The Best Golf Courses in Ayrshire
Ayrshire is Scotland's golf coast, a thirty mile ribbon of links south of Glasgow holding three Open Championship venues and a clutch of championship classics. Our ranked eight, with the verdict on each, the designers and indicative 2026 green fees.
Photograph: Trump Turnberry Ailsa Golf Course, Kolaz Golf, via Google
How we ranked them
No stretch of coast packs more great links into a short drive than Ayrshire, where the very first Open was played at Prestwick in 1860 and the modern game still comes for Troon and Turnberry. We weight the quality and variety of the holes, the championship pedigree, the condition and the sense of history, and the top of this list is as strong as anywhere in Scotland outside the Old Course. The courses sit within easy reach of one another along the Firth of Clyde, which makes Ayrshire the most efficient links trip in the country, three Open venues and more inside a single base.
The ranking
Trump Turnberry, Ailsa Course
The finest course in Ayrshire and one of the most spectacular in the world, the Ailsa runs along the cliffs beneath the famous lighthouse with the Ailsa Craig and the Isle of Arran filling the horizon. Rebuilt by Mackenzie Ross in 1951 and reshaped by Martin Ebert in 2016, it has hosted four Open Championships, including the Duel in the Sun of 1977. A bucket list round and the headline of any Ayrshire trip.
Indicative 2026 summer green fee around £400 to £600. Always confirm directly before booking.Royal Troon, Old Course
A classic championship links founded in 1878 and host of eleven Open Championships, most recently in 2024. Home to the famous Postage Stamp eighth, the shortest hole in Open golf, and a brutal back nine into the prevailing wind, it is a stern, traditional test that rewards control over power. One of the great Open venues and an essential Ayrshire round.
Indicative 2026 summer green fee around £270 to £350. Always confirm directly before booking.Prestwick
The birthplace of The Open, where Old Tom Morris laid out the original course and the first Championship was played in 1860. Prestwick hosted the Open twenty four times to 1925 and remains a glorious, eccentric throwback of blind shots, vast bunkers and humpy fairways. A round here is a walk through the history of the game and a pure links delight.
Indicative 2026 summer green fee around £250 to £320. Always confirm directly before booking.Dundonald Links
A modern links by Kyle Phillips, the architect of Kingsbarns, opened in 2005 on the Gailes stretch of coast and commissioned by the Loch Lomond Golf Club. Big, rugged and beautifully conditioned, it has hosted the Scottish Open and matches the historic clubs for quality. The standout of the newer Ayrshire courses and an easy pairing with its neighbours.
Indicative 2026 summer green fee around £150 to £220. Always confirm directly before booking.Western Gailes
A pure, traditional members' links founded in 1897, laid out on a narrow strip between the railway and the shore so that the holes run out and back with the wind. Long an Open final qualifying venue and a favourite of the connoisseur, it is one of the best and most natural links in Scotland that sits a little under the radar. A must for the serious links golfer.
Indicative 2026 summer green fee around £180 to £250. Always confirm directly before booking.Glasgow Gailes
The seaside course of Glasgow Golf Club, one of the oldest clubs in the world, laid out by Willie Park Jnr in 1892 on the heath and links land at Gailes. A heathery, free draining links that doubles as an Open qualifying course, it offers championship quality at a friendlier price than its famous neighbours and is one of the best value rounds on the coast.
Indicative 2026 summer green fee around £90 to £140. Always confirm directly before booking.Kilmarnock Barassie, Hillhouse Course
A fine, underrated links at Barassie just north of Troon, the Hillhouse course is a regular Open final qualifying venue with firm, fast fairways and excellent greens. Flatter and more open than some of its neighbours, it is a genuine championship test that flies beneath the radar and offers serious links golf at sensible money. A smart addition to any Ayrshire week.
Indicative 2026 summer green fee around £90 to £140. Always confirm directly before booking.Trump Turnberry, King Robert the Bruce
Turnberry's second course, reshaped by Martin Ebert and reopened in 2017, climbs to higher ground with sweeping views over the Ailsa, the Clyde and Arran. Less famous than its sister but a strong, scenic links in its own right, it makes the resort a genuine thirty six hole day and a natural pairing with a round on the Ailsa.
Indicative 2026 summer green fee around £150 to £250. Always confirm directly before booking.Designers and rankings verified June 2026. Green fees are indicative third party figures for the 2026 season, shown to set expectations only. We are a guide, not an operator, and never quote our own pricing. Course profiles are added across the site as the directory grows. Always confirm access and fees directly before booking.
Indicative green fees at a glance
| Course | Indicative 2026 fee | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Trump Turnberry, Ailsa | Around £400 to £600 | Turnberry |
| Royal Troon, Old | Around £270 to £350 | Troon |
| Prestwick | Around £250 to £320 | Prestwick |
| Dundonald Links | Around £150 to £220 | Gailes |
| Western Gailes | Around £180 to £250 | Gailes |
Indicative third party figures for the 2026 season, shown to set expectations only. Twilight, package and off peak rates are lower. Always confirm directly before booking.
Plan your Ayrshire golf trip
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Ayrshire golf questions
What is the best golf course in Ayrshire?
Trump Turnberry's Ailsa course, a Mackenzie Ross links beneath the famous lighthouse that has hosted four Open Championships, is widely rated the finest course in Ayrshire. Royal Troon and Prestwick, the coast's other two Open venues, are close behind.
When can you play golf in Ayrshire?
The Ayrshire links play best from May to September, with long daylight and the firmest turf. Spring and autumn bring quieter tee sheets and keener green fees, and the courses stay open through a mild west coast winter. Always confirm directly before booking.
How much does golf cost in Ayrshire in 2026?
Indicative visitor green fees on the Ayrshire links run roughly 90 to 600 pounds for a summer round in 2026, with Trump Turnberry at the top and the historic clubs lower. Many offer keener spring, autumn and twilight rates. Always confirm directly before booking.
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