Turnberry has reassured the golf world it is still very much on the Open Championship rota to host golf’s oldest major with the unveiling of stunning new changes to the Ailsa course.
Since the staging of the 2009 Open, and won by American Stewart Cink, Turnberry has been taken over by the Trump organisation and now has been renamed as Trump Turnberry.
It immediately prompted criticism in some quarters, and given Donald Trump’s very controversial stance of some matters, Turnberry should be stripped of hosting The Open.
But then on the recommendation of then R & A CEO, Peter Dawson, Trump engaged golf course designer Martin Ebert of Mackenzie and Ebert to undertake a virtual completed revamping of the ‘Ailsa’ championship course.
Ebert and MacKenzie have worked with R & A is making improvements to seven of the courses on the Open Championship rota including Royal Troon that will play host to this year’s Open as well as continuing to work on Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland that will host the 2019 Open.
The 18th hole has been ‘straightened’ in major changes unveiled today at TrumpTurnberry
Trump then accepted the Ebert and Mackenzie proposal on September 27th last year the course closed until last Sunday, a period of 240 days.
“Turnberry has had three owners in the last 10 to 15 years so this is the rebirth of the Ailsa course,” said Ebert speaking Tuesday at Turnberry at the official unveiling of major changes to the Scottish course.
“In being chosen by Mr. Trump to undertake this redesign work I feel like I’ve been picked for an FA Cup team but then it is up to everyone who now comes to play this ‘reborn’ Ailsa course if I scored the winning goal but in the bigger picture it’s the team that have been involved with the changes who will lift the FA trophy.
“But then the message from Martin Slumbers, and the new R & A CEO, that Turnberry remains on the Open rota and he’s made that very clear to Trump Turnberry.
“Some people have been saying wrongly Turnberry has been removed from the rota but in the eyes of the R & A it is on the rota to host The Open.
The new and the old – an old bunker left and how the bunker at the right has gone back to how the course was originally designed.
“Of course, it’s up to the R&A to judge. I hope the course and Turnberry as well is what counts here.
“And I don’t think we should fool ourselves that without Mr Trump’s investment at Turnberry, it might have lost its Open status with such a lack of investment.”
If so, Trump Turnberry would not host The Open till 2022 given every year from this year, and with the exception of 2021, has been chosen. It is widely believed St. Andrews will host the 2021 Open that will coincide with the 150th staging of The Open.
The major change, and at Trump’s own insistence, is the converting of the ninth hole from a par four to a par three, so that the hole now plays all over water to an area beside the iconic Turnberry lighthouse.
“Mr. Trump was adamant there should be a new ninth hole and it should be a long par three and I take my hat off now and I agree with Mr. Trump that it was the right decision
View into the 10th green with the ‘donut’ bunker in front of the green now back to how it was when originally laid out.
“We all know Mr. Trump’s passion for golf as it is amazing. He is overflowing with ideas and it’s been wonderful also that the R & A has been involved so much.
“And cost was not an issue for Mr. Trump and he made that clear from outset here at Turnberry as he wanted the best for Turnberry and at the same time Mr. Trump is always going to negotiate, and while he negotiates a hard deal, what you see out there now is the stunning rebirth of the Ailsa course.”
As well, the closing 18th hole has been redefined and ‘straightened’ so that it will become a better spectator viewing hole and rather than a dog-leg as it was in hosting The Open first in 1977 and then again in 1986, 1994 and 2009”.
