THE AILSA COURSE

The Ailsa is one of the two golf courses on the Turnberry Resort. Play on these courses is for residents of the hotel only. The Ailsa Golf Course was the site of the British Open in July 1994.

This course is a severe test of golfing ability, particularly when the prevailing southwest wind blows. The Ailsa was the scene of perhaps the most memorable of all golf's head - to - heads in the 1977 Open Championship, when Watson and Nicklaus fired pars and birdies at each other for two days with hardly a sign of faltering from either. The 18th hole was the scene of the grand finale between the two champions.

After Nicklaus sank a long birdie putt from the front of the green, Watson, who had struck his 7-iron approach to within a yard of the cup, calmly holed out for a 1-shot victory. In 1986, Greg Norman captured the title with a second round score of 63. Polls now regularly acknowledge the Ailsa as one of Britain's top three courses, giving it worldwide eminence.

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