Ayrshire Open venues · Which to play
Trump Turnberry (Ailsa) vs Royal Troon Old Course
Two Ayrshire Open Championship venues on the same coast — which is the round of the trip?
| Trump Turnberry (Ailsa) | Royal Troon Old Course | |
|---|---|---|
| Green fee (2026) | £425–£1000 | £250–£395 |
| Location | Turnberry, Ayrshire | Troon, Ayrshire |
| Region | Ayrshire | Ayrshire |
| Type | Links | Links |
| Holes / par | 18 · par 71 | 18 · par 71 |
| Designer | Willie Fernie 1906; Philip Mackenzie Ross rebuild 1951 | Charlie Hunter 1878; Willie Fernie 1910; James Braid redesign 1923 |
The verdict
Which should you play?
Both have hosted the Open and both rank among the finest links in Britain. Turnberry's Ailsa is the more scenic by a distance — the lighthouse, the Ailsa Craig, the cliffside stretch around the 9th and 10th make it one of golf's great visual experiences, and it's priced at the very top of the Scottish market. Royal Troon is the sterner, more traditional championship test — the Postage Stamp 8th, a brutal back nine into the prevailing wind — with a fee that, while high, sits well below Turnberry's peak.
Turnberry is the splurge and the spectacle; Troon is the purer championship examination and the more sensible spend. If your trip is about the photographs and the once-in-a-lifetime setting, Turnberry. If it's about testing your game on a genuine Open rota course and keeping something back for a second round, Troon.
Pick this one if…
Trump Turnberry (Ailsa)
You want the most spectacular links round in Scotland and the budget to match the view.
Pick this one if…
Royal Troon Old Course
You want a genuine Open championship test and would rather spend the difference on a second round.
Green fees are the clubs' published 2026 visitor rates, shown as a range from the cheapest to the dearest tee time. They change; always confirm on the course profile before you book. We don't take a cut of your green fee — the verdict above is ours, not the pro shop's.
More: which should you play?