About the course
The Ailsa is the championship course at Trump Turnberry, on the Ayrshire coast south of Ayr, where the links runs along a low, rocky shoreline facing the Firth of Clyde. The course is named after the Marquess of Ailsa, whose family promoted golf at Turnberry, and the granite island of Ailsa Craig sits out in the firth. In both world wars the land served as a military airfield, and after 1945 the runways had to be removed before golf could return.
The first course at Turnberry was laid out by Willie Fernie at the start of the 20th century. After the Second World War, Philip Mackenzie Ross reshaped the land and created the Ailsa in the form that later made it famous, and it reopened in 1951. It has hosted The Open four times: in 1977, when Tom Watson won, in 1986 for Greg Norman, in 1994 for Nick Price and in 2009, when Stewart Cink beat Watson in a play-off. Martin Ebert of Mackenzie & Ebert carried out a major renovation that was completed in 2016.
Ebert’s work changed every hole, and the most striking alterations are on the coast. The 9th now plays across a bay towards the lighthouse, the 10th has become a par 5 with a green on the edge of the sea, and the 11th is a new par 3 played over rocky inlets to a green beside the shore. The rough is thick, the fairways are firm and the wind off the firth usually decides how difficult the round becomes.
Why we recommend it
The Ailsa is the course to choose for a round with real championship history on the Ayrshire coast. The middle holes around the lighthouse, with Ailsa Craig and Arran across the water, are among the most memorable in Scottish golf, and the finishing hole recalls the famous Duel in the Sun between Watson and Nicklaus. The hotel overlooks the course, about 80 km south of Glasgow, so it pairs naturally with Royal Troon and Prestwick.
Photo gallery
| World ranking | 4 |
| Architect | Philip Mackenzie Ross |
| Year of foundation | 1902 |
| Par Course | 70 |
| Number of holes | 18 |