Trump Turnberry's Ailsa Course is one of the most breathtaking and historically significant links courses in the world. Set on the Ayrshire coast overlooking the Firth of Clyde, with the iconic lighthouse standing sentinel at the 9th tee and the granite outline of Ailsa Craig on the horizon, it is a course that combines raw natural drama with golf of the very highest calibre. Synonymous with Open Championship history and immaculately presented, Turnberry is an experience unlike any other in Scotland.
Golf has been played at Turnberry since the early 1900s, though the course was repurposed as a wartime airfield twice — remarkably, it recovered both times to reclaim its place among the world's elite. The Open Championship has visited four times, most famously in 1977 for the legendary "Duel in the Sun" between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus, widely regarded as the greatest Open ever played. Watson returned in 2009 at the age of 59 and came within inches of a fairytale fifth Claret Jug. The resort was acquired by Donald Trump in 2014 and has since been subject to a multi-million pound renovation, bringing the course and hotel to an exceptional standard.
There are courses that are excellent. And then there are courses that are unforgettable. Turnberry sits firmly in the second category. The 9th hole alone — tee shot beside the lighthouse, crashing waves below, Ailsa Craig in the distance — is one of the most extraordinary moments in golf anywhere on earth. For guests who want to venture beyond East Lothian, Turnberry is the natural first destination.