Turnberry Debut

With rain in the forecast for the upcoming week, I decided to get out for a round of golf while I still could. Looking for something close to home, I opted for Turnberry Golf Club, located in Brampton, Ontario. Featuring 16 par-3 holes, bookended by a pair of par-4's, Turnberry is not your average golf course. What the design lacks in length, it makes up for in beauty and layout. Massive dunes define each hole, providing the sense of isolation one feels on a much larger property. Elevation changes add interest and challenge, as do a couple of ponds and a meandering stream. Most importantly, holes are of varying lengths, giving golfers a chance to use nearly every club in the bag. In terms of feel, Turnberry is every bit the equal of its famous sister course, Eagle's Nest.

This was my first ever visit to Turnberry and the timing couldn't have been better. I had been struggling with par-3 holes, so what better way to fix that than to play 16 of them in a row? I got off to a poor start on the opening par-4 as a result of a very poor drive. I caught the ball low on the club face, sending it to a steep, fescue-covered embankment opposite a stream. It took a couple hacks to get out, leading to a quadruple-bogey. Certainly, this wasn't the start I had envisioned. On hole #2, my tee shot hooked slightly, finding the stream left of the green. After a penalty stroke, I landed on the green, but proceeded to 3-putt my way to a triple-bogey. Another terrible result, but at least I was moving in the right direction!

At this point I began to settle down. My first par of the day came on hole #4, a short one at 120 yards. My tee shot was pin high, about ten feet left of the hole. The approach even garnered a compliment from a couple of groundskeepers who were working in the area. The birdie attempt slid just past the hole, but a tap-in for par is always good. While I settled down, I still wasn't hitting a lot of greens. Almost all of my tee shots were hooking more than I wanted them to. I don't mind a nice little draw, but when a draw becomes a hook, you've got a problem. So I basically spent the day trying to correct the hook. With each hole, I got a little straighter. I played the ball a little further back in my stance with more of a forward press. I also thought of "finishing down the line," which keeps me from shutting the club face too much. These things all seemed to help.

Overall, it was an enjoyable and productive round. Once again, my score left a lot to be desired, but I wasn't very disappointed since I felt like I made some useful discoveries. As far as the course goes, I'll definitely be back.

Score: 83 (par 56)
Putts: 37
Fairways: 1 (of 2)
Greens: 4
Penalties: 3