![]() Trump Turnberry logo ![]() Trump Turnberry Golf Course, November 2016 | |
Club information | |
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Coordinates | 55°18′55″N04°49′58″W / 55.31528°N 4.83278°W |
Location | Turnberry, South Ayrshire, Scotland |
Established | 1906, 118 years ago |
Type | Private |
Owned by | The Trump Organization |
Total holes | 45 |
Events hosted | The Open Championship (4) Senior Open Champ. (7) Women's British Open (1) Walker Cup (1) |
Website | www |
Ailsa Course | |
Designed by | Willie Fernie, redesigned by Mackenzie Ross 1949–51, redesigned by Martin Ebert 2015–16 |
Par | 71 |
Length | 7,448 yards (6,810 m) |
King Robert the Bruce Course | |
Designed by | Martin Ebert |
Par | 72 |
Length | 7,204 yards (6,587 m) |
Arran Course | |
Par | 31 |
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, [1] [2] who now brand the course Trump Turnberry.
The resort is 50 miles (80 km) 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. [3]
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. The Marquess owned 175 acres (71 ha) of land at Turnberry Green, south of Maidens, which was infertile and unsuitable for agriculture, and therefore an ideal golf course location. [4] [5] 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. [4]
The hotel was designed by station architect James Miller, whose other work included Glasgow Central and Stirling railway stations. [6] It was built adjacent to the railway, and opened concurrently with the station on 17 May 1906. [4] The course was intended to attract visitors from across Britain, and was advertised heavily in the national press. [4]
The property was used as an airbase in World War I, 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. [7] After the war, courses 1 and 2 were rebuilt and renamed "Ailsa" and "Arran". [8] A memorial to honour lost airmen was erected on the hill overlooking the ninth hole of Ailsa, which is still standing. [9]
The cycle was repeated for World War II. The hotel was commissioned as a hospital, and the golf courses were seconded for air training for the Royal Air Force (RAF); it is thought that as many as 200 died at the base. [7] 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 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. [5] [10] 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. [11]
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. [12]
Starwood acquired the hotel in 1997, and until 2008, 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. [13] [2]
Donald Trump purchased the hotel and golf courses from Leisurecorp in 2014 for $60 million, [14] [15] [16] and the resort was renamed Trump Turnberry. [17] [18] 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 and Eric. [19] The Trump Organization claims to have spent about $200 million on renovating the course; $18 million were accounted for in 2016. [20] Donald Trump remains the owner of Golf Recreation Scotland, which in turn owns SLC Turnberry. [21]
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 [was] flowing 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." [22] [23]
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 regards to the Trump Turnberry golf course. [24] [25] [26] 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. [27] [28] 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. [28]
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. [29]
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. [30] [31]
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 (1977, 1986, 1994, and 2009). 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. [32] 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. [33] 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; [34] 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. [35]
The official names are: [36]
Hole | Yards (Metres) | Par | Name | Meaning |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 441 (403) | 4 | Ailsa Craig | Named after the island |
2 | 425 (389) | 4 | Mak Siccar | Make sure |
3 | 496 (454) | 4 | Blaw Wearie | Out of breath |
4 | 194 (177) | 3 | Woe-Be-Tide | A warning about the Firth of Clyde |
5 | 531 (486) | 5 | Fin Me Oot | Find me out |
6 | 171 (156) | 3 | Tappie Toorie | Hit to the top |
7 | 476 (435) | 4 | Roon The Ben | Round the mountain |
8 | 454 (415) | 4 | Goat Fell | Named after the tallest peak on the Isle of Arran |
9 | 248 (227) | 3 | Bruce's Castle | Named after Turnberry Castle, which is adjacent to the course |
Out | 3,436 (3,142) | 34 | ||
10 | 565 (517) | 5 | Dinna Fouter | Don't mess about |
11 | 215 (197) | 3 | Maidens | Named after a small village near the course |
12 | 468 (428) | 4 | Monument | Named after the memorial to lost airmen from both World Wars |
13 | 409 (374) | 4 | Tickly Tap | Tricky little stroke |
14 | 568 (519) | 5 | Risk-An-Hope | Risk and hope |
15 | 234 (214) | 3 | Ca' Canny | Take care |
16 | 509 (465) | 4 | Wee Burn | Named after Wilson's burn, which runs in front of the green |
17 | 559 (511) | 5 | Lang Whang | Long whack |
18 | 485 (443) | 4 | Duel in the Sun (formerly Ailsa Hame) | Re-named in 2003 in reference to the contest between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus in the 1977 Open. [34] |
In | 4,012 (3,669) | 37 | ||
Total | 7,448 (6,810) | 71 |
At its first Open Championship in 1977, the course was the scene of the famous "Duel in the Sun", [37] when Tom Watson claimed a classic victory, one stroke ahead of Jack Nicklaus. [38]
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.[ citation needed ]
Nine years later in 1986, Greg Norman claimed the first of his two Opens (his only major titles), winning by five strokes. Nick Price won his second major (and only Open) in 1994, a single stroke ahead of runner-up Jesper Parnevik. [39]
After a fifteen-year absence, the Ailsa Course hosted the Open in 2009, 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.[ citation needed ]
In 2015, the governing body for Golf, The R&A, 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". [40] [41] 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." [42]
Following the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol, 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". [43]
The Open Championship winners at Turnberry, all played on the par-70 Ailsa Course:
Year | Winner | Score | Winner's share (£) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | |||
1977 | ![]() | 68 | 70 | 65 | 65 | 268 (−12) | 10,000 |
1986 | ![]() | 74 | 63 | 74 | 69 | 280 (Even) | 70,000 |
1994 | ![]() | 69 | 66 | 67 | 66 | 268 (−12) | 110,000 |
2009 | ![]() | 66 | 72 | 71 | 69 | 278 (−2)PO | 750,000 |
Winners of The Senior Open Championship at Turnberry.
Year | Winner | Country | Score |
---|---|---|---|
1987 | Neil Coles | ![]() | 279 (−1) |
1988 | Gary Player | ![]() | 272 (−8) |
1989 | Bob Charles | ![]() | 269 (−11) |
1990 | Gary Player | ![]() | 280 (Even) |
2003 | Tom Watson | ![]() | 263 (−17)PO |
2006 | Loren Roberts | ![]() | 274 (−6)PO |
2012 | Fred Couples | ![]() | 271 (−9) |
Winner of the Women's British Open at Turnberry.
Year | Winner | Country | Score |
---|---|---|---|
2002 | Karrie Webb | ![]() | 273 (−15) |
2015 | Inbee Park | ![]() | 276 (−12) |
The Ailsa Course was played as a par-72 at 6,407 yards (5,859 m) in 2002; [44] and played marginally longer at 6,410 yards (5,860 m) in 2015. [45]
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 the venue rotated between a select group of coastal links golf courses in the United Kingdom. It is organised by The R&A.
Thomas Sturges Watson is an American retired professional golfer on the PGA Tour Champions, formerly on the PGA Tour.
Gleneagles Hotel is a hotel near Auchterarder, Scotland. It was commissioned by the Caledonian Railway and opened in 1924. The bandleader Henry Hall performed at the hotel before the Second World War during which it served as a military hospital. There are three tournament-standard golf courses in the grounds and the hotel was redeveloped for the 40th Ryder Cup in 2014. Significant conferences at the hotel have included the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 1977 and the 31st G8 summit in July 2005. It is a Category B listed building.
The Senior Open Championship, or simply The Senior Open, is a professional golf tournament for players aged 50 and over. It is jointly owned and run by The R&A, the same body that organises The Open Championship, and the PGA European Tour. Prize money won in the event is official money on both PGA Tour Champions and the European Senior Tour. The purse, which is fixed in United States dollars, had increased to $2.75 million for 2023.
Pebble Beach Golf Links is a public golf course on the west coast of the United States, located in Pebble Beach, California.
William Fernie was a Scottish professional golfer and golf course architect from St Andrews. He won the 1883 Open Championship at Musselburgh Links. The tournament was scheduled to last four rounds of the nine-hole course on a Friday in November. Fernie tied with defending champion Bob Ferguson, with both men shooting 158. The following day Fernie won a playoff by a single stroke.
The A719 is a local road in Ayrshire, Scotland, connecting Girvan and the Ayrshire coastline with Glasgow via Ayr and Galston. Among other locations it passes the Trump Turnberry golf resort and the hamlet of Moscow.
The 1994 Open Championship was a men's major golf championship and the 123rd Open Championship, held from 14 to 17 July at Turnberry Golf Resort, Scotland. Nick Price won the second of his three major championships and only Claret Jug, one stroke ahead of runner-up Jesper Parnevik.
The 1986 Open Championship was a men's major golf championship and the 115th Open Championship, held from 17 to 20 July at Turnberry Golf Resort, Scotland. Aided by a 63 in the second round, Greg Norman won his first major championship at even-par, five strokes ahead of runner-up Gordon J. Brand.
The 2009 Open Championship was a men's major golf championship and the 138th Open Championship, held from 16–19 July at the Ailsa Course of the Turnberry Resort, in Ayrshire, Scotland. Stewart Cink won his only major championship after a four-hole playoff with Tom Watson. At age 59, Watson had the chance to win his sixth Open and become the oldest major champion in history during regulation play, but was unable to par the final hole and tied with Cink.
The 1977 Open Championship was the 106th Open Championship, held 6–9 July on the Ailsa Course at Turnberry, Scotland. Tom Watson won the second of his five Open titles by one stroke over runner-up Jack Nicklaus. The two played together in the final two rounds and had separated themselves from the field under clear skies, leading this Open to be remembered as the "Duel in the Sun." This was the first Open held at Turnberry, which renamed its 18th hole after the duel. Three months earlier, Watson had held off Nicklaus to win his first green jacket at the Masters.
RAF Turnberry was an airfield in Scotland used by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the First World War, and again by the RAF in the Second World War. Between the two wars, the site reverted to its pre-1914 use as the Turnberry Golf Course and hotel. It reverted to this use again after the Second World War. Although there is still a disused landing strip, the site is now the Trump Turnberry.
Trump International Golf Links, Scotland is a golf course in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, owned by Donald Trump. It opened in 2012.
The 2003 Senior British Open was a senior major golf championship and the 17th Senior British Open, held from 24–27 July at Turnberry in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It was the 5th Senior British Open played at the course and the first Senior British Open played as a senior major championship.
The 2012 Senior Open Championship was a senior major golf championship and the 26th Senior Open Championship, held on 26–29 July at Turnberry Golf Resort in South Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdom. It was the 10th Senior Open Championship played as a senior major championship.
The 2006 Senior Open Championship, also named the Senior British Open Championship or the Senior British Open Championship presented by Aberdeen Asset Management, was the 20th Senior Open Championship, a senior major golf championship. It was held on 27–30 July at Turnberry Golf Resort in South Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdom. It was the fourth Senior Open Championship played as a senior major championship.
The 1987 Seniors' British Open was a professional golf tournament for players aged 50 and above and the first Seniors' British Open, held from 23 to 26 July at Turnberry Golf Resort in South Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdom.
The 1988 Seniors' British Open, for sponsorship reasons also known as the Volvo Seniors' British Open, was a professional golf tournament for players aged 50 and above and the second Seniors' British Open, held from 21 to 24 July at Turnberry Golf Resort in South Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdom.
The 1989 Seniors' British Open, for sponsorship reasons also known as the Volvo Seniors' British Open, was a professional golf tournament for players aged 50 and above and the third Seniors' British Open, held from 27 to 30 July at Turnberry Golf Resort in South Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdom.
The 1990 Seniors' British Open, for sponsorship reasons also known as the Volvo Seniors' British Open, was a professional golf tournament for players aged 50 and above and the fourth Seniors' British Open, held from 26 to 29 July at Turnberry Golf Resort in South Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Citations
In December, the Turnberry course also lost a controversial tax break from the Scottish government, The Guardian reported. Scottish Finance Secretary Derek Mackay was pressured to make the changes after it was revealed earlier in the year that the Trump property had kept more than $140,000 a year due to a business rates relief scheme.
Sources