The evolution of the Ailsa at Trump Turnberry continues

“I think the golfing world did seem to like what had happened to Turnberry,” said Martin Ebert, architect at Mackenzie & Ebert.

“Everyone had regarded it as a brilliant golf course before that. But I think the fact that the new holes just used the coastline as features of the holes and the course, as well as being a great backdrop, went down really well.” 

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The radically revamped Ailsa was revealed to the expectant golfing public back in 2016. In many ways, it felt like a brand-new course that just happened to occupy the same land as before. Virtually every hole was changed in some way with the crowning glory the new par-3 9^th. It replaces the famous – yet flawed – par 4 that was played before. 

As Ebert says, the reception was almost universally popular. And yet here we are, less than a decade later, with further changes being unveiled. Nor are they insignificant ones. A new green on top of the dunes now takes the 7^th hole. It sweeps to the left and thrillingly close to the ocean. Given the hole has long been named ‘Roon the Ben’ (or ’round the bend’), this seems entirely appropriate.

A byproduct of this change, and arguably an even greater improvement, is that the 8^th hole. Named Goat Fell on account of the peak on the Isle of Arran that can be seen in the distance. Th hole now plays in a straight line. This is rather than awkwardly across the left-to-right camber of the fairway. 

“I have to give credit to Mr Trump and Eric Trump for just continuing to have that quest to improve it further and further,” explained Ebert. “Even after all that work was done, it was, ‘how can we make things better?’ It was Mr Trump that would always, during that big project, say ‘the area to the left of the 7th we want to make use of that – can we not play a short hole.’ There were so many ideas that would come up from within his mind.  

“In some ways, in his mind, the 7th was unfinished business. Eric then took up the whole concept of using that ground, and I have to give him a lot of credit. He said: ‘Can we just dogleg the 7th way further left?’ 

“The more we looked at that concept, the more it seemed to make sense to have another green right by the ocean. And there was also another huge benefit in that the 8th then became straightened. It was always regarded as slightly odd with the tees over on the left playing to a fairway with a camber left to right. So that’s been a huge benefactor of this proposal as well.  

“When the project actually started, we’d drawn detailed plans with CGI showing how that hole would look. And Eric Trump comes along and says: ‘That’s all very good, but let’s lower the fairway by another two metres.’ And that has, I think, produced the most incredible golf hole, the dogleg round the corner, and the green setting is absolutely remarkable. It’s another amazing coastal hole for Turnberry.” 

Further changes have been made to the surrounding dunes at the 13^th and 14^th. As well as a significant upgrade for the academy, now including Trackman capabilities in every bay. Ebert has also not ruled out future work beyond that. 

“We’re having a look around at the 4th, 5th, 15th and 17^th,” he said. “The 15th is an interesting one. It probably used to be the best par 3 at Turnberry, although 11 was always iconic. It could be converted into something a little bit more like Calamity (at Royal Portrush) if the view from the tee sees down into the valley with that incredible green site revealed in more of its glory.” 

If it seems hard to imagine how a course as dearly loved as the Ailsa could be changed so often and so dramatically, the fact is that the course has been through several incarnations and been shaped by many hands. 

Perhaps most significantly, part of the links was re-purposed as a runway during both World Wars. Indeed at one stage the hotel was used as a maternity hospital. 

Much of the course was unrecognisable after the Second World War. 

“We said to Mr Trump that one of the things we always like to do is study the history and the evolution of the course,” said Ebert. “Philip McKenzie Ross left such an amazing golf course after the war when he put it back together again. Just diving into the archives to find the old aerial photography and the old ground photography revealed the donut bunker at the 10th, for instance, being a much more natural looking feature and a totally different shape.” 

The spirit of continuous improvement is a recurring theme at Trump Turnberry. 

“It’s great that they’ve got that mindset,” said Ricky Hall, who has been director of golf here for a quarter of a century. “We keep on trying to polish it. It’s every discussion that you have with Eric or Mr Trump, or anyone from the Trump Organisation. It’s basically, how does it become better? What can we do to make it better? It’s just trying to be the best golf resort that we possibly can be. It’s testament to them that they keep on pushing us to do that,” said Hall. 

In the light of such comments, when playing the course, it is hard not to think of what might come next. There is not a golf course in the world that could not be improved in some way. With Turnberry the coastal highs are so high that it becomes seriously hard – if not impossible – to maintain the pulse rate when play moves slightly inland, as it must. 

Perhaps, one day, the Ailsa will claim further coastal land where the King Robert the Bruce course currently stands? 

For now, though, a course that was already right at the top of many good judges’ rankings, has just got even better. That, surely, is something to celebrate for at least a moment. 

Martin Ebert on… 

…the King Robert the Bruce course 

I think historically, a lot of people have said that it’s maybe a more difficult test of golf. The gorse defines that to a certain extent and produces that challenge. We’ve been taking some of that gorse back to open it up a little bit. The reconfiguration of the far end on Bains Hill has led to some absolutely world-class holes. That was very much the focus of Mr Trump. That was one area of the course that had glorious natural characteristics, but how could we make the most use of it? So, some really solid holes going out to it and coming back from it. But once you’re up on that headland, on that hillside, then that’s pretty special stuff. It’s a good foil for the Ailsa. 

…working for and with Donald Trump 

When we were appointed to advise him, we never thought that we’d be dealing with Mr Trump himself, but he was the man on the buggy all the time. It was quite remarkable. We thought we’d be dealing with one of his assistants or underlings, but no, it was Mr Trump the whole time. He would send us these glossy plans and lots of squiggles on them and centre lines and whatever. So that was an extremely amazing experience.  

I guess he did call me the most stubborn man he’s ever met a couple of times. But having said that, on the 9th hole, I was at one point pushing for it to be a short par 4, and Mr Trump was absolutely adamant it should be a long three. And I think he was entirely right.  

…the Ailsa’s style of bunkering 

The bunker style was so different before – everything was rough-edged. So that’s something that we went back to Mr Trump and said, look, our recommendation would be to go rough-edged. His golf probably up until that point was a bit more manicured. And on links sites, revetted bunkers was the norm. So that opened his eyes. But he said, look, take, take the opinion of Peter Dawson, take the opinion of Tim Finchem, and take the opinion of some journalists. They all said ‘we think that’s a good idea’. The R&A said that we don’t want rough edges by the by the greens. We don’t want balls just toppling off greens and ending up in the high rough, we want those either missing the bunker or in the bunker.

With exposed sand, the vegetation has grown up to cover it all up. So, there’s an element of restoring the landscape, and there’s an element of ecology in creating habitat for flora and fauna to take over. 

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