Watch the wildlife at Turnberry

Turnberry lighthouse and Ailsa Craig out to sea. Photo credit R & A.

July 2009. Golfers and spectators are encouraged to enjoy nature as well as the golf with a guide to the wildlife of the famous Ailsa Course at Turnberry, published specially for the Open Championship 2009.

Produced by The R&A with support from Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), the Scottish Golf Union and Lexus, the booklet is a hole-by-hole guide to the birds, animals, insects and plants that might be seen while watching the Championship. It also covers the history and landscape of the Turnberry site and highlights the important contribution that golf courses can make to the environment.

Internationally important for wildlife
Renowned worldwide for the quality and character of its golf courses and its scenic views, Turnberry is also nationally and internationally important for its wildlife and habitats. The sand dunes behind Turnberry Bay are home to two nationally rare species of beetle. Further north the rocky coastline is about 400 million years old, a time when there were several active volcanoes along this stretch of the coast. Out to sea the distinctive island of Ailsa Craig, after which the Championship course was named, is well-known for its breeding seabird colonies. Home to the third biggest gannetry in the UK, it also supports significant numbers of razorbills, black guillemots and an increasing number of puffins.

Fertiliser, pesticide and water use is minimised
Along with many other golf courses around the country, Turnberry is managed for nature as well as golf. Fertiliser, pesticide and water use is minimised and the rough is managed with wildlife in mind. To counter coastal erosion, they have opted for an environmentally friendly approach, putting up wooden fences to encourage dune stabilisation rather than using hard engineering.

Hands-on advice and support comes from the Scottish Golf Environment Group, who wrote the guide. Funded by the Scottish Golf Union, The R&A and SNH, they offer Scotland's golf courses free advice on managing for wildlife and promote environmental best practice, covering topics such as waste management, sustainable drainage and energy conservation.

Golf and the natural environment
The R&A's Director of Golf Course Management, Steve Isaac, added: "We promote sustainable course development and management, through our website, www.bestcourseforgolf.org, in the belief that golf must work with the natural environment. The R&A has worked closely with SNH and Turnberry to minimise disturbance to the landscape and its wildlife during The Open and the crowds who will come to watch the world's best golfers actually enhance the diversity of the flora on the site as their trampling opens up the grassland to a wider variety of plants."

The Ailsa Course: A guide to the management of the links for wildlife and conservation
Spectators at home and on the course can obtain a copy of "The Ailsa Course: A guide to the management of the links for wildlife and conservation" from www.opengolf.com  

8000 copies will also be available at The Open: free from public areas between 15-18 July and with a programme on Sunday 19 July, the final day of the Championship.