OK, I will be honest, I was as nervous as I was excited driving down the M77 to play the legendary Ailsa Championship course at Turnberry.
Having never stepped onto a tee at a spot that’s hosted the Open Championship before, I couldn’t help but feel like a bit of an imposter.
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Ben Ramage relished the chance to play the historic course which has hosted The Open four timesCredit: SUPPLIED
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Turnberry’s famous lighthouse is a course landmark – as is would-be weather indicator, Ailsa CraigCredit: SUPPLIED
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Stewart Cink won the Open and the Claret Jug at Turnberry in 2009Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
Following in the footsteps of my grandad Adam and my dad Graeme, I’ve been obsessed with hitting that little white ball around 18 holes – often with some serious difficulty – in as few strokes as possible since I was only 10 years old.
To be playing a course that hosted the Open as recently as 2009 felt a bit like a dream come true.
And so it was to prove.
From the moment you turn the corner and drive into Turnberry village itself, you can’t help but be blown away by the entire set up.
The commanding hotel overlooking the course and the Firth of Clyde has housed the world’s best golfers for just over a century.
And from the moment you step into the plush clubhouse next to the course to sign in, you can feel the significance of the spot.
Newspaper cutouts on the wall feature all four of the Open tournaments held at Turnberry, with a picture of Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus together during their famous Duel in the Sun in 1977 understandably the standout.
What made this round even more special was that I was fortunate enough to play the course before it was changed – forever.
Trump Turnberry has already reconfigured the course once since taking ownership in 2014, with a remodelling taking place in 2016 which saw a signature new ninth hole created next to the iconic Turnberry lighthouse.
That has been given a major transformation into a luxurious halfway house – more on that later – while major changes were also made to the tenth and 11th holes which run right down the coast.
Donald Trump swings club in frustration as he misses putt at Turnberry
The Ailsa has just shut, with £1.5million works now underway to alter the seventh and eighth holes.
Similarly to the first round of changes, the main upgrade will see a new seventh green installed that sits right on the cliff’s edge overlooking Turnberry Beach.
So-called infinity greens, which allow unrestricted views of surrounding landscapes, often become signature holes for courses.
Trump and his team believe this upgrade, with the eighth playing from a more straight-forward tee, will give Turnberry a better shot at working its way back onto the Open roster.
With this historic course about to change forever, I was privileged to nervously roll my clubs to the starter’s hut and prepare to take on the most significant course I’d ever attempted to play.
While the most famous Open battle here was dubbed the Duel in the Sun, the conditions I was faced with saw me fight my own personal battle with the wind.
Links golf is renowned for testing a golfer’s ability to cope with both the course and the conditions.
There’s a local quote I was told shortly before teeing off that brought a smile to my face.
“If you can’t see Ailsa Craig, it’s raining. If you can see it, it’s about to rain.”
As I stepped onto the first tee, I was greeted by a shower which quickly turned into a hailstorm. Quite the welcome!
But my first drive clung to the right side of the fairway and I’d cleared the first hurdle – the dreaded opening shot.
And mercifully the rain disappeared by the time I reached the first green and didn’t return all afternoon.
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American presidential candidate Donald Trump owns the hotel and has played the courseCredit: AFP
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Son Eric unveiled plans to revamp the course a year after buying the siteCredit: John Gunion – The Sun Glasgow
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Turnberry hasn’t hosted the Open since 2009 but is undergoing a £1.5m revamp after the first in 2015 (above)Credit: John Gunion – The Sun Glasgow
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Sunsport’s Ben tested himself down the famous fairway from the ‘Duel in the Sun’
That just left me with the wind to contest with. But once the views started to get even more stunning as the course wound its way to the coast, that was quickly forgotten.
I’ll spare you the blow-by-blow account of my round, for your sake as well as mine
The highlight was a run of pars from the fourth to the sixth, which given the fierce wind coming off the Firth I’d class as one of my best ever runs of golf.
I was eagerly anticipating the seventh given it was the hole getting the most drastic change.
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to make the most of the opportunity, sludging my drive up the left hand side of the fairway and hacking my way up the rough along the coast to the green.
The new location of the green would actually have helped me out, but I can certainly see how stunning the new spot will be once implemented.
The eighth was also playing tough with the wind increasingly fierce the nearer the lighthouse we got.
Having the tee moved inland will certainly help as it will make finding the narrow fairway that little bit more straightforward.
All about Turnberry
Location: Turnberry Golf Course is situated on the southwest coast of Scotland, in Ayrshire, offering stunning views of the Ailsa Craig and the Isle of Arran.History: Established in 1906, Turnberry has a rich history and has hosted multiple prestigious golf tournaments, including The Open Championship.Courses: Turnberry features three golf courses: the Ailsa Course, the King Robert the Bruce Course, and the Arran Course, each offering a unique golfing experience.Ailsa Course: The Ailsa Course is the most famous of the three and is considered one of the best links courses in the world. It was redesigned by renowned golf course architect Martin Ebert in 2016.The Open Championship: Turnberry has hosted The Open Championship four times, with memorable winners including Tom Watson and Stewart Cink.Facilities: The Turnberry Resort offers luxurious accommodation, fine dining, and a state-of-the-art golf academy, making it a premier destination for golfers and tourists alike.Ownership: The Turnberry Golf Course is owned by the Trump Organization, which purchased the property in 2014 and has since invested in extensive renovations.Scenic Beauty: The course is renowned for its breathtaking coastal scenery, including the iconic lighthouse located between the 9th and 10th holes on the Ailsa Course, which has been converted into a halfway house and a luxury suite.
The ninth, tenth and eleventh were the standout holes for me. Each one has a green right next to the sea, and would be classed as the pinnacle of many courses in their own right.
To have a stretch of three such stunning holes back-to-back is just magical.
My round seemed to revolve around threes, as with the wind finally behind I managed to par the 16th, 17th and 18th as the massive hotel loomed back into view.
Enjoying a welcome pint in the aptly named Duel in the Sun restaurant in the clubhouse, which overlooks the course, I couldn’t help but smile as I looked over my scorecard and remembered each hole in turn.
One of my favourite memories of my grandad was playing golf with him at Bruntsfield Links in Edinburgh, where he was club captain.
I hoped he would have been proud of how I kept my cool and dealt with the conditions, keeping my previously short temper in check the entire round.
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In truth I imagine it’s hard not to smile whatever the weather at Turnberry – the Ailsa is truly a slice of golf heaven.
And I truly hope I get the chance to test out the new holes again once it reopens.
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