Page 44 - Trump Turnberry Kintyre

History
In 1900, the Marquess of Ailsa, a keen golfer and former Captain at Prestwick Golf Club, decided to build a course on his estate at Turnberry. He commissioned Willie Fernie, the Golf Professional at Royal Troon to design the course. The Ailsa opened for play in July 1901. Turnberry Golf Club was formed in 1902 and the hotel opened for business in 1906.
As in many other places in Scotland and England, the development of golf at Turnberry was heavily influenced by the expansion of the railways. The enterprise of the Marquess of Ailsa and the luxury of the hotel quickly made Turnberry a popular golfing venue.
DuringWorldWarOne,theTurnberryhotelandgolfcourseswererequisitioned by the Government as an airfield. The hotel was used as an officers’ mess and the golf courses used as an airfield. In 1922, a memorial to those who died from the flying-school during the war period was erected and still stands by the 12th green of the Ailsa. The Ailsa re-opened in 1919 and the Arran re- opened in 1923 after a redesign by the great James Braid. The quality of the Arran was such that the Ailsa lost some of its popularity after World War One, so Cecil Hutchinson was commissioned to redesign the Ailsa. Hutchinson’s new design opened in 1938.