An Ayrshire Golf Week: Playing the Open Coast Without the Package

A week on the Ayrshire coast from one base in Troon: Royal Troon, Prestwick and Turnberry, the value links in between, and a day off in the middle. Green fees below render from our course register, so they move when the clubs' published rates do. Accommodation, flights, car hire and meals are left to you, because those are prices we have not checked.

---

Why Troon works as the base

Troon puts Royal Troon in the town itself, the Gailes links a short drive north, Prestwick a short drive south and Turnberry further down the A77, with the Isle of Arran across the water for most of the way. One hotel for the whole week means no packing and unpacking between rounds, and the drive to any course on this plan is short.

Glasgow Prestwick airport is a short drive from Troon, which makes it the obvious arrival point if you are flying in. If you hire a car, photograph it on collection, windscreen included — it is the simplest protection against a damage dispute when you hand it back.

---

The courses

Western Gailes (£95–£335). The course runs in a long thin strip between the railway and the sea: eighteen holes, no parallel fairways, the sea visible from every tee. A strong opening round for the week.

Royal Troon Championship (£250–£395). The first nine plays out along the railway line and the back nine turns back, so on most days one half plays with the wind and the other against it. The 8th — the Postage Stamp — is shorter than the postcards suggest and harder than the photographs make it look. The 11th is the hole the magazine pieces rarely mention and should: a hard par 4 with a railway boundary on the right.

Royal Troon Portland (£135). Markedly easier than the Championship course. The club offers the two as a same-day combination; ask when you book. Played straight after the Championship course it can feel like an afterthought, so consider whether you want 36 holes in one day.

Prestwick (£175–£380). The birthplace of the Open Championship (1860), and a course older than most people's idea of what a golf course should be. The 3rd asks for a blind shot over a wall; the 17th, the Alps, is blind and downhill — you see a marker post and the back of a large hill, not the green. This is one of the courses where a caddie earns the fee. The clubhouse keeps a dress code, so check it before you book lunch.

Turnberry Ailsa (£425–£1000). The biggest green fee of the week. The clubhouse is the hotel. The lighthouse at the 9th is what the photographs promise, and the 9th tee shot crosses the rocks of the Firth of Clyde — aim too far right and you are on the beach. The back nine turns inland for a stretch, with less of the cliff drama and more strategy; the 16th green is a small target from long range, and the 18th plays back towards the lighthouse and the hotel. The Duel in the Sun bar is named after the 1977 Open between Watson and Nicklaus. Book well ahead in shoulder season.

Glasgow Gailes (£95–£180). A links in the same dunes as Western Gailes and Dundonald, and usually a quieter round than its famous neighbours. A sensible last round on the way out.

---

A week, day by day

• Day 1: arrive, settle in Troon.
• Day 2: Western Gailes.
• Day 3: Royal Troon Championship, with the Portland in the afternoon if you want 36 holes.
• Day 4: a non-golf day. Culzean Castle is south on the A77 and its grounds make a good walk; Souter Johnnie's Cottage in Kirkoswald, with its Burns connection, is nearby. A rest day midweek matters more on a six-day trip than it looks on paper.
• Day 5: Prestwick, with a caddie.
• Day 6: Turnberry Ailsa.
• Day 7: Glasgow Gailes, then home.

---

Ways to change it

• Drop the Portland. If you would rather keep an evening free after the Championship course, play it on its own.
• Add Dundonald Links (£95–£195). A modern links between Gailes and Irvine that has hosted Scottish Opens. An alternative to Glasgow Gailes if the budget allows.
• Stay a night at Turnberry. The course is part of a hotel; if you want the evening at the property, compare a room-and-round booking against the green fee alone on the resort's own site. The evening, not a saving, is the reason to do it.
• Go south for a night to Galloway. Southerness (£75–£95) is a highly regarded links that most Ayrshire trips never reach.

Stays Nearby

Where to stay near Troon

Hotels, B&Bs and self-catering within easy reach of Troon. Tap any property to check rates.

Prefer a list? Compare hotels & B&Bs in Troon →

Rates and availability via Stay22. We may earn a small commission if you book — at no extra cost to you. How affiliate links work.