Worldwide focus on Dubai's revamped Turnberry

The last time Turnberry's Ailsa course took centre stage during an Open Championship, Rory McIlroy hadn't started school yet, Tiger Woods had just been granted suffrage and a Zimbabwean was world No1. It was 1994. Nick Price emerged victorious that year after battling the ferocious elements and an Open field of more than 150 golfers to collect the winner's share of £110,000 (Dh655,000). On Thursday, when the 138th Open gets under way, Turnberry will again take centre stage; but much has changed since Price held aloft the Claret Jug 15 years ago. In October last year, Leisurecorp, a division of Nakheel Leisure, took possession of the famous resort. On November 1, the hotel closed for the start of a major restoration project that will see the resort reopen as part of the Starwood hotel company's Luxury Collection and serve as The R&A's headquarters accommodation for this year's tournament. The course, which lies adjacent to the hotel, was closed to allow a programme of enhancements and ensure the course would be in pristine condition for the return of The Open. Although few players on the drawsheet for the 2009 event will have taken part in 1994, those who did will notice some significant changes to Ailsa, all of which strengthen the challenge facing the world's best come July 16. A total of 21 bunkers have been added to the course to improve its defences with new tee positions and various fairway realignments also contributing to a significantly longer lay-out than players faced 15 years ago. Leisurecorp views the hosting of the Open Championship as an incredible honour for Turnberry and the upgrade of the golf course and the completion of the extensive hotel restoration and renovation programme has been one of the organisation's key deliverables for 2009. Internationally renowned interior designer Mary Fox Linton has led a project to restore the 103-year-old hotel to the vision of its original architect, James Miller, with public spaces completely redesigned to open up the views out across the Ailsa course to the Atlantic. For The Open, 40 rooms in the hotel have been fully refurbished with the remaining rooms being completely redecorated. Seventeen rooms in Turnberry House and 89 rooms in the resort's lodges and cottages will complete the spectrum of accommodation. The second phase of refurbishment will begin following the tournament and is scheduled for completion in spring 2010. All this activity has resulted in an unprecedented scale of work involving more than 40,000 man hours and including a complete revamp of the aging circuitry, plumbing, insulation and general fittings. External repairs include refurbishment of the famous red roof tiles and a complete repainting of the hotel's exterior – a task that used in excess of 256 gallons of white paint. More than 80 bespoke, double-glazed ornate windows have been installed to maintain the traditional façade of the hotel, while ensuring that it meets modern standards of efficiency. Above all, every care has been taken to ensure that the architectural and design integrity that has been synonymous with the Turnberry Resort for over a century is respected and maintained. Once the action starts though, the focus will undoubtedly be on Ailsa. With Woods making his Turnberry debut, McIlroy hunting his first Major and 154 others all looking to tame the fearsome fairways and resolute rough in a bid to snare the £750,000 (Dh447,5629) prize, the golfing public, watching around the world, is in for a great spectacle. Ailsa Sharpens Her Teeth The Open field who tackle the illustrious Ailsa course this week will have to prepare for more changes than just the unpredictable weather. Since acquiring Turnberry in November, Leisurecorp have implemented a series of alterations to the 103-year-old course. Most notably, the Ailsa has been lengthened by 247 yards and seen 21 new bunkers added to the pristine 7,204-yard layout. In addition to this, the straight 410-yard 16th has undergone a redesign, changing to a 455-yard dogleg right, complete with dunes and hollows near the green. And the par-five 17th, famous for Nick Price's 50-foot putt for eagle in 1994, has been stretched from 498 to 559 yards with three new bunkers. The most dramatic of all the changes, however, must be the new tee at the 10th: Positioned on a rocky outcrop near the iconic lighthouse, the drive demands a 200-yard carry over the bay. The History Of Turnberry Turnberry opened its doors in the summer of 1906. It is believed the hotel and golf course was originally built as a holiday retreat as the opening coincided with the creation of a railway station at Turnberry During both world wars, the hotel at Turnberry was used first as a flying school and then later a military airfield. The illustrious Ailsa course was even at one point transformed into an aircraft runway After the Second World War, such was the ruination of the golf course, it was expected to never be playable again. Such fears were allayed