Why Donald Trump’s Turnberry Golf Club is not in The Open Championship’s rotation plans

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Donald Trump’s Turnberry Golf Club has missed out again as The Open Championship continues to look elsewhere for future venues.

The course remains one of the most famous links in golf, but prestige alone is not enough to bring The Open back.

The R&A is now judging venues by the demands of a modern championship, and Turnberry still has major hurdles to clear.

That became even clearer after Royal Lytham & St Annes was named as the 2028 host, leaving Turnberry out of the rotation plans once again.

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R&A explains why Turnberry Golf Club is still outside Open Championship plans

Speaking to Sky Sports, R&A Chief Executive Mark Darbon pointed to infrastructure rather than the quality of the course.

“The challenge at Turnberry is a logistical challenge. You see the scale of a modern Open championship – the road, rail, and accommodation network around that venue is challenging to deliver what we now deliver,” Darbon said.

He added, “We’ve got a good dialogue with the venue, we’re open-minded, we’ll maintain that dialogue and see where we get.”

That is the key distinction. The R&A is not saying Turnberry lacks championship quality. The problem is whether the surrounding area can handle the size of the event as it exists today.

Turnberry last hosted The Open in 2009, before Trump bought the resort in 2014. Since then, the tournament has grown significantly, with modern Opens requiring far more crowd capacity, transport access, hospitality space, and nearby accommodation.