

For mine, despite the majestic setting as a course I was somewhat disappointed. Yes - it has some good holes including some along the coastal stretch of # 4 through #11(with #4 & #9 the pick IMO) + the mercurial #16 but am I alone in thinking it's overrated ?

KP  

[Jim Franklin]

Since I was not driving (we had a bus) I don't know how far the drive was, but Western Gailes is as good as it gets when talking Scottish golf. I know we played Prestwick/Turnberry one day, and WG the next so I think they are close.

I happen to have a found place in my golfing heart for Ailsa as I had 4 birdies and then an ace in succession .

[Mark Bourgeois]

Jim -- nice!

Kevin -- I mentioned in the other thread I found good architecture there.  The overrated / underrated stuff I leave to your own expectations!

Bill -- Prestwick!

BTW, I happened to play 9 holes at the Girvan town course (just south of Turnberry) with one of the caddies at Turnberry.  The wind seemed to blow harder there -- it was completely exposed to the sea.  I didn't play the second nine, which I was told are more wooded and not linksland.  A few interesting holes...

Not a recommendation, per se, just a nice opportunity to play in a small "toon" with nice people and their dogs.  If you've got an evening to spare...

When I got back I looked up the course -- son of a gun, a James Braid design!

[Geoffrey Childs]

As an experience, Turnberry is very hard to beat.

The hotel is magnificent.  You can have your pick of single malts and perhaps share the bar with notable figures. The golf course is inspiring (to me anyway) if not always for the architecture. There are world class holes which according to our leader, Mr. Morrissett, is a prerequesite for a great course.

It helped that twice I played with a former asst pro there so they let us play back tees and I happened to play as well as I am capable on each occasion.

[John_Cullum]

What else does everyone feel is worthwile in the area of Turnbury, Ayr, Troon and say 1 hour radius?

I liked Irvine about as good as any, but what do I know, I liked Troon and I think Prestwick is way overrated (although it has a few neat holes). I was nonplussed by Turnberry Ailsa. Turnberry certainly cannot be considered a good value. Glasgow Gailes was pretty so-so, but Western Gailes was quite good.

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

As far as I am concerned if you are there for 5 days..you play Western Gailes on 4 of them!!!
and then fit in one of the others.

I love Turnberry, from the back tees some of those long par 4's are temendous..and the par 3's are great...but Western Gailes is really as good as pure old time links golf can be...all the quirks you could want, and a great golf course to play.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

I put the Ailsa course in the rarified air with TOC, Dornoch etc. It is a special place not to be missed if one is in the area. I find the hotel very nice but poorly managed. I hope the view toward overseas play improves there for we have been viewed as a commodity to take advantage of for the last 10 years. I would play there before anything in the western part of Scotland and that is an area rich in golf course. ie Western Gailles, Prestwick, Troon, Macrihanish and more. I am going over in a few weeks and just thinking about it makes me want to make a side trip back since it was September 10th, 2001 that last time I played there.

[ForkaB]

Turnberry is one of the top 4 courses in Scotland.  Western Gailes is in the top 4 for fun, as is Prestwick.  Play all threel

[Sean Leary]

I wonder if the people that find Turnberry overrated are the same ones that find Pebble Beach overrated.  In the words of Tom Huckaby, "you have no soul"......

Turnberry was the only place in Scotland that let us play the back tees, which I also appreciated,as that was my only complaint of the other courses we played.

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Sean
That is something that has always made me wonder as well...
As a Brit myself, I could never understand the logic of not allowing people play from the back tees.
As a young lad, I spent many an evening in front of club comittees because of my inability to accept that rule

The response was that they were always saving the backs tess..saving for what???
It may be just a Brit thing..what is the situation in Australia regarding back tees and thier use ?

[Jason Topp]

1-3 - mediocre
4-11 - very interesting.
12-14 - I don't remember well.
15 - very good par three
16 - one of my favorite short par fours.
17 - real enjoyable par five
18 - average at best

I have wanted to play more every time.

I don't think it is overrated.

Add my votes for Prestwick and Western Gailes.  Save your money and don't go to Troon

[Sean Leary]

Sean
That is something that has always made me wonder as well...
As a Brit myself, I could never understand the logic of not allowing people play from the back tees.
As a young lad, I spent many an evening in front of club comittees because of my inability to accept that rule

The response was that they were always saving the backs tess..saving for what???


It may be just a Brit thing..what is the situation in Australia regarding back tees and thier use ?

Saving it for the "medal" days I'm sure....One of the reasons I didn't appreciate the TOC as much as I had hoped was that the tees were so far up I was chipping to most of the par 4's.

[Garry Cox]

Western Gailes and Prestwick are what Scottish golf are all about.

Many of the greens complexes at Western Gailes reminded me of the lunar surface with grass.

Prestwick has all the history, quirks and blind shots that one can savor on a trip to the area.

 

[Andrew Mitchell]

Playing Turnberry in October - always wanted to go there since the '77 Open and the BBC Pro Celebrity Golf series which were filmed there. Its exposure on TV at that time makes me feel as if I know the course even though I've never set foot on it.

On a special deal with the hotel so no opportunity to play anywhere else - I will have to leave Western Gailes, Prestwick & Machrihanish for another trip.

Others have told me that Troon is overpriced and over-rated.

[Darren_Kilfara]

I went to Turnberry with low expectations, and I was delightfully surprised with what I found. If anything, it's underrated and should hold the Open more often than it does! I agree with Jason's classification of holes: the stretch of holes from 4-11 is possibly the best consecutive stretch of holes in Scotland, and while 18 isn't much of a finisher, 15-17 are superb.

(Funnily enough, Sean, I think Pebble Beach is very overrated, so the corollary you suggest doesn't universally apply...)

Cheers,
Darren

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

1, 2 or 3 are all good holes, just not great in a row. Remember Carnoustee starts out with a bit of kindness before off with your head time.

[Chris Moore]

I went for the "94 Open and was astounded.  Will be playing it in about 2 weeks.  I will send in my 2 cents when I return.  

I still don't understand all of the Troon-bashing that goes on here in the Treehouse.  There are some fine holes at Troon (Nos. 7, 8, 10, and 11 are fantastic).  I even liked the Portland Course.  Why such a problem with Troon?  

[Willie_Dow]

Join the Scottish Trust and stay at Culazne Castle, Eisenhower suite.  Biggest tub I've ever had  bath in, and the best hosts you will ever find.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Willie, How do you join the Trust. I would love to stay there over many of the hotels in the area including Turnberry.

[ForkaB]

John

Check on the link below.  Membership is about $70/year.

http://www.ntsholidays.com/theeisenhowerapartment,culzeancastle.aspx

[Tom Huckaby]

I went for the "94 Open and was astounded.  Will be playing it in about 2 weeks.  I will send in my 2 cents when I return.  

I still don't understand all of the Troon-bashing that goes on here in the Treehouse.  There are some fine holes at Troon (Nos. 7, 8, 10, and 11 are fantastic).  I even liked the Portland Course.  Why such a problem with Troon?  

Much of the bashing comes from the outrageous price they charge visitors, the fact you have to pay to play the Portland even if you don't want to, etc.  I personally came away from my first playing of Troon pretty unimpressed - it is certainly less obviously spectacular or fun than it's famous neighbors (Turnberry, Prestwick, Western Gailes).  Then I played it again a few years later and came to appreciate it a lot more... It starts slowly, but from aboout 6 on it's great, and the entire back nine is pretty incredible.


TH

[Tom Huckaby]

Current fare at Troon is £210 per person for both courses (includes lunch!) - the only way to play the Old OCurse at Royal Troon.

THus the bashing (and not by me).  That's a lot more than the other courses... or at least was when I did a circuit 4 years ago.

For what you get - and relative to courses over here - it's really not THAT bad of a deal.  But that is a lot of money.

TH

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

The Fare is outrageous, but so be it. I will not be a quick to pull the trigger having played it 5 or 6 times now. However, I think much of the knock on Troon is the slow opening holes. The course gets better and better and from 7 on is spectacular. $400 is a lot for golf, anywhere, on a regualar basis.

[ForkaB]

Troon is a superb course and the Portland is highly underrated (it is a Mackenzie after all.... ).  Turnberry is charging 190 quid a round for a non-hotel resident this summer, so Troon is just keeping up with the Jones.  Yes, Tiger, $400 round golf is outrageous, but so is $73/bbl oil.....

Anybody coming this summer should know that the Troon clubhouse is undergoing a major renovation, so the ambience will be a bit underwhelming.  Not that we purists care about ambience, of course......

[Tom Huckaby]

Rich - wouldn't it be more correct to say Turnberry is keeping up with the Joneses?  When I did my trip in 2002, 'twas Troon that was the most expensive, by far... But then again we did stay on property at Turnberry.  Hell I don't know.  I just do know that Troon was the most expensive course we played while over there, and it wasn't even close.

In any case I still do think it was worth it - I'm with you on the quality of the two courses and I enjoyed the lunch and the Scottish version of craic  - I just can easily understand if anyone would say Troon's prices are too high.

TH

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