Yes, Turnberry is charging a £1,000 green fee. Here’s why.

If you’re a regular user of Golf Twitter – or Golf X, as it should probably be known these days – you cannot have escaped a post last night about the cost of a round on Trump Turnberry’s Ailsa Course.

The prominent UKGolfGuy account revealed that, next year, a round on the four-time Open host venue will cost a mind-boggling £1,000 for non-hotel residents before 1pm. After 1pm, the price will drop to £545.

That’s per person.

This will make a round on the Ayrshire links comfortably the most expensive round of golf in the UK and up there with the costliest rounds in the world.

For the avoidance of doubt, this rate is only for peak times at peak season. Non-residents can, for example, play there on May 14, 2025, for £315.

Still a lot of money, but considerably less than a grand.

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Even so, four figures for 18 holes of golf is a mind-blowing sum. It’s almost £56 per hole. If you go round in level-par, it works out at £14.85 per shot.

There is, though, method to the apparent madness.

Turnberry’s general manager Nic Oldham told bunkered.co.uk that the £1,000 green fee is designed to protect tee times for hotel residents and Turnberry members.

“We were finding that a lot of people were booking up tee times during the peak times of the year but only came to play golf and then left,” said Oldham

“In many instances, people were choosing to play the Ailsa but stay somewhere else nearby. That meant our hotel guests were able to stay in the hotel but couldn’t get access to the course.

“By blocking out these peak tee times, we are able to offer greater playing opportunities to our best customers.”

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Indeed, bunkered.co.uk understands that the resort doesn’t expect to sell many tee times at £1,000-a-head because there is greater value to be had from staying and playing.

“Staying in the hotel and playing the Ailsa will come in some way under £1,000, so it’s better value to do it that way,” added Oldham. “That’s better for the golfer, because they’re getting a full five-star experience, but it’s also better for Turnberry.

“We are unique amongst venues that have hosted The Open in that we are a complete resort and, therefore, we need to make sure all parts of our business are viable. Simply selling rounds of golf isn’t a sustainable business model.”

It is also worth noting that the resort has been heavily invested in since the Trump Organisation acquired it in 2014, with further course improvements – specifically, changes to the seventh and eighth holes of the Ailsa – in the pipeline.

“We are constantly trying to improve what we have here at Turnberry,” added Oldham. “The Ailsa is one of the finest courses in the world, but we never want to let the standards slip.

“We will be investing around £1million into the golf facilities over the winter, with the Ailsa set to close so we can dedicate the time to make it even better with improvements to the seventh and the eighth, along with other areas of the venue.”

And, of course, if you still don’t want to pay top dollar to stay and play at the peak times of the year, you can always wait until 1.02pm on any day during that spell to get 18 holes for £545.

“It’s still a lot of money,” added Oldham, “but the Ailsa is worth it.”

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor