In Focus/Golf in ScotlandIt's not unusual nowadays to spend anything up to an hour or two getting from one side of Dublin to the other. When it's in the name of golf it seems a little trite to complain, but then when you get there slow play on a busy course can frustrate even further. Hold this against stepping onto a flight in Dublin airport at 8.30 a.m. and checking into one of Europe's finest golf resorts at 10 a.m., and there's little contest.
The Westin Turnberry Golf Resort is a golfer's oasis set incongruously on a hillside on the otherwise grim and charmless Ayrshire coast of Scotland. It is home of the legendary Ailsa Course, three times host of the British Open, and ranked seventeenth best golf course in the world by Golf Magazine.
Specifically opened in 1906 as a golf resort, it is one of the oldest in Europe, but during the Second World War it made its name as a military hospital. This legacy is still evident in the enormous concrete airfield that runs through the more recent Colin Montgomerie- designed Kintyre Course.
Everything about Turnberry is historic, and visitors move about with a reverent demeanour more typically associated with pilgrims. The long, low Edwardian building commands lofty views over the Ailsa Course and the impressive volcanic Ailsa Craig - not unlike a seabound Ayer's Rock - can be enjoyed from most parts of the resort.
Everything about the hotel lives up to its five-star credentials. The surrounds exude tasteful country house charm and are permanently focused on the compelling horizon, from the splendid old world dining room to the 20-metre pool which offers uninterrupted views out to the Ailsa Craig. The rooms are generous and old world, particularly if you can get one that's sea facing.
But the golf is the thing. As a high handicapper it's a relief to discover the Ailsa Course is eminently manageable. Record scores may not have been posted, but the absence of wind and the tolerable rough on this visit made it all very respectable.
For golfers of any ability this course is a challenge, bunkers loom out of nowhere, capitalising on the run the links surface provides, and the greens are simply world-class. Difficult to read they can be rewarding and soul destroying in equal measure. The highlights are the ninth and 10th holes where the lighthouse and Ailsa Craig offer a breathtaking backdrop.
The Kintyre Course is a perfect complement; its lush fairways offer a little solace after the rigours of the Ailsa. No pushover though, many holes are flanked by thick and often hostile gorse. The greens are also excellent and benefit from coming under less pressure than the championship greens. Though there are fewer sea views, holes eight and nine are highlights.
An unforgettable part of the Turnberry experience is completing the finishing holes to the strains of the piper piping down the evening sun at 6 p.m. every evening for half an hour. The play of the light on the contours of the course at that time is enchanting.
To widen its appeal, the resort opened an outdoor activity centre in recent years making fishing, shooting, horse-riding and off-road driving additional options. For those who don't really want the hotel experience, the addition of a number of luxury lodges and cottages adjacent to, and in keeping with, the hotel, offer an alternative for groups wanting to do their own thing.
Just 30 minutes from Prestwick airport (served by Ryanair) and about an hour from Stranraer, this is a slice of golfers' heaven practically on your doorstep.
Living up to its reputation as the home of golf, Scotland has many excellent offerings within easy reach of Irish golfers. Though it may be a struggle to get a round in at the actual birthplace of golf, St Andrews, the purpose-built St Andrews Bay Resort nearby is yet another haven, with two courses (Torrance and Devlin) carved out of the coastline of East Scotland.
Where Turnberry offers old school grandeur, St Andrews Bay, which was built just three years ago by the American owned Chateau Elan Hotel Group, offers larger scale luxury accommodation and a slightly less formal atmosphere.
The Torrance course sweeps its way around the hotel and down to the coastal edge hugging the Scottish coastline and offering spectacular views across St Andrews Bay. Many holes are tight and will punish a sprayer off the tees.
It's worth remembering that Scotland beyond its cities can be a cultural desert, and the primary purpose of any visit to these resorts should be golf, good food and relaxation. Scintillating nightlife is unlikely, unless you bring your own.
Sample Offers
Turnberry Hotel
(00441655333991)
www.turnberry.co.uk
Two nights bed and breakfast including one round each on the Ailsa and Kintyre Championship courses - £810 (€1,216) midweek, £910 (€1,366) weekend, based on two sharing.
A day ticket (only applicable Mon- Fri) for non-residents with 18 holes on each course - £120 (€180)
St Andrews Bay
(00441334837000)
www.standrewsbay.com
Bed & breadfast - £240 (€360) per room, plus two rounds on The Torrance and The Devlin - £120 (€180)
Green Fee only: Torrance - £60 (€90), Devlin - £70 (€105)
Carnoustie Championship Course (00441241853789)
www.carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk
Host of The British Open in 2007. Green fees £110 (€165), combination offers also available.
Muirfield Golf Course
(00441620842123)
www.north-berwick.co.uk/muirfield.html
Run by the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (world's oldest recorded golf club).
Visitors only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Booked out for 2004, taking bookings for 2005. Currently £110 (€165) one round, £140 two rounds.
Royal Troon (00441292311555)
www.royaltroon.co.uk
Visitors only on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Maximum handicap men, 20, and women, 30. Coffee/lunch and one round each on the Old Course and Portland Course - £185 (€278).
Gleneagles (00441655331000)
www.gleneagles.com
PGA Centenary Course will host the 2014 Ryder Cup. Overnight including one round of golf - £595 (€894) per person. Green fee only: £110 (€165).
