Like many of the great links golf courses of Britain, the coming of golf to Turnberry went hand-in-hand with the coming of the railways: the original hotel and golf course were built in the early 20th century by the Glasgow and South Western Railway Company, who employed Willie Fernie — the 1883 Open Champion — to lay out the course.

Before long, however, it wasn’t just golf balls that were flying around this corner of Ayrshire. Though the course was already winning plaudits and hosting top-level golf competition before the First World War, with the coming of the conflict Turnberry began to be used as a landing strip by the Royal Flying Corps. Between the wars golf became the top pastime once more, but with the outset of the Second World War in 1939 Turnberry became a base for RAF Coastal Command, which dispatched planes from the location to protect the transatlantic shipping convoys. Much of the existing golf courses were lost to aircraft hangars and runways.

More info on the Ailsa course at Turnberry >>

See Poolio Rules for additional logistics.

:: Format for the British Open Poolio
7 Picks (no Tiger) - Blind wild card draw
Pick your standard 7 players. Tiger Woods is not allowed as one of your picks, everyone is going to pick him anyway... and even if you didn't, that would be plain stupid. So seven golfers, no Tiger. After all the picks have been received, I will email my Mother asking her who she thinks will win the tournament (with the exception of Tiger). Her selection will be the wild card golfer. If your team has the wildcard golfer, 20 points will be subtracted from your team's final point tally after play has concluded.