5 Day Ayrshire and the West Golf Itinerary
Five days, three Open Championship links and a stretch of the finest coastline in Scotland, all from one base near Troon. The Ayrshire coast holds the birthplace of the Open at Prestwick, the Mackenzie Ross masterpiece at Turnberry and the 2024 Open venue at Royal Troon, gathered so tightly you never move hotel. Here is the week, with indicative 2026 green fees, drive times and the option to push west to Kintyre.
Photograph: Trump Turnberry Ailsa, Kolaz Golf, via Google
Who this trip suits
This is the great Ayrshire pilgrimage, built for the golfer who wants the Open links of Scotland's west coast without spending the week in the car. The whole route sits on a short stretch of coast south of Glasgow, a tight cluster of championship links gathered around Troon and Prestwick, so you set up once, play five rounds and never change hotel. It suits a serious golf group or a couple for whom the golf is the holiday, and it flexes easily: trade Turnberry's headline fee for an extra value links when the budget demands it, and the quality barely dips.
The two decisions that shape the week are Turnberry and the season. Book the Ailsa with a resort stay to bring the fee down to earth, aim for May to September for the firmest turf and longest light, and keep midweek tee times in mind, when the marquee clubs are both cheaper and quieter. Get those right and the rest of the week falls into place around one comfortable base.
The 5 day plan
Western Gailes Golf Club
Open the week on a pure, old fashioned links that runs as a thin ribbon of duneland between the railway and the sea, with the clubhouse at the halfway point so every round finishes back where the kettle is on. A long time Open final qualifying venue and a favourite of those in the know, Western Gailes is a gentle, characterful start to the trip and, at an indicative 200 pounds, a reminder that the best of Ayrshire golf need not cost the earth. About ten minutes from Troon.
Royal Troon, Old Course
The marquee round, an Open Championship links that staged the Open most recently in 2024 and is home to the Postage Stamp, the tiny par 3 eighth that is the shortest hole in Open golf and one of the most feared. The front nine runs out along the shore with the wind behind, the back nine fights all the way home into it. An indicative day ticket of around 495 pounds covers the Old and the neighbouring Portland, with midweek rounds nearer 250. Walkable from the town.
Trump Turnberry, Ailsa Course
The most beautiful round of the trip and one of the great links of the world, rebuilt by Mackenzie Ross in 1951 on a wartime airfield and reworked by Martin Ebert in 2016 around the lighthouse and the rocks. The stretch from the ninth tee along the cliffs, past the lighthouse with Ailsa Craig offshore, is among the most photographed in golf, and the Open here gave us the 1977 Duel in the Sun. Peak fees reach around 1,000 pounds, but a resort stay brings the Ailsa down to around 475. About thirty minutes south of Troon.
Prestwick Golf Club
Pure history. Prestwick hosted the first Open Championship in 1860 and staged the next dozen, and it still plays as a glorious, eccentric throwback of blind shots, vast bunkers and humpy fairways that no modern architect would dare build. The Cardinal bunker on the third and the blind Alps seventeenth are worth the trip alone. An indicative 380 pounds in the May to September peak, with cheaper midweek rounds, and it sits right beside Glasgow Prestwick airport.
Dundonald Links
Close the week with the modern counterpoint, a Kyle Phillips design opened in 2003 on the same stretch of Gailes linksland, built to championship scale and a host of the Scottish Open and the Women's Scottish Open. Generous, strategic and beautifully conditioned, with a smart lodge resort on site, it is the relaxed, high quality finish to the trip and, at an indicative 200 pounds in summer, fine value beside the marquee names. Minutes from Western Gailes and Troon.
Green fees, drive times and logistics
| Round | Indicative 2026 fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Western Gailes | Around 200 pounds | About 10 minutes from Troon |
| Royal Troon, Old Course | Around 250 to 495 pounds | Day ticket covers the Portland; in town |
| Trump Turnberry, Ailsa | Around 475 pounds with a stay | About 30 minutes south; up to 1,000 peak |
| Prestwick | Around 380 pounds | About 15 minutes; beside Prestwick airport |
| Dundonald Links | Around 200 pounds | About 10 minutes; lodge resort on site |
Designers, hosting history and indicative fees verified June 2026 from club and ranking listings. Fees vary by season and day and change without notice, so always confirm current rates and availability directly before booking. Find an Ayrshire base.
When to go, where to stay and going west
Play the trip between May and September for firm turf, long daylight and the best chance of dry links weather, accepting peak fees, or take the April and late September shoulder for lower prices and quieter courses. Base yourself around Troon or Prestwick for all five nights, within about forty minutes of every round, choosing from the grand Trump Turnberry resort and the Marine Troon to smaller hotels along the coast. To honour the wider west, add two or three nights on the Kintyre peninsula for the remote links of Machrihanish and Machrihanish Dunes, around three hours by road or a short flight from Glasgow, a wilder end of the road experience that pairs beautifully with the polished Ayrshire coast.
Plan your Ayrshire golf week
We hold the Royal Troon, Turnberry and Prestwick tee times, match your base to the golf, build in the Kintyre extension if you want it, and arrange caddies and transfers so the week runs smoothly. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling, and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Ayrshire itinerary questions
What is the best 5 day golf itinerary in Ayrshire?
A five day Ayrshire trip can take in the great Open links of the west coast from a single base near Troon. Open with the classic Western Gailes, then play Royal Troon, host of the 2024 Open, the Mackenzie Ross masterpiece at Trump Turnberry, the birthplace of the Open at Prestwick and the modern Dundonald Links to finish. Every round is within about forty minutes of Troon, so you never move hotel. Always confirm current tee times and fees directly before booking.
How much does an Ayrshire golf trip cost in green fees?
Five rounds on this route run to roughly 1,300 to 1,600 pounds per golfer in peak 2026 green fees, led by Turnberry's Ailsa at around 475 pounds with a resort stay and Royal Troon at around 250 to 495 pounds, with Prestwick around 380. The value pair of Western Gailes and Dundonald Links comes in far lower, around 150 to 230 pounds in season. Midweek and shoulder season rates cut the total sharply. These are indicative figures, so always confirm current fees directly before booking.
Where should you stay for an Ayrshire golf trip?
Base yourself around Troon or Prestwick for the whole week. The coast puts you within about forty minutes of every course on this route, and Glasgow Prestwick airport sits beside the Prestwick links. Options run from the grand Trump Turnberry resort and the Marine Troon to smaller hotels and inns along the Ayrshire coast. A hire car makes the short hops simple, and leaves the evenings for the clubhouses and the seafood.
Can you extend an Ayrshire trip to the west and Kintyre?
Yes. The natural extension west is the Kintyre peninsula and the remote links of Machrihanish and Machrihanish Dunes, around three hours by road or a short flight from Glasgow. Add two or three nights there for a wilder, end of the road links experience that pairs beautifully with the polished Ayrshire coast. A planner can build the Kintyre leg into the week or keep the trip tight around Troon.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Indicative green fees and drive times verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.