Highland fling

It can take years to master the game of golf, but you can pick up the basics after just a few hours of training. A golfing weekend break can therefore be a great way for businesses to entertain clients or reward and motivate staff.

The Turnberry Hotel on Scotland’s Ayrshire coast has gained a reputation as a golfing resort. In 1994, its 18-hole Ailsa golf course was home to the Open Championships. But for the less experienced golfer, there is also a 12-hole pitch and putt course next to the hotel which is easier to get round.

Turnberry combines its two golf courses with a newly built health spa offering a range of therapies plus gym, sauna and swimming pool.

So for the wives of golf-mad executives, for female clients who have not contracted the golfing bug, and for anyone else for whom the game holds little interest, Turnberry could be the answer.

The spa offers holistic treatments such as aromatherapy, full body massage, body algae and mud mask. There is hydrotherapy and the jet douche – a water massage in which the therapist trains a high-pressure jet of warm or cold water on the client.

The hotel has a range of programmed breaks, such as the three-night Golf for Beginners, the Golf Masterclass and the two-night Turnberry Lifestyle, complete with health and fitness, relaxation and healthy eating. There is also the Five Day Revitalizer.

For real indulgence, guests can combine golf in the morning with the health spa in the afternoon, or pick and mix any of the activities. Riding, archery and fishing can also be arranged on request.

Turnberry is a traditional Edwardian building which opened in 1906. It has ocean views of the Mull of Kintyre and the Isle of Arran.