Trump Turnberry is a golf resort in Turnberry, South Ayrshire, located on the

Firth of Clyde The Firth of Clyde, is the estuary of the River Clyde, on the west coast of Scotland. The Firth has some of the deepest coastal waters of the British Isles. The Firth is sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre, Kintyre Peninsula. The ...

in southwest

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. It comprises three links golf courses, a golf academy, a five-star James Miller-designed hotel from 1906, along with lodge and cottage accommodations. Turnberry was a popular golf course and resort from its inception, made accessible because of the Maidens and Dunure Light Railway. It closed in both World Wars for military use, and there was concern it would not open following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, but it was redesigned by Mackenzie Ross and re-opened in 1951. The course was the scene of the 1977 Open Championship, where Tom Watson scored a close victory over

Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus (; born January 21, 1940), nicknamed "the Golden Bear", is an American retired professional golfer and List of golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greate ...

. The property has been owned by the Trump Organization since 2014, who now brand the course Trump Turnberry.

Location

The resort is south of

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, on the A719 just north of the A77, a major road from Glasgow to

Stranraer Stranraer ( , in Scotland also ; ), also known as The Toon or The Cleyhole, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on Loch Ryan and the northern side of the isthmus joining the Rhins of Galloway to the mainland. Stranraer is Dumfries ...

via Ayr. It is sited on headland along the

, overlooking the

Isle of Arran The Isle of Arran (; ) or simply Arran is an island off the west coast of Scotland. It is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde and the seventh-largest Scottish island, at . Counties of Scotland, Historically part of Buteshire, it is in the ...

and Ailsa Craig.

History

Development

The idea of the course came from Archibald Kennedy, 3rd Marquess of Ailsa after the announcement of the Maidens and Dunure Light Railway in 1899. The line would follow the Ayrshire coastline from Ayr to

Girvan Girvan (, "mouth of the River Girvan") is a burgh and harbour town in Carrick, South Ayrshire, Scotland. Girvan is situated on the east coast of the Firth of Clyde, with a population of about 6,450. It lies south of Ayr, and north of St ...

. The Marquess owned of land at Turnberry Green, south of Maidens, which was infertile and unsuitable for agriculture, and therefore an ideal golf course location. He realised the new railway would provide easy access for people wanting to visit a quality course. Following the construction of the line, he asked 1883 Open Championship winner Willie Fernie to design a suitable course. Fernie designed an initial round of 13 holes in 1901, with a second-round following later. The hotel was designed by station architect James Miller, whose other work included and railway stations. It was built adjacent to the railway, and opened concurrently with the station on 17 May 1906. The course was intended to attract visitors from across Britain, and was advertised heavily in the national press.

World Wars

The property was used as an

airbase An airbase (stylised air base in American English), sometimes referred to as a military airbase, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base, is an aerodrome or airport used as a mi ...

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and a landing strip built for this purpose still exists, now disused. The

Royal Flying Corps The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...

trained pilots in the arts of aerial gunnery and

combat Combat (French language, French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent Conflict (process), conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed (Hand-to-hand combat, not usin ...

, and the Turnberry Hotel was used as a hospital for the wounded. After the war, courses 1 and 2 were rebuilt and renamed "Ailsa" and "Arran". A memorial to honour lost airmen was erected on the hill overlooking the ninth hole of Ailsa, which is still standing. The cycle was repeated for

. The hotel was commissioned as a hospital, and the golf courses were seconded for air training for the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

(RAF); it is thought that as many as 200 died at the base. Following the war, the course was in need of refurbishment and the hotel was in a dilapidated state. Frank Hole, chairman of

British Transport Hotels British Transport Hotels (BTH) was the hotels and catering business of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain. Origins of the company Britain's private railway companies pioneered the concept of the railway hotel, initially at loca ...

, convinced the Government that golf courses should be rebuilt and restored. The architect Mackenzie Ross rebuilt the course, removing the wartime runways and covering the land with sand and topsoil. Ross is credited with restoring the courses to their high quality, and the Ailsa course was re-opened in 1951, a seaside links with views of Ailsa Craig and the

Transport links

The hotel and golf course was served by its own dedicated railway station. Turnberry railway station opened in 1906 and operated until 1942, when the Maidens and Dunure Light Railway line was partially closed.

Starwood ownership

Starwood acquired the hotel in 1997, and until 2008, it was operated under the Westin Hotels & Resorts brand. In 2008, Leisurecorp,

Dubai World Dubai World () is an investment company that manages and supervises a portfolio of businesses and projects for the Government of Dubai across a wide range of industry segments and projects that promote Dubai as a hub for commerce and trading. A ...

's sport and leisure subsidiary, purchased the resort, with Starwood continuing to manage operations under The Luxury Collection brand.

Trump ownership

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

purchased the hotel and golf courses from Leisurecorp in 2014 for $60 million, and the resort was renamed Trump Turnberry. Trump resigned his directorship of the companies which own Trump Turnberry in 2017, just before he was inaugurated as president of the United States, and passed control to his sons

Donald Jr Donald is a Scottish masculine given name. It is derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinter ...

and

Eric The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, Eirik, or Eiríkur is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-N ...

. The Trump Organization claims to have spent about $200 million on renovating the course; $18 million were accounted for in 2016. Donald Trump remains the owner of Golf Recreation Scotland, which in turn owns SLC Turnberry. Financing for Trump's golf courses came under scrutiny in the Special Counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. Glenn Simpson testified before Congress that "enormous amounts of capital asflowing into these projects from unknown sources and – or at least on paper it says it's from the Trump Organisation, but it's hundreds of millions of dollars. And these golf courses are just, you know, they're sinks. They don't actually make any money." In September 2019, it was reported that the House Oversight and Reform Committee of the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

was investigating increased military expenditure at

Glasgow Prestwick Airport Glasgow Prestwick Airport (), commonly referred to as Prestwick Airport, is an international airport serving the west of Scotland, situated northeast of the town of Prestwick, and southwest of Glasgow, Scotland. It is the less busy of the two ...

that might constitute a

conflict of interest A conflict of interest (COI) is a situation in which a person or organization is involved in multiple wikt:interest#Noun, interests, financial or otherwise, and serving one interest could involve working against another. Typically, this relates t ...

in regard to the Trump Turnberry golf course. It was reported in September 2019 that the Pentagon had spent nearly $200,000 at Turnberry since Trump took office, although stays by Air Force crews remained consistent compared to previous years with only 6% staying at Turnberry from 2015–2019. A report released by

Air Mobility Command The Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri, ...

in response to the investigation found no wrongdoing by its aircrews in acquiring accommodation around the Prestwick Airport. In February 2023, the company managing the golf course, SLC Turnberry Ltd., reported pre-tax losses of 3.7 million pounds ($4.57 million) in 2021. In March 2025, the course was vandalized by pro-Palestinian activists in protest of President Trump's proposal to take over Gaza. Palestine Action took credit for the damage.

Open Championship future

After the

2021 United States Capitol attack On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of Donald Trump, President Donald Trump in an attempted self-coup,Multiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * * two months afte ...

, the organizer of the championship,

The R&A The R&A (or more formally, the R&A Trust Company (No. 1) Limited) is the collective name of a group of companies that together play a significant role within the game of golf. Historically, "the R&A" was a colloquial name for the Royal and A ...

, announced that The Open would not be held again at Turnberry as long as its links to the Trump Organization remain. However, following Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 U.S. elections and presidential inauguration in January 2025, the newly hired CEO of The R&A stated that the organization was doing some "feasibility work" regarding a potential return to Turnberry.

Courses

The Ailsa Course, redesigned by Mackenzie Ross between 1949 and 1951, and again by Martin Ebert between 2015 and 2016, has staged

The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

on four occasions (

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

, 1986,

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

, and

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

). It has also hosted many other important golf tournaments, including the

Women's British Open The Women's Open (originally known as the Women's British Open, and still widely referred to by that name outside the UK) is a major championship in women's professional golf. It is recognised by both the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tou ...

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, the

Walker Cup The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested in odd-numbered years by leading male amateur golfers in two teams: United States, and Great Britain and Ireland featuring players from the United Kingdom and Ireland. The official name is the Walker Cup ...

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

, the Amateur Championship in 1961, 1983, 1996, and 2008, and the Senior Open Championship on seven occasions, 1987–90, 2003, 2006, and 2012. The Ailsa Course is featured in the 2004 golf video game Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005. The other two courses at Turnberry are the King Robert the Bruce course and the nine-hole Arran course. The Kintyre Course, opened in 2001 and existed at the resort until it was replaced by the King Robert the Bruce course in 2017. The Kintyre Course was designed by Donald Steel and built on the foundations of the old Arran layout, which had been rebuilt along with the Ailsa Course following

. During the war, the resort was used as a hospital and the courses were flattened and paved for use as a major RAF

airfield An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...

. The new Arran Course opened in 2002. Other golf facilities at the resort include the

Colin Montgomerie Colin Stuart Montgomerie (born 23 June 1963) is a Scottish professional golfer. He has won a record eight European Tour PGA European Tour#Order of Merit winners, Order of Merit titles, including a streak of seven consecutive ones from 1993 to 1 ...

Links Golf Academy and a pitch and putt course. In 2003, the 18th hole on the Ailsa Course, "Ailsa Hame", was renamed "Duel in the Sun" as homage to the battle between Tom Watson and

; this is also the name of a sports bar at the resort. In 2009, Watson, 59, held a one-shot lead when he bogeyed this hole in the final round, eventually losing the Open Championship in a playoff.

Awards

Turnberry Golf Courses and Resort have won/hold various awards including: * Ailsa Course ranked No. 8 and King Robert the Bruce Course ranked No. 94 – World's 100 Greatest Golf Courses, Golf Digest 2024 * No. 2 in Scotland and 3rd in Great Britain, 2024 – National Club Golfer * No. 2 Golf Course in Scotland, 2023 – Top 100 Golf Courses * 4th Best Golf Resorts in Europe, 2023 – Leadingcourses.com * Top 100 Greenest Courses Europe 2024 – ''Golf World'' * The Ailsa ranked the No. 3 golf course in UK & Ireland, 2023 – ''Golf Monthly'' * Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Hotel Award, 2024

Ailsa Course scorecard

The official names are:

Tournaments held at Turnberry

The Open Championship

At its first

Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

, the course was the scene of the famous "Duel in the Sun", when Tom Watson claimed a classic victory, one stroke ahead of

. The two were paired during the final two rounds and finished well ahead of the rest of the field. They posted identical scores for the first three rounds, and were tied through the 16th hole of the final round. Nicklaus missed a short birdie putt on the par-5 17th hole to tie Watson, who had reached in two and birdied. On the par-4 18th hole, Nicklaus recovered from the rough and sank a lengthy birdie putt, which forced Watson to sink his short birdie putt to win, which he did. It was the second of Watson's five Open titles; down two strokes on the 13th tee, he bested Nicklaus by three shots over the final six holes. Nine years later in 1986,

Greg Norman Gregory John Norman (born 10 February 1955) is an Australian former professional golfer who spent 331 weeks as List of World Number One male golfers, world number one in the 1980s and 1990s. He won 88 professional tournaments, including 20 PGA ...

claimed the first of his two Opens (his only

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

titles), winning by five strokes.

Nick Price Nicholas Raymond Leige Price (born 28 January 1957) is a Zimbabwean former professional golfer who has won three major championships in his career: the PGA Championship twice (in 1992 and 1994) and The Open Championship in 1994. In the mid-1 ...

won his second major (and only Open) in

, a single stroke ahead of runner-up

Jesper Parnevik Jesper Bo Parnevik (; born 7 March 1965) is a Swedish professional golfer. He spent 38 weeks in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking in 2000 and 2001. Early years and amateur career Parnevik was born in Botkyrka, Stockholm County, a ...

After a fifteen-year absence, the Ailsa Course hosted the Open in

, where 59-year-old Watson nearly won his sixth Open Championship. Up by a stroke at the 72nd hole, his approach shot took an unfortunate bounce on the front of the green, then ran off the back and led to a bogey. Watson then lost a four-hole playoff with Stewart Cink by six strokes; Cink birdied the 72nd hole and then posted two pars and two birdies in the playoff to win his only major title. In 2015, the governing body for Golf,

, announced that the 2020 Open Championship would not be played at Turnberry, even though it had previously been considered likely to host the tournament. The R&A were unimpressed with several remarks by Donald Trump; one member said he would like Turnberry to host the Open again, but "not Trump Turnberry". In February 2018 the U.S. Ambassador to Britain, Robert Wood "Woody" Johnson IV, told colleagues that he had been instructed by then-President Trump to seek British government help in securing the British Open for Turnberry. Although advised not to do so by his deputy, Lewis Lukens, he reportedly did suggest to David Mundell, the Secretary of State for Scotland, that the Open be moved to Turnberry. However, a later British government statement said that Johnson "made no request of Mr. Mundell regarding the British Open or any other sporting event." Following the

2021 storming of the United States Capitol On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump in an attempted self-coup,Multiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * * two months after his defea ...

, the R&A announced that it had no plans to stage any of its competitions at Turnberry and would not do so "until we are convinced that the focus will be on the championship, the players and the course itself".

winners at Turnberry, all played on the par-70 Ailsa Course: * Note: For multiple winners of The Open Championship, superscript ordinal identifies which in their respective careers.

The Senior Open Championship

Winners of The Senior Open Championship at Turnberry.

Women's British Open

Winner of the

at Turnberry. The Ailsa Course was played as a par-72 at in 2002; and played marginally longer at in 2015.

References

Citations Sources * * * * * *

External links

*
Photo tour of Turnberry

{{Authority control 1906 establishments in Scotland Assets owned by the Trump Organization Donald Trump real estate Golf clubs and courses in South Ayrshire Hotels established in 1906 Hotel buildings completed in 1906 The Open Championship venues Sports venues in South Ayrshire Walker Cup venues Five star hotels