Turnberry

Turnberry Golf Club in Scotland was established in 1902, then in 1906, the magnificent Turnberry Hotel opened, becoming Britain’s first purpose-built golf resort. It’s a miracle that Turnberry Resort still exists, as it was almost destroyed during the World Wars having served as an RAF airbase. Evidence of the asphalt runways can still be seen today off The King Robert the Bruce course.

After Turnberry Golf Course was returned to its former glory by Robert Mackenzie, the Ailsa Course was added to the Open Championship rota. In 1977, it saw one of the best Open finals in history, with the battle between legends Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus becoming known as the “Duel in the Sun.” Don’t miss the opportunity to play this historic club as part of your Ayrshire Golf Trip.

The hotel suffered damage from accommodating hundreds of servicemen and the courses were virtually flattened to use as airplane runways. A monument to the former RAF base and its military personnel still stands above the 12th hole on the Ailsa course.

There are several layouts at now Trump Turnberry including The Ailsa Course and The KRTB Course. The Arran Course – a 9 hole course used mainly by The Golf Academy, and a fun pitch and putt at the base of the hotel stairs.

In 2016 Martin Ebert was commissioned to make changes to the Turnberry Ailsa course that had been on the radar for decades. Already highly ranked in most prestigious listings, his inspired changes have rocketed Ailsa to the No. 1 position in GB&I in most polls. Among his notable changes were transforming the 9th hole from a weak par 4 to a fabulous scenic and challenging par 3 and greatly improving the 10th into a worthy par 5 now christened “Dunna Faiter” – Don’t mess about.

Perhaps one of the golf world’s most iconic landmarks, along with the red & white candy cane-striped lighthouse at Harbour Town, is the yellow & white lighthouse at Turnberry. It has been totally transformed into a wonderful halfway house with luxurious private hotel suite accommodations above.

The lighthouse was built by none other than Robert Louis Stevenson’s father and grandfather. It stands on the ruins of Turnberry Castle where King Robert the Bruce was born in 1274.

Turnberry Scotland is the perfect base from which to explore all the great Ayrshire golf courses, including Royal Troon, Prestwick, Western Gailes, and Dundonald, on a bucket list Scotland golf trip. As a world-class 5-star resort there are also a variety of activities both indoor and outdoor to experience post-round; The Spa at Turnberry, indoor pool, gourmet dining, clay shooting, quad biking, beach walking and horseback riding to name a few.