Like Pebble Beach Golf Links, The Teeth of the Dog and other fantastic seaside courses, the Ailsa Course is set on a spectacular stretch of coastal land. Overlooking the island of Ailsa Craig in the Firth of Clyde, the course offers golfers postcard-like panoramas of the Mull of Kintyre and the Isle of Arran. Ranked 19th by Golf Digest in the “World’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses”, the Ailsa has hosted the Open Championship on four occasions (1977, 1986, 1994 and 2009). Some of the most notable Open Championships happened at Ailsa such as the “Duel in the Sun” in 1977 when Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson staged a turf battle for the ages; the record-setting performance by Greg Norman in winning by five strokes in 1986; and the then 59-year old Tom Watson’s near miss in 2009. The coastal holes, no. 4-11, are exceptional where great shots and photo ops abound. All four par 3s in this stretch- holes 4, 6, 9 and 11- play along the beautiful rocky Ayrshire coast. The Ailsa recently received a renovation by highly respected architect Martin Ebert.
King Robert the Bruce was redesigned by Martin Ebert and reopened to much acclaim in 2017. Breathtaking vistas from the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th of King Robert the Bruce delight golfers, with spectacular views of Turnberry’s stunning coastline, castle ruins and the lighthouse. The overall design concept for the course has been to introduce fairway bunkers with sand faces and marram grass “eyebrow” faces tempting “risk or reward” shots whilst greenside bunkers are shaped and neatly revetted to require perfect recovery shots.
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