Play Turnberry after The Open

Turnberry, one of Scotland's most famous golfing resorts, will re-open after a £28 million refurbishment to host The Open Championship in July.

The Ailsa course is sure to throw up some drama before Peter Dawson announces 'The Champion Golfer Of The Year'. Who will forget 'The Duel in The Sun' won by Tom Watson in 1977, or Nick Price's amazing finish in 1994. The course has been bolstered with increased length and bunkering since lasting hosting the Open, and now measures 7,204 yards. The old 410-yard 16th has changed to a 455-yard dogleg right, while the par-five 17th has been stretched from 498 to 559 yards with three new bunkers also added.

Harrington will be aiming for his third Claret Jug in a row, but neither himself nor hot favourite Tiger Woods have played competitive golf here before. I believe the days are long gone, when you can declare before the tournament that the winner will come from maybe a handful of the leading players. Depending on how they set the rough for the four days, I think it could be a course for the shorter hitters. 7200 yards is still nothing for the world's top golfers, especially on links ground in July. Having said that, the 200-yard carry over the sea on #10 could be a little nervy if the players are hitting into a strong headwind.

Tee-times and accommodation can be made available here as part of luxury golf tour packages from the 21st July onwards. These can include guaranteed golf at both St Andrews and The Ailsa Course, in addition to chauffeured Mercedes transfers between your 5* hotels. All our packages are bespoke and can be built exactly to your requirements. For further information, or a personalized quotation, e-mail me at jim@connoisseurgolf.com.