Royal Troon countdown: 15 days to go

4th, Dunure – 555 yards, par 5

The first of the par 5s asks a real question of strategy from the tee. The deep fairway bunker to the right on the corner of the dogleg is on the limit of the carry of the longest players. The two pot bunkers to the left of the fairway have been edged further to the left to encourage a more attacking approach from the tee.

An approach bunker has been added to the left of the hole, set into some newly created low dunes. That will come into the thoughts of the players striving to reach the green in two shots.

In order to provide some more testing flag positions, the green has been extended to the rear left by simple mowing. To improve the aesthetics of the hole, an artificially shaped mound behind the green has been lowered and reshaped to become a more natural looking dune.

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The hole name… (Dunure)

The village of Dunure and its ruined castle sits proudly overlooking the sea south of Ayr.

Hole changes

Left hand pot bunkers moved slightly further to the left.
Approach bunker and low dunes added
Green extended to the left rear
Artificial mound behind the green lowered and reshaped.

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Architect Martin Ebert explains..

“Two bunkers on the left side were put in for the previous Open and it made the hole too tight. So we just flipped the inner one over the outer one, so they are more on the left than in the fairway to encourage people to take the drive on. We’ve used native turf with this and all the work, so it blends in so much quicker.

“The second bunker on the left is new, just ahead of the green, which just tightens it up in case people are having a crack at it. It’s a good par 5 after three birdie-able par 4s to start with.”

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Tom Irwin

Tom is a lifetime golfer, now over 30 years playing the game. 2023 marks 10 years in golf publishing and he is still holding down a + handicap at Alwoodley in Leeds. He has played over 600 golf courses, and has been a member of at least four including his first love Louth, in Lincolnshire. Tom likes unbranded clothing, natural fibres, and pencil bags. Seacroft in Lincolnshire is where it starts and ends.