On the other hand, my first round at Turnberry was in winds that were reported at 70-80 MPH and I loved it, perhaps because back then I could actually hit a 1 iron.
I can assure you that you did not play golf in winds between 70 and 80 mph. It's very difficult to stand in winds at that speed. Impossible to swing a club. Or even attempt to.
Mark,
I understand your skepticism. I have never been in a hurricane, but that day back in late 1980s was unlike anything I have experienced on a golf course or anywhere else.
When we were playing, it was like a war zone. It was difficult to stand or swing a club, just like you suggest. Forget distance. A 100 yard 3 iron along the ground was a great shot. A 220 yard sand wedge (down wind, of course) was easy.
We had no idea what the wind speed was. The 70-80 MPH figure is what staff in the pro shop told us. We heard the same figure on local news when we got back to our room.
One other data point. About a week after we played there was a senior professional event played at Turnberry and winds were reported at 50-60 MPH.
Guess what? Some of the scores were in the 80s, but many failed to brake 90.
In short, conditions on that day were extreme, but quite real and not something I would care to do again.
Tim