History Report: Turnberry

The rolling hills, sandy dunes, and blowing breeze off the Ayrshire coast are rich with Scottish history that lays in plain sight and disguised to this very day.

One of the most captivating and powerful landmarks at Turnberry is the watchful Turnberry Lighthouse that was 0riginally commissioned by the Northern Lighthouse Board since 1873 to warn passing vessels away from nearby Bristo Rock. Besides the remains of the 13th-century castle of Robert the Bruce the Turnberry Lighthouse is the oldest man-made structure on the Turnberry premises.

Eleven miles past the Turnberry Lighthouse sits Ailsa Craig, a half billion year old volcanic island that was once a haven for Roman Catholics during the 15th-century Scottish Reformation. Now completely uninhabited, in the 19th and 20th centuries the prehistoric Ailsa Craig was quarried for its rare stone.

Some people believe that golf's true beginnings were born not far from where Turnberry's courses lay today when 12th century shepherds knocked stones into rabbit holes. In 1751 less than 10 miles away in Girvan is also said to be the site of the birth of "modern golf." A Lack of formal transportation made travel difficult along Scotland's Sunshine Coast and without any permanent settlement to support the loved pastime golf would remain absent for 150 years.

The 3rd Marquess of Ailsa (Lord Ailsa) Archibald Kennedy owned Turnberry's 76,000 acres and denied two attempts to establish a formal club on his island. In 1896 Lord Ailsa an active member of the South-Western Railway board and a keen golfer saw the financial opportunity of building a golf course as well as a train line from Ayr to Maidens, Turnberry and Girvan.

Willie Fernie designed the first man-made links course at Turnberry and was open for play on July 6th 1901. A match between two teams headed by the club captain and vice captain marked the occasion of the erection of the clubhouse that soon followed the completion of the course.

Turnberry was an immediate success as the longest course in the west of Scotland at 6,248 yards and was so well regarded after just seven years, it held its first professional tournament four years before the completion of the railway.

On May 17th 1906 the Station Hotel designed by James Miller was open for business for day-trippers, week-long boarders and families to escape the bustling city and offered luxury rarely seen at that time. Electric lighting, central heating, hot and cold running water, and saltwater plunge baths, were to top amenities offered at the Station Hotel and gave the guests at Turnberry a first hand experience of the new way of living. The iconic red pan tile roof and white plasterwork is still part of Turnberry to this day.

During World War I and II the property was used as an airbase where the Royal Flying Corps trained skilled pilots in the arts of aerial gunnery and combat. A landing strip was specially built for this purpose and still exists, now disused under weeds and grass. The Turnberry Hotel was transformed into an hospital for the wounded and it is estimated that as many as 200 died at the base during the second World War. Courses 1 and 2 were rebuilt after the wars and were renamed "Ailsa" and "Arran". Today you can still see a memorial overlooking the 12th green of Ailsa to honor the all of the lost airmen.

As a result of the war Ailsa was devastated but designer Mackenzie Ross saw the opportunity to enhance the already famous Turnberry. In less than a year bulldozers and diggers reshaped the natural dunes, hillocks, and valleys that had be destroyed during the war.

The new millennium brought a new owner. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide took over from the hands of British Transport Hotels and included a variety of visions for improvements. The famous red-roofed houses by the roadside were originally built as staff accommodation but have been converted into guest lodges, offering space and seclusion to large groups. Also added were the state-of-the-art Colin Montgomerie Links Golf Academy, the newly built Kintyre course, and Outdoor Activity Centre—which allows guests to make the most of Turnberry’s 800 acres. Turnberry was transformed from a largely seasonal golf-focused resort to a year-round destination with a great abundance of activities that appeal to a much wider audience. Leisurecorp, a division of Dubai World took ownership of Turnberry in October 2008 and immediately closed its doors for refurbishment ahead of the 138th Open Championship that will be held in July 2009.