Trump Turnberry


Trump Turnberry is a golf resort in Turnberry, South Ayrshire, located on the Firth of Clyde in southwest Scotland. 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, 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. 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, on the A719 just north of the A77, a major road from Glasgow to Stranraer via Ayr. It is sited on headland along the Firth of Clyde, overlooking the Isle of Arran and Ailsa Craig.

History

Development

The idea of the course came from The 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. Lord Ailsa 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 during the First World War, and a landing strip built for this purpose still exists, now disused. The Royal Flying Corps trained pilots in the arts of aerial gunnery and combat, 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 during the Second World War. The hotel was commissioned as a hospital, and the golf courses were seconded for air training for the Royal Air Force ; 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, convinced the British 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 Isle of Arran.

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

acquired the hotel in 1997, and until 2008, it was operated under the Westin Hotels & Resorts brand. In 2008, Leisurecorp, Dubai World's sport and leisure subsidiary, purchased the resort, with Starwood continuing to manage operations under The Luxury Collection brand.

Trump ownership

purchased the hotel and golf courses from Leisurecorp in 2014 for $60 million, and the resort was renamed Trump Turnberry.
In 2006, the Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group began constructing, the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre an offshore wind farm with 11 turbines, near this golf course. By 2015, Trump had taken the fight against the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. In 2019, a court ruled against Trump and they must pay the Scottish government's legal bills. The company objected because the proposed windfarm would be seen by people at the resort.
2014-2019 Trump Turnberry total losses were $61 million In 2018, Trump Turnberry resort lost 3.4 million UK pounds, losing millions for a fourth consecutive year. In 2019, Trump Turnberry resort lost more than £2.3 million UK pounds. In 2020, Trump Turnberry resort lost more than £5.3 million UK pounds. In 2021, Trump Turnberry resort lost more than £3.7 million UK pounds. In 2022, Trump Turnberry resort profits were £186,000. In 2023, Trump Turnberry resort profits were £3.8 million.
In 2017, Trump resigned his directorship of the companies which own Trump Turnberry just before he was inaugurated as president of the United States, and passed control to his sons Donald Jr and Eric. 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 in Ireland and Scotland came under scrutiny in the Special Counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.
In September 2019, it was reported that the House Oversight and Reform Committee of the United States Congress was investigating increased military expenditure at Glasgow Prestwick Airport that might constitute a conflict of interest 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 United States 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 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 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.
On 27 July 2025, the United States and the European Union concluded a trade agreement, providing for 15% tariffs on European exports. The deal was announced by President Trump and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, at Turnberry.

Open Championship future

After the 2021 United States Capitol attack, the organizer of the championship, The R&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 on four occasions. It has also hosted many other important golf tournaments, including the Women's British Open in 2002, the Walker Cup in 1963, 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 World War II. During the war, the resort was used as a hospital and the courses were flattened and paved for use as a major RAF airfield. The new Arran Course opened in 2002.
Other golf facilities at the resort include the Colin Montgomerie 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 Jack Nicklaus in 1977; 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 to Stewart Cink.

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