Donald Trump makes bold claim as new footage emerges of latest Scottish course

Donald Trump believes his Aberdeenshire golf resort will host “many, many championships” when its second course opens for play.

The former US president made the prediction in a new promotional video on social media for Trump International Golf Links Scotland’s new track, the Macleod Course.

Trump visited Scotland in May for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the beginning of construction for the long-mooted development.

Named after the 76-year-old’s Scottish mother, Mary MacLeod, the course was finally green lit in 2020.

Designed by Martin Hawtree, it will sit adjacent to the first course which opened for play in 2012.

“We’ve had great pleasure working with this land,” said Trump. “It’s one of the great pieces of land anywhere in the world. We built a course that’s recognised as one of the greatest courses in the world. Some people say it’s the greatest course ever built.

“We have a lot of land left and it’s all right on the sea, so we had to make a determination: do we want to use it for golf, do we want to use it for houses, what do we want to use it for?

“We decided to build a course that we’re going to try to replicate, in terms of the quality, the course that we finished years ago.

In the short video shared online, Trump is seen working with the team on the ground in Aberdeenshire, with plans for the 18th hole receiving particular attention.

Another legendary world-class championship links course in the making…

Eighteen breathtaking holes along the spectacular North East Coast of Scotland.#golflife #linksgolf #scottishgolf@TrumpGolf @EricTrump @VisitScotland @VisitScotGolf @visitabdn @VisitScotNews pic.twitter.com/KTv676xuxi

— Trump International, Scotland (@TrumpScotland) July 20, 2023

“Eighteen is going to be incredible,” said Trump. “It’s spectacular.”

Adding that the course will be complete in “the not-too-distant future”, he said: “Having a second course of equal quality is a big advantage for [hosting[ tournaments because they can use both of the courses.

“We’ll have many, many championships here between both courses. I think it’ll be a great success.”

Trump International Golf Links Scotland will stage its biggest championship to date next month when it plays host to the PGA Seniors Championship. Icons of the game, including Michael Campbell and Ian Woosnam, are expected to peg it up in the Legends Tour event.

The video was released just 48 hours after another of Trump’s properties, Turnberry, suffered a significant blow.

The four-time Open Championship host venue has been blacklisted by the R&A following Trump’s perceived role in the Capitol riots in the US on January 6, 2021.

Speaking to the media on the eve of The Open at Royal Liverpool, the organisation’s chief executive Martin Slumbers said its position would not bee changing any time soon.

“Until we’re confident that any coverage at Turnberry would be about golf, about the golf course and about the championship, until we’re confident about that, we will not return any of our championships there,” said Slumbers.

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor