81 to enhance the course, with a philosophy of maximising drama that was recently also evident in the construction of the New course at Trump Aberdeen, handled by the same team that completed the latest work at Turnberry, Golflink Evolve’s Esie O’ Mahony and shaper Jamie O’ Reilly. The most significant of the recent changes is the rebuilding of the parfour seventh hole, playing from the same teeing area over a fairway that has been lowered by two metres and now turns much more sharply left to a new horizon green. The preferred drive is now a more pronounced draw, splitting three fairway bunkers and setting up an approach to a green where the ocean looms beyond. That approach must be played between the deep rough left of the fairway and two revetted bunkers on the right. The ideal line to run the ball into the green is from the left half of the fairway. While every hole on Turnberry’s coastline stretch plays in the same general direction, with water on the left, there is enormous variety in their nature and green sites and no sense of repetition. The new green on the seventh sits very close to the beach, with a depression on the front left and various rumples creating several pinnable areas that will have a strong bearing on how the hole is best played. “It’s got a bit of movement, but it’s not crazy,” says Ebert. “It’s not like some of these resort courses that you see where, I think, the elevation change has just got out of control really.” The new green site was formerly occupied by tees for the eighth hole, so these have now been shifted further inland. This gives the eighth a new alignment, playing pretty much dead straight, which feels more suited to a fairway that cambers from left to right. Ebert has added a new bunker to the left that helps frame the hole from the new tees. Trump’s investment in Turnberry, and desire to maximise the potential of the site, has given Ebert the opportunity to implement ideas that he had proposed to the previous owners but were perhaps too ambitious or expensive for them – the par-three eleventh, introduced in 2016, a prime example. The Trumps are very handson, and Ebert finds himself providing the balance, sometimes embracing their ideas and sometimes – in the best interests of the course – reining them in. “He did call me the most stubborn man he’s ever met a couple of times,” says Ebert of Donald Trump. “I was at one point pushing for the ninth to be a short par four, and Mr Trump was absolutely adamant it should be a long three. And I think he was entirely right. He wanted the fourteenth green up on the top of the hill, and I had to suggest that it should be just off to the side of that hill in a nice little dell where the wind wouldn’t quite affect the balls as much.” There is compromise from both sides. After insisting that the par-three sixth be moved closer to the coast, Donald Trump learned that Ebert had been spotted kissing one of his favourite greens goodbye, so relented. “It’s still here today, maybe hanging on by a thread,” laughs Ebert. TURNBERRY AILSA Moving the seventh green closer to the beach required the tees for the eighth (background) to be shifted inland, giving it a straighter alignment Photo: Trump Turnberry
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