Ailsa Course – Turnberry

Trump Turnberry, on the Ayrshire coast, is one of the great stages of world golf, and its Ailsa Course has hosted The Open four times. Tom Watson, Greg Norman and Nick Price all lifted the Claret Jug here, and in 2009 Stewart Cink joined them after beating Tom Watson in a play-off at the 138th Open. The famous 1977 battle between Watson and Jack Nicklaus, known as the Duel in the Sun, now gives its name to the 18th hole.

The course was first laid out by Willie Fernie, the 1883 Open champion, and today’s routing is based on the reconstruction by Mackenzie Ross after the Second World War. Martin Ebert’s renovation, completed in 2016, made much better use of the rocky coastline. The 9th, played from the tee next to the lighthouse, is now a dramatic par 3 of about 250 yards over a rocky inlet, the 10th has become a longer par 5 and the 11th moves closer to the shore.

At almost 7,500 yards from the back tees, the Ailsa is one of the finest seaside golf experiences anywhere. Turnberry has also hosted the Senior Open seven times and the Women’s British Open in 2002 and 2015.