How to Play Trump Turnberry Ailsa
The Ailsa is the great drama of Scottish links golf, a four time Open venue strung along the Firth of Clyde beneath the Turnberry lighthouse, with the rock of Ailsa Craig out to sea. A par 71 of 7,489 yards, reshaped by Martin Ebert in 2016, it is also the most expensive round in the country. There is no ballot to navigate: you book it, and the smartest way in is a hotel stay. Here is exactly how to play it in 2026, what it costs, and when to go.
Photograph: Trump Turnberry Ailsa, Kolaz Golf, via Google
The short answer
Book directly with Turnberry, and stay at the hotel if you can. There is no members' ballot at the Ailsa; you reserve a specific tee time with the resort, and hotel guests get priority access and a meaningfully lower green fee than walk up visitors. The indicative 2026 fee is around 1,000 pounds before 1pm for a non resident, falling to around 545 pounds for an afternoon time after 1pm, with hotel guests paying some way below the headline figure. Reserve early for summer dates, since the prime morning times go first. Always confirm current fees and availability directly before booking.
How to book, step by step
| Route | Who it suits | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel stay and play | Most visitors | Stay at the Turnberry hotel for priority tee times and a green fee some way below the visitor rate; book the round with your room |
| Non resident booking | Day visitors | Reserve a tee time directly with golf reservations, subject to availability, at the full rate; morning times go first |
| Afternoon tee time | Value seekers | Times after 1pm carry a markedly lower fee and the long evening light; ideal in midsummer |
| Through a trip planner | Group and multi course trips | We hold the Ailsa time as part of a wider Ayrshire week with Royal Troon and Prestwick |
Booking routes verified in June 2026 from the resort's published reservations information; processes and rates can change, so always confirm directly with Turnberry or your trip planner before booking. Check tee time availability.
Turnberry Ailsa green fees, 2026
| Tee time | Indicative 18 hole fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Non resident, before 1pm | Around 1,000 pounds | The headline peak rate; the dearest round in Scotland |
| Non resident, after 1pm | Around 545 pounds | Afternoon value rate with evening light |
| Turnberry hotel guest | Some way under 1,000 pounds | Priority access and a reduced rate; the usual route in |
| King Robert the Bruce, second course | Lower; local resident rate available | The resort's second championship course, a strong round in its own right |
Green fees verified indicatively in June 2026 from the resort's published rates and press reporting; they change without notice, so always confirm current fees directly before booking.
The round, caddies and what to expect
The Ailsa is a walking links, and a stirring one. The opening holes ease you in along the shore before the course climbs into its famous stretch around the turn, the par 3 ninth played to a green beside the lighthouse, then the run of holes hard against the Firth of Clyde that Ebert reworked in 2016. Caddies are available and well worth taking on a first visit, both for the lines off blind tees and to read greens that run firm and fast in summer. Allow time for the range and the clubhouse, and pack a layer for the wind, which is the course's real defence on an exposed Ayrshire headland.
When to go and what to pair it with
Play Turnberry from May to September for the firmest turf and the best weather, accepting peak price, or take an afternoon time after 1pm for the lower fee and the long northern evening. The Ailsa shares the Ayrshire coast with Royal Troon and Prestwick, both Open venues a short drive north, and those three make the obvious spine of a links week, with Western Gailes and Dundonald close by. A morning hotel guest time catches the calmest wind and the emptiest course. Build the week around the Ailsa and you have one of the great golf trips in Britain.
Plan a Turnberry and Ayrshire trip
We secure the Ailsa tee time you want, match it to a hotel stay for the better rate, and build the week around Royal Troon, Prestwick and the wider Ayrshire coast. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling, and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Turnberry booking questions
How do you book a tee time at Turnberry Ailsa?
You book directly with the Turnberry golf reservations team rather than through any ballot. Resort hotel guests receive priority access and a lower green fee, so the simplest route to the Ailsa is to stay at the hotel and reserve the round with your room. Non resident visitors can also book a tee time subject to availability, at the full rate. Contact the reservations team by email at [email protected] or by phone, and confirm your time well ahead for summer dates. Always confirm current availability and rates directly before travelling.
How much does it cost to play Turnberry Ailsa in 2026?
Turnberry is the most expensive round in Scotland. The indicative 2026 green fee for a non resident is around 1,000 pounds before 1pm, dropping to around 545 pounds for an afternoon tee time after 1pm. Resort hotel guests pay some way under the 1,000 pound figure, which is the main reason most visitors play the Ailsa as part of a hotel stay. A discounted local resident rate exists on the second course, the King Robert the Bruce. These figures move year to year, so always confirm current fees directly before booking.
Is Turnberry Ailsa worth the green fee?
For many golfers it is a bucket list round. The Ailsa is a four time Open Championship venue, the stage for the 1977 Duel in the Sun between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus, and its run of holes around the lighthouse and along the Firth of Clyde is among the most dramatic in the game. The Martin Ebert redesign completed in 2016 strengthened that stretch further. The fee is steep and the verdict is personal, but the setting, the history and the condition put it in the conversation with anywhere in the world. Always confirm current fees before booking.
When is the best time to play Turnberry?
May to September brings the best weather and the firmest links conditions on the Ayrshire coast, which is also peak season and peak price. An afternoon tee time after 1pm carries a markedly lower fee and catches the long northern evening light. The spring and autumn shoulders are cheaper and quieter, and the Ailsa pairs naturally with Royal Troon and Prestwick up the coast for a complete Ayrshire links week. Always confirm current seasonal rates and availability directly before booking.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts, booking routes and indicative green fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.