Very few golf courses, no matter how old or grand, have the heritage Turnberry does. The terrain itself—the rolling hills and hidden bunkers of its grass-covered sand dunes—demanded to be played even before a formal course was built. This land, which “links” the sea to the surrounding patches of farmland, is one of the most storied links courses in Scotland. Just seven years after its first man-made course opened, Turnberry hosted its first professional tournament, and the course has since seen some of the sport’s most memorable matches. For those to whom golf is a religion, Turnberry is a cathedral.

The challenge of the links

Undulating, uneven fairways. Thick, mean rough. Deep, humbling pot bunkers. All swept by gentle breezes or driving blasts, depending on the day. All three of Turnberry’s courses—Ailsa, Kintyre and Arran—are classic links courses. Their holes zigzag in every direction, insisting that players contend with changing wind patterns on every hole.

Links golf demands a very different strategy and style of play than the parkland, heathland and desert courses. The vaulting shots that are rewarded on other types of courses are penalised by the winds here. Low, accurate strokes and sharp bunker skills are required. Some days, even professionals can’t make par.

Four different courses

As the weather can fluctuate from summer to fall to winter and back to spring within the space of a few hours, there are many who say that playing Turnberry is like playing a different course every day—or four different courses in a single day, if the winds are fickle. When the air currents are powerful or when it’s raining, a dauntless player can be brought to his knees. The only constant is the courses’ trueness: disciplined ball control prevails.

Taunted by stiff gusts from the northwest, terrorised by prickly gorse when a shot goes wide, many a player’s confidence wavers when he encounters the unexpected difficulties of Turnberry. It is a character-building experience to stand in a six-foot-high, straight-faced bunker, with no sightline to the hole—an immersion into exacting circumstances in which a player can triumph simply by surviving.

The exultation of victory

Despite its challenges, or perhaps because of them, Turnberry elicits the longing to succeed in many players, both professional and amateur. Tournaments held here have spanned two centuries. The Open Championship has been played here four times, and each time, the contest has entered golfing’s eternal lore: a changing of the guard, a struggle in near-gale force winds, perseverance’s payoff as a gifted player returned to form.

Turnberry once again hosted The Open in 2009, adding a new chapter to the game’s storied history, a fresh saga of glory for a new generation of golfers and fans.