TURNBERRY, Scotland — Rod Pampling was in the middle of a practice round at the British Open. Still, he couldn't pass up the chance to get in a little history lesson.

So, huffing and puffing, the Aussie scrambled up a steep mound alongside the 12th green, the one topped off by a solemn piece of granite.

Turnberry, you see, is more than just a golf course.

Much more.

From its solemn monument to those airmen who gave their lives here during both World Wars to the sea-hugging lighthouse that supposedly stands atop the ruins of a famous king's castle, there are remnants all along this craggy piece of Scottish coastline that don't have anything to do with birdies and bogeys.

"I've been looking for the airfield," Paul Goydos said Monday, taking a break from his preparations. "I heard it's out here somewhere."

Indeed, the British government gutted these lush, green fairways during World War II, transforming the property into an airstrip used for training the daring pilots who helped save the country from a Nazi invasion. Some sections of the 18-inch-thick concrete runways still survive, including one spot being used this week as a car park (that's what they call parking lots on this side of the Atlantic).

"There's some great stuff out here," Goydos said, looking around as he stood on the practice range.

By the time Thursday rolls around, these guys will be all business. But on this day, with many of the golfers still straggling in, there was time to soak up a part of Turnberry that doesn't have anything to do with hitting a little white ball.

"I played some golf," said Pampling, summing up his practice round, "and I saw where Robert the Bruce is from."

That would be Robert I, the ancient king of Scotland who led his country to its freedom from England after the execution of William Wallace, a battle that was recreated in the epic final scene to the Academy Award-winning movie "Braveheart."

The remains of Robert the Bruce's castle are allegedly beneath the famous lighthouse that now serves as Turnberry's most enduring landmark. The ninth hole of the Ailsa Course, the one that will be used for the Open, is known as "Bruce's Castle."

Pampling found a stirring memorial and a spectacular view. The monument was first installed to honor those airmen — British, Australian and American — "who gave their lives to their country while serving in the school of aerial gunnery and fighting at Turnberry" during World War I.

"Their names liveth for evermore."

It's an amazing spot out there," Pampling said.