Turnberry Ailsa Course: Hole 16 Wee Burn

The 2009 Open Championship:

16th hole – Wee Burn, 455 yards, par 4

The sixteenth hole has changed since the last Open. It is now a dogleg right with a bunker on the corner. As the prevailing wind tends to be in off the right, players will try to avoid the bunker even though they are probably going to be aiming very close to it. Players will want to get down this fairway as much as possible as it is not a hole to lay back on, although if it is firm and fast it might be hard to hold the dogleg so you will probably have to lay up and leave a longer second shot. However this hole is really all about the second shot. It has a “wee burn” (also the name of the hole) in front and right of the green, so the risk is that any ball five yards onto the green could run back into the water. This is a hole to get the tee shot in play to give yourself the best chance of controlling distance. It is a great finishing hole because it is easy to mess up and drop a few shots and yet, if it is played and executed well, there could be birdies to be found.