Four years ago, when Donald Trump landed in Scotland to announce plans for a new golf development in Aberdeenshire, people dismissed his claim that it would be the “greatest course the world has ever seen” as the type of brash hyperbole that characterises somebody worth upwards of  $1billion.

But there’s a reason people like Trump are billionaires – a proven track record of delivering on their word.

Having secured a world exclusive interview with the man himself (published in issue 98 of bunkered), I was privileged to be invited to Menie for a reception hosted by Trump, his son and business associates as they checked in on the progress being made to the course.

And take it from me: it’s shaping up to be every bit as good as he claims.

The dune system around which it will be built – he has named them the ‘Great Dunes of Scotland’ in honour of his late Scottish mother – is simply spectacular.

The infrastructure is outstanding, with Aberdeen city centre a ten-minute drive away.

And, above all, the team working on the course are, and please excuse the football parlance for a second, ‘galacticos’ in their field.

Martin Hawtree, the course designer, is one of the world’s foremost golf designers. Trump said that he asked Peter Dawson, the chief executive of the R&A, for a recommendation of a designer for the course. Dawson told him Martin Hawtree. “What if I can’t get him?” said Trump. “Who would be your second recommendation?” To which Dawson replied: “My second recommendation would also be Martin Hawtree.” That’s how highly he is thought of.

The contractor that will carry out the actual build of the course, SOL Golf Course Construction, has a resumé that speaks for itself, having worked on over 40 world-class links courses across the UK and Ireland, amongst them four Open courses in Royal Liverpool, Royal Lytham & St Annes, Muirfield and Royal Birkdale.

And that’s just for starters. The whole team, across the board, have been specifically hand-chosen to help deliver a product that golfers all across Scotland and, indeed, the world can (and will) enjoy.

“This will be a masterpiece when it’s completed,” said Trump today. “As with many of my projects, when it’s completed I think that everybody in this room and more importantly all of Aberdeen and all of Scotland will say thank you.”

Oh, don’t believe the hype about the protestors. Far from making life difficult for Trump, they decided instead to extend him a warm welcome when he arrived in Scotland on Wednesday.

He said: “I figured I’d have thousands of people [protesting at the airport]. There were two people and a dog, and the dog was more vicious than the people.

“They were nice people, they waved to me. I said, ‘Are they on my side?’”

Trump also plans to return to the course in 18 months’ time to cut the ribbon and officially declare it open – before playing the first round on it in the company of Sean Connery and Colin Montgomerie.

The “greatest course the world has ever seen” is on its way, ladies and gentlemen. And I, for one, can hardly wait to play it