The Turnberry Ailsa golf course is an Open Championship course which came to international prominence in 1977 due to the four day 'Duel in the sun' between Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson which produced some exhilarating golf. The Ailsa course is regularly acknowledged as one of Britain's top three courses, with consistent rankings in the world top 20.

The average player off the medal tees might find the Ailsa quite generous with wide fairways and benevolent lies, but it demands their full respect when the wind comes into play. The 9th hole, Bruce's Castle, is the course signature hole and probably one of the most photographed holes in golf, with the tee looking over the Bay and the famous Turnberry lighthouse.

Colin Montgomerie has stated that "Turnberry offers the best Links golf in the world" while Sandy Lyle has described the Ailsa course as "easily one of the finest courses in the world."

Scene of some of the most memorable moments in Open history, the Ailsa Championship course is a legend in the world game. Watson, Norman, Price; they’ve all won The Claret Jug, golf’s most coveted trophy here on the Turnberry link.
And another name will join them in the summer of 2009 when the Open Championship returns to the Ailsa.

The first three holes pose a fairly tough opening, particularly when the wind blows from the direction of Ailsa Craig, the dramatic rock 11 miles out to sea.

From the admirable short fourth to the short 11th the Ailsa Course follows the shoreline, the fifth to the eight framed by dunes and the ninth, tenth and eleventh flanked by craggy rocks. It is a thrilling passage full of stout hitting.

Perhaps the ninth is Turnberry's trademark, the remote tee set on a rocky promontory on the edge of the sea, the drive across the corner of the bay and a glimpse of the site of Bruce's Castle (Robert the Bruce, Scottish King, 1306-1329). The narrow path to the tee and the tee shot itself are not recommended to those of a nervous disposition.

The scenic glories of the Ailsa Course are to be savoured - the granite dome of Ailsa Craig, the low form of the tip of Argyll and the peaks of Arran highlighting the changing patterns of light and shade. Closer at hand, the lighthouse, and the ninth's lovely back tee are other symbols of Turnberry, the hole's title adding an historic echo.

DESIGNER: Mackenzie Ross
CHAMPIONSHIP LENGTH: 6,976 yards
PAR: 7O
TYPE: Links