Turnberry illustrated: Open Championship host undoubtedly one of Scotland's prettiest golf links

Just about anyone who has toured the links of Scotland has a soft spot for Turnberry.

I have my own little soft spot, as it was the first ever U.K. links I ever played, back in the fall of 2006. I especially enjoyed the little pitch ‘n putt course outside the hotel, which also has an 18-hole putting course on the front lawn. Surely there’s some wagering going on after dinner nightly here…

Part of Turnberry’s appeal is in the links land itself, including seaside holes around the lighthouse, like the tee shot on the 10th. I’m also a big fan of the heavy dunes on the par-5 17th. Because it’s a modern links (relatively speaking) due to the reconstruction of the course after World War II, it’s also far less quirky than say, Prestwick down the coast. A bit like when playing the Old Course in St. Andrews, tourists can actually score pretty well here their first time around.

But Turnberry probably wouldn’t be Turnberry if not for the lighthouse, the Ailsa Craig rock a few miles off shore, the castle ruins where Robert the Bruce was born, and of course the five-star hotel on a hill looming over the golf course.

Because of all these factors, photographers love Turnberry, and in preparation for the Open Championship later this month, you can find plenty of places to check out some great photos of the course - before the grandstands and throngs of spectators take a little bit of the magic away.

Golf photographer Mark Alexander has a collection of very moody shots of the Ailsa. Click here for the dramatic slideshow.

Also just recently WorldGolf.com received a slew of photos from both the Ailsa and the newer, neighboring Kintyre course at Turnberry. These photos come courtesy of RelevantSearchScotland.co.uk.

Also, click here for my Ailsa photo gallery, featuring some shots I took during my morning round, when I had a little bit of sunshine before the clouds rolled in.

My prediction for the 2009 Open? Sergio Garcia of course…

You can follow Brandon Tucker’s golf blog and more on Twitter: http://twitter.com/brandontucker or follow WorldGolf.com at Twitter.com/worldgolf . Have a golf travel question for Brandon? Email him by clicking here