AS GOOD AS IT GETS

Nick Bonfield makes his first ever journey to Trump Turnberry to play the recently renovated Ailsa course and experience one of golf's most iconic resorts

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According to the proverb, if you're not moving forwards, you're moving backwards.

While that statement doesn't necessarily apply to somewhere with the reputation of Trump Turnberry - unequivocally one of the best golf resorts in the world - this grand Ayrshire venue has recently undergone another set of renovations that have further enhanced the stature of the sublime Ailsa course. I was lucky enough to play the layout in late August and to say it didn't disappoint would be a rather sizable understatement.

Turnberry has always been one of my bucket-list destinations, but my desire to play the famous Ailsa links ramped up a notch after Martin Ebert's substantial makeover in 2015 (changes were made ahead of the 2009 Open Championship, too). When the Ailsa reopened in 2016, every hole had been modified in some way, but the major talking point was the creation of a scintillating three-hole stretch from 9 to 11 that rivals any other trio on the planet.

Last year, plans were outlined to make further renovations ahead of a summer 2025 reopening. When an email hit my inbox in June asking if I'd be interested in playing the new Ailsa – along with the King Robert the Bruce course, which would be the star of the show elsewhere – it took me nanoseconds to confirm my attendance. As I boarded an early-morning Glasgow flight in August, my excitement was palpable.