Trump reveals details of new Aberdeenshire golf course opening

It has been confirmed that Donald Trump’s new Aberdeenshire golf course will open next summer.

The much-anticipated MacLeod Course, on the outskirts of Scotland’s third largest city, will sit alongside the existing links to create what the US presidential candidate’s company is calling ‘the greatest 36 holes in golf’.

“Since breaking ground with President Trump and Eric Trump last spring, we have made extraordinary progress,” said Sarah Malone, executive vice-president of Trump International, Scotland. “This course is unlike any other links course ever built and is exceeding every expectation.

“There are very few great stretches of developable links land in the world as good as this. 

“A truly remarkable, world-class team of architects, engineers, environmental scientists and industry specialists have been working tirelessly in the background – etching out every square inch of this phenomenal piece of land to create one of the great wonders in the world of golf.”   

• Popular Scottish golf course to CLOSE to visitors next summer

• Turnberry offers golfers ‘last chance’ to play before lengthy closure

The new track has already received ringing endorsements from two of the game’s greats who got to see it close-up when the Legends Tour staged the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship at Trump International, Scotland in August.

Two-time major champion John Daly said: “Trump Aberdeen’s new course it is one of the most spectacular links courses you are ever going to find in the world. It’s beautiful. I had the opportunity to see it firsthand this year and can’t wait to return and play it.” 

Ryder Cup-winning captain Paul McGinley added: “I had the pleasure of viewing the new site at Trump during construction whilst playing the Staysure PGA Championship at Trump International in the summer. 

“I have no doubt that the addition of this new golf course will provide not just a great golfing exam but also an aesthetic one with views of the North Sea from most holes. 

“It is great to see such huge investment in the North East of Scotland to add to what already is an historic golfing destination.” 

In a promotional video for the course, shared on social media last year, Trump predicted that it will host “many, many championships” when completed.

“We’ve had great pleasure working with this land,” he said. “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.

• Popular English golf course to close after shock sale

• Augusta update after ‘catastrophic and historic’ damage

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.”

The MacLeod Course – named in honour of Trump’s Scottish mother Mary – is also set to be one of the most environmentally-friendly and sustainable courses ever built.  

Designed and constructed to the highest standards, the new course weaves together three distinct topographical areas to form a one-of-a-kind modern links that features the largest sand dunes in Scotland, heather-clad heathlands and expansive wetland areas.  

More than one million sprigs of native marram grass have been planted and six tons of marram seeds harvested across the new course.  Over ten hectares of natural vegetation has been successfully trans-located allowing indigenous plant habitats to thrive and expand.

Michael McEwan is bunkered's Head of Content 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.

Head of Content