Turnberry

The Turnberry resort was built by the railroads during the crest of British economic success around the turn of the century when similar fortunes in America resulted in the development of Saratoga, the Greenbrier and the Homestead. Neither those three nor Gleneagles, Turnberry's Scottish peer, provide the spectacular vistas of Ailsa Craig, the Isle of Arran or the Ayrshire hills that envelop both the golfer and visitor at Turnberry. Oddly, an American company, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, owns this paragon of British golf, scenery and service.

Having served the Crown as a Royal Fusilier, I confess to sometimes doubting the wisdom of less distinguished branches of the British military. None more so than the ninnies of the Royal Air Force who destroyed Turnberry during the Second War to build three runways of highly questionable value. The marvelous hotel became a hospital-an utter abomination that failed to save our Empire in any case is my view. Philip Mackenzie Ross is to be commended for returning Turnberry in the early 1950s to its stunning beauty and rightful place among the world's truly great golfing destinations.

When Starwood acquired Turnberry at the end of 1997, there were two courses: Ailsa and Arran. Ailsa is the famous course on the Open Rota that everyone golfing in Scotland for the first time must play. Arran was the poor sister that most golfers simply skipped, even though a round there was included in the green fee. The result was that Ailsa was overcrowded and Arran underutilized, though it was always a fairly decent course.

Enter Starwood. To make Turnberry more than a one or two night visit to play Ailsa and then move on, Starwood greatly expanded the golfing opportunities. They added a links golf academy under the aegis of Colin Montgomerie and built a splendid practice range with umpteen bays-some for the long game, others for the short game and two loaded with video cameras so the teaching staff can show one his swing from six different angles. Starwood also enlisted the world's hottest links architect, Donald Steel, to create a totally new championship course, the Kintyre, and a nine-hole teaching course from the land where Arran once was.

Ailsa Course

Ailsa has been the stage for three memorable Open Championships. The Nicklaus-Watson duel of 1977 began with three identical initial rounds and was not decided until the final putt on the final hole. Greg Norman's dominating five shot victory in 1986 is sometimes forgotten in light of his loss later that year to Bob Tway in the America PGA at Inverness. I simply cannot fathom how Fleet Street types and others of their ink-stained ilk can ignore a level par, five shot victory achieved in absolutely beastly conditions to focus instead on a loss resulting from a miracle shot on the final hole. In 1994, the golfing world learned two important lessons from the Open at Turnberry. First, Nick Price can play superb golf under pressure. Second, Swedes can play golf but they cannot read a leader board. Must be the language barrier.

As you stand on the first tee of the Ailsa Course, you can ascertain the weather forecast for your round by gazing at Ailsa Craig, the outcropping of granite in the Firth of Clyde to your right. According to the locals, if you cannot see the Craig, it is raining; if you can see the Craig, it is going to rain. Do not be deceived by the docile and ordinary appearance of the first three holes as the most visually spectacular stretch of holes runs along the coastline from the 4th through the 12th tee. We find the fifth hole to be one of the best par fours anywhere. Moreover, seven and eight are extraordinarily difficult par fours. To the left of the ninth fairway beneath the lighthouse, lie the ruins of the castle birthplace of the legendary Scottish king, Robert the Bruce, who united the Scots against England. As you stand on the medal tee for nine, walk back to the Open tee and, if you dare, attempt to carry a drive more than 200 yards across the rocky inlet to the ninth fairway. We do not share Peter Alliss's disdain for the ninth, although we recognise his ability to discern a bad hole. He has designed several. As you stand on the tee at 16, be mindful that it is not only a most demanding hole, but also the only one in which water comes into play. Do not attempt to land the ball on the front third of the green! The shortish, par five 17th was a turning point for Nick Price and for Jack Nicklaus. Price made eagle on the final round of the Open in 1994; in 1977, Nicklaus made par and fell a stroke behind Watson's birdie. It can be a turning point for the average golfer as well in that it is easily reachable in two playing down wind.

Members of the H&B Expeditionary Forces consistently rate Turnberry Ailsa and the championship course and Royal Dornoch as their two favourite links in Scotland. We heartily concur.

Kintyre Course

Kintyre is a new course fashioned by Steel from some of the best of the defunct Arran course and some stunningly scenic land on nearby Bain's Hill. The best stretch of holes, in my ever so humble opinion, are the middle six, one of which I consider to be amongst the best short par fours in Scotland. The tee on the eighth, on the highest point of Bain's Hill, affords a sweeping panorama in every direction; in the distance, beyond the Isle of Arran, one can see the Mull of Kintyre, the course's namesake. Bring your camera. The fairway funnels through a narrow saddle enclosed by two small pot bunkers then proceeds down to a green perched perilously above the rocky shoreline. It is possible for Brutus to thread the needle here and make it to the green. If, however, he finds one of the bunkers, Brutus is faced with a lengthy sand shot to a small green behind which are naught but rocks and sea. A horrendous little shot, which the savvy veteran will oft eschew. The next hole is a longish par five with the shoreline encroaching from the right and the green surrounded by sea and bunkers. Good finish here, too. A quirky par three is followed by a challenging, massive right dogleg then a difficult left dogleg par five.

Kintyre, like the old Arran, suffers a bit in comparison to Ailsa, its beautiful sister, but it is more than merely the second course at Turnberry. It is worth a play.

Independent travellers: The hotel concierge staff will transport you down the hill from the hotel to the courses before your round and back up afterwards. Try to arrive early enough to warm up with Monty's bag of 26 balls at the Links Golf Academy (and driving range). Report to the pro shop inside the clubhouse then see Willie McDines, the caddie master. Remind him you are with Haversham & Baker. The clubhouse includes changing rooms for men and women as well as a lounge and restaurant on the upper floor. For those who remain in steadfast pursuit of American food, the clubhouse features the best hamburger in all of Britain.