SOUTH WEST SCOTLAND, SCOTLAND

Trump Turnberry Resort (Ailsa Course)

Lighthouse holes trace Turnberry Point beside Ailsa Craig and Arran.

SOUTH WEST SCOTLAND Location
LINKS Course type
18 HOLES Holes
PAR 71 Par
TOP 100 IN THE WORLD Recognition

Beyond the Scorecard

Course established: 1901
Course designer/s:Willie Fernie, Cecil Hutchison, Philip Mackenzie Ross, and Martin Ebert
National ranking: #3 in Scotland
Known for: Four Opens and the Duel in the Sun
Defining feature: Lighthouse-backed coastal stretch from four to eleven

The Coast Remade for Championship Golf

The Ailsa Course at Trump Turnberry Resort began with Willie Fernie's links, opened in 1901. It later took the Ailsa name, and Cecil Hutchison established the routing's main shape before the Second World War. Wartime use as an RAF airfield damaged the land so heavily that its return was uncertain.

Philip Mackenzie Ross rebuilt the course after the war, removing runways and drawing the holes closer to the shoreline. The revived layout reopened in 1951, placing the 4th, 9th, and 10th beside the beach and turning the coast into the course's central character.

Martin Ebert's 2015-16 work created five new holes and strengthened the stretch from the 4th through the 11th. The 9th became an ocean-edge par three near the lighthouse, while new par threes at the 6th and 11th increased variety. Further changes completed in 2025 moved the 7th green towards the cliff and refined several later holes.

The course now shifts between exposed sea-edge shots, firm links ground, and inland sections where the prevailing wind changes the task on the return.

Why Add This Course to Your Golf Experience

Turnberry Ailsa suits golfers who want an acclaimed course and resort stay in one place. Its four Open Championships give the round clear sporting context, especially the closing hole named for the 1977 "Duel in the Sun".

The setting also contrasts well with Royal Troon's tighter examination and the quieter links around Ayrshire. Kinfern can place the Ailsa as the headline round of a South West Scotland golf experience, then shape nearby days around the group's preferred pace, course difficulty, and time at the resort.

Course Facts

Country: Scotland
Region: South West Scotland
Item type: Golf
Course type: Links
World ranking position: #12

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