Fairmont Turnberry Isle

There are two courses at Fairmont Turnberry Isle, both quite recognizable as typical Florida layouts with plenty of sand and water and an ever-present wind off the Atlantic Ocean. And both of the Miamia area courses have recently had a multi-million dollar makeover by Raymond Floyd, but that's about where the similarities end.

The Miller course, named after one of the founders, is for the most part a forgiving, comfy routing with generous landing areas and large receptive greens. The bunkering is fairly benign and except for one dazzling stretch of holes on the back nine that skirts a lake, even the water is far enough removed that only the worst hookers and slicers will find it. The Miller is definitely fun to play and probably a pretty good tonic after the beating laid on by the Soffer course.

The Soffer, named after the Resort's owner, is a brute. Floyd has redesigned it so that the wind is in your face on every hole. Maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration but not much. And when the wind isn't the dominant factor, a forced carry over one of the many lakes to a tightly tucked pin on a contoured green will serve further notice that beginners need not apply.

We played the Soffer course from about 6,500 yards which is not particularly long by Florida standards. However, this is definitely a track where power takes a back seat to accuracy. Doglegs around lakes and extensive bunkering create plenty of risk-reward scenarios but the tee shot has to be spot on. Most greens are well guarded and usually feature multiple plateaus so the right level is a bonus if you don't want to be in 3-putt range.

On the card it looks like several of the par-5's might be reachable in two but upon closer examination, the second shot often requires a 240 yard carry into a green fronted by water and surrounded by sand. Vijay Singh can hit those high soft 3-irons but most of us mere mortals can't.

Another factor that takes some getting used to is the entire course features paspallum, a coarse grass that is exceptional for fairways and greens but means death in the rough. The ball sits up well in the fairways which are very tightly mown and rolls perfectly on the greens - very smooth with no apparent grain. However in the rough the ball has a tendency to burrow into the grass and due to the its coarseness, it's all you can do to hack it back to the fairway. Chipping and pitching are other delicate issues as any ball pitched short of the green will grab in the fringe instead of releasing towards the hole. Bring your flop shot!

Paspallum is a good choice for Florida courses as it is highly resistant to salt and can be watered using almost anything from sea water to gray water. It doesn't burn out when cut short and has a much shorter dormant season than Bermuda grasses.

The signature hole on the Soffer course would have to be the 18th, a mid length dogleg par-5 to an island green, with a 60 foot waterfall as a backdrop. It's a fairly routine 3-shot hole except that the approach must find the correct tier amongst many on the green. It's like Floyd got to the 18th and realized he had a bunch of contours left over so he used them all in one spot. One final assault to your sanity.

All things considered the Soffer course is a lot of fun to play. I wish I'd had my A game instead of the mid-winter-haven't-swung-a-club-in-three-months game that came on the plane with me. Maybe next time I'll be better. This is a course that's definitely worth a return visit.
More articles by Peter Mumford