When president Donald Trump stepped off Air Force One on to Scottish soil, he had one thing on his mind.

“There’s no place like Turnberry,” he told his travelling press pool beneath the wing of his presidential jet. His Ayrshire golf course, he continued, was “the best … probably the best course in the world”.

Minutes later, he climbed into the Beast – his armoured limousine – to travel 35 minutes along country lanes and through Scottish villages, lined with supporters, protesters, and the merely curious, to Turnberry.

Mr Trump may be determined to have a break, but European leaders have other ideas. Willingly or otherwise, Mr Trump faces a string of meetings in the coming days as the Continent’s power brokers sit down with the unpredictable president.

For now, though, he is secure inside a ring of steel. The historic course, home to some of the most exciting Opens in history, has been locked down. It now sits inside an eight-foot fence, its fairways dotted with burly men in dark suits and earpieces.

Snipers watch over the course from a watch tower.

Police officers – some on quad bikes – patrol the famous course and the dunes that flank it.