Hot on the heels of the lovely manicured DriftWood came a hard rugged links course called Northern Dunes which hit the Links Corner site to a flurry of gasps and excitement. At a time when Links 2001 was the current released version of the game, its release set Mike apart and this became the design everyone was in awe of. There really wasnt anything else quite like it in terms of comprehensive planting and strategic lay out, and the bunkers were amazing to see. It also contained the opening cliffside view off the first tee, something that would develop to even higher levels over the coming years. Northern Dunes was later re-released that same year as Ayrshire Dunes and packaged by Microsoft as part of a formal pack of new courses, quite an unprecedented move at the time. Whilst the course now shows some age in the textures and has green slopes that are quite severe, it is still playable under the right settings. In fact it remains a really tough challenge and a place you really need to grind out a result and would be great for an Open tournament. I recall always being relatively pleased with a rare par round here. Strategically it is very clever and returning to play it now quickly reminded me of many of the challenges.

Four Favourite Holes

Hole 1 - The opening tee shot is a really scary one when you not warmed up and the most dramatic on the course. To make a par here you must overcome your nerves and hit the fairway, this is no easy task as you hit out over the cliffs in Pebble Beach style. Even from the fairway your approach shot must negociate a nasty front bunker and any right hand pin position is really tough. Do not get upset if you start off with a bogie, as on this hole it is certainly not the worst that can happen to you.

Ayrshire Dunes (1st hole)

Hole 10 - The back 9 starts with a neat shorter par 4 at 363 yards. The trick here is to hit a welcoming fairway off the tee, you dont need to drive this one as placement is key. You are then faced with a downward wedge shot into a cliffside green which reminds me of the 7th at Pebble Beach. There are plenty of bunkers on this hole so take care, but if you get your tee shot right then this hole can yield a rare birdie chance. That said, if you get the tee shot wrong or your approach is too long to a back pin position then this hole can be expensive.

Ayrshire Dunes (10th hole)

Hole 14 - This is a long par 3 at 191 yards and is visually my favourite hole with a winding red cart path in the foreground and the hole itself framed by some fir trees. The planting also looks its best here. This isnt an easy hole to make par, there are 2 guarding bunkers to the right and one big one left. You can clear them but distance is key here. The safe shot is middle of the green and two putt but by this stage you are probably looking for a birdie and may well decide to take the pin on.

Ayrshire Dunes (14th hole)

Hole 16 - This 430 yard par 4 doglegs to the right and your drive must stay clear of the 5 pot bunkers collected together at the right side of the fairway next to the Mike Jones plaque. If you lay up short you will be faced with a blind second shot (in close up mode anyway) into a relatively large green. This is a great hole and made even more special by its unique bunker collection which makes this even more memorable.

Ayrshire Dunes (16th hole)

By todays standards Ayrshire Dunes visually cant hold its place in the top 40 chart but given the limited grass pallette at the time it is a superb achievement. If you want a strategic test then this one stands the test of time really well. In true Mike Jones fashion there is a lot of variety here in the play. My recent return for a one round challenge ended with a +4 76 and that was without any real disasters and finding 86% of fairways. I dont believe that any of Mike's courses prove a tougher experience than Ayrshire Dunes. If you cant remember this course then look it up and you may be very pleasantly surprised.