Turnberry still untamed

GOD forbid that Turnberry is ever totally tamed. The wild, coastal setting is an essential feature in this stunning juxtaposition of one of the world's great hotels and one of the world's great golf courses, but nowhere is sacred.

It's great news for the Westin Turnberry Resort, to give it its full title, that the Open is to go back there in 2009, as recently announced. But this has been achieved only through South Ayrshire Council agreeing to build a new link road, and we all know how traffic expands to fill the space available.

Many golfers will be surprised to learn that it will be only Turnberry's fourth Open, this being purely a reflection of the access problem as the perfect marriage of course and hotel is unsurpassable.

The new road will presumably come across country, leaving the more romantic among us to wind our way gently up the coast road from Girvan, tingling with anticipation of the first view of that glorious hotel.

Perched majestically atop a steep bank, surveying golf courses new and old, plus the famous lighthouse and the offshore outcrop of Ailsa Craig, the hotel celebrates its centenary next year (2006).

Although the course dates back to the 19th century, it was the takeover by the Glasgow and South Western Railway which put it on the map. First they built a station then the hotel, beginning a link with the railways which lasted for 70 years, and doubtless I am not alone in wishing it had been preserved forever.

Still, it's not just that rugged, rocky coastline, defying erosion, which Turnberry needs in order to survive. It also has to generate the finance to keep pace with the increasing opposition in this fiercely-competitive age.

To that end the award-winning spa was opened in 1991. It features a 20-metre pool in a light and airy setting with an ample poolside area offering glorious sea views, 11 luxurious treatment rooms, two hydrotherapy suites and a state-of-the-art fitness studio.

A new golf clubhouse was opened by the Duke of York in 1993, a second high-quality golf course followed in 2001 and a year later the nine-hole Arran course was opened to complement the Colin Montgomerie Links Golf Academy.

All that, coupled with the maintenance of the sumptuous hotel's five-star standards, means you will not find the Turnberry Experience a cheap one. As a non-resident - you cannot book more than two weeks in advance - the green fee until the end of March will be £80, in April it is £100 and in summer £150.

For the best deal you need a group staying in one of the luxurious lodges in the hotel grounds, from which you are entitled to use all the resort's amenities, including room service. Until the end of March a two-night stay with a round on both the main course (the Ailsa) and the new course (the Kintyre) costs £180. That goes up to £235 from April 1-May 15, then it's £415 until the end of September. The equivalent rates for ladies not playing golf are £170, £180 and £310, to include a 55-minute treatment in the spa, plus a mini bottle of Moet and a box of chocolates on arrival.

Apart from the spa, other attractions for non-golfers are to be found at the outdoor activity centre, which offers fishing, shooting, archery, falconry, off-road driving and horse riding.

Ghillies are available to advise on trout angling on the estate's own loch or salmon fishing on the rivers Doon, Girvan and Stinchar.

There's an exhilarating obstacle course for quad bikes and even an opportunity to take a trip round the 800-acre Turnberry estate in a four-wheel dray pulled by Clydesdale horses. Or if you simply fancy a walk you can choose between woodland, beach or the nearby hills.

You can even leave the children in the care of approved child minders, who can take them riding or grass karting or target shooting.

It's the golf, with the Ailsa course usually ranked fourth in the British Isles, which attracts most visitors and the welcoming two-storey clubhouse is a lovely starting point. Surrounding the central quadrangle is an upstairs balcony proudly adorned with photographs of the big events staged at Turnberry.

The best-known is the course's first Open in 1977, when the classic shoot-out between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus became known as the Duel in the Sun. Watson holed a long putt from the fringe of the 15th green to draw level and went on to win by one. The third man, Hubert Green, was a further ten strokes back.

Amazingly, 11 of the top 12 that year were American, but that was down to two of the top ten in 1986, when Greg Norman won, and three in 1994, Nick Price's year.

It's the magnificent coast-hugging stretch from the fourth to the 11th which makes this course so special, plus the evocative landmarks of the lighthouse and Ailsa Craig.

Taken in isolation, the first three holes would be considered relatively bland, as would the 12th to the 14th, where remnants of old runways serve as a reminder that the course was twice turned into a wartime airfield and in 1946 stood on the verge of extinction.

The challenge again becomes increasingly inspirational from the 15th to the 17th, after which the last is an anti-climax, relying too heavily on having the hotel as a backdrop.

Although the fifth to the eighth are classic links holes framed by dunes, it's the seaside splendour of the ninth to the 11th which will live longest in the memory.

The ninth is one of the most photographed holes in golf because the back tee is on a tiny promontory, requiring a tee shot over the surf splashing on the rocks to reach a fairway swinging left towards the lighthouse.

The refreshment hut by the ninth green is well worth a visit if only to make you linger a while and admire the views.

The elevated tee shot at the tenth invites you to open your shoulders prior to the drop down to the lower ground by the shore, where the 160-yard 11th offers a fitting finale to the coastal run.

The next really notable feature comes at the 380-yard 16th, known as Wee Burn. There is a hint of sarcasm in this title as the burn is more of a ravine running across the front and round to the right of the green. A sliced approach is not a good idea.

This "burn" runs between the front and back tees at the 17th, which is a classic links par five down a valley with an uphill shot into the green.

It's the only par five and Price eagled it in completing the final nine holes in 31 for his 1994 triumph. Given a calm day, it's not difficult to see how the pro's would tame this course, but it has a majesty which clearly makes it irresistible as an Open venue.