Donald Trump to open new Scotland golf course during ‘working trip'
Overlooking the steel-gray waves of the North Sea and set among dramatic sand dunes in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire, the new course is part of what Trump's family business is promoting as 'the greatest 36 holes in golf.'
'At some point, maybe in my very old age, I'll go there and do the most beautiful thing you've ever seen,' Trump had said in 2023 during his civil fraud trial in New York, referring to plans for further development on the Scottish property. Now 79 and back in the White House, Trump is delivering on part of that vision.
Tee times for the new course, set to open officially on August 13, are already up for sale.
While in the United Kingdom, Trump is expected to meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a conversation he said would occur 'probably at one of my properties.' The president also plans to visit another Trump course near Turnberry on Scotland's southwest coast, about 200 miles from the Balmedie site.
White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers described the Scotland leg as a 'working trip,' but added: 'He has built the best and most beautiful world-class golf courses anywhere in the world, which is why they continue to be used for prestigious tournaments and by the most elite players in the sport.'
Presidential travel of this scale comes with significant costs. According to Pentagon data from fiscal year 2022 as cited by AP, helicopters designated as Marine One cost between $16,700 and nearly $20,000 per hour to operate. The Boeing 747s that serve as Air Force One cost around $200,000 per hour, not including additional military cargo aircraft that fly ahead with official vehicles and staff support.
Ethics watchdogs have raised concerns about how the trip benefits Trump's business interests. 'We're at a point where the Trump administration is so intertwined with the Trump business that he doesn't seem to see much of a difference,' said Jordan Libowitz of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, as per AP. 'It's as if the White House were almost an arm of the Trump Organization.'
The Trump Organization, run by Trump's children while he is in office, has signed several new foreign agreements, including luxury golf-related projects in Vietnam and Qatar. This comes even as the administration continues trade negotiations with those countries.
His existing Aberdeen-area course, Trump International Scotland, has faced its share of legal and environmental controversies. It struggled financially and was found to have partially destroyed protected sand dunes, according to Scottish conservation authorities.
The company also lost a lawsuit aimed at blocking a nearby wind farm, arguing that it obstructed views for golfers. Trump's business was ordered to cover the Scottish government's legal fees after the failed challenge.
That property also figured prominently in the New York civil fraud case, where prosecutors accused Trump of inflating the value of undeveloped housing plans on the site to secure loans. A judge ruled last year that Trump was liable and ordered him to pay $355 million, reported AP, a figure that has since risen to more than $510 million with interest, as Trump appeals the decision.
Trump follows a long line of American presidents with a passion for golf, and some history in Scotland. Dwight D. Eisenhower played at Turnberry in 1959, while George W. Bush visited Gleneagles in 2005 without playing.
Golf's origins trace back to Scotland's Middle Ages, with one of the earliest references being a 1457 Scottish Parliament resolution that tried to ban the game — and soccer — for distracting men from archery practice.
Trump, considered one of the more skilled presidential golfers, boasts a reported handicap of 2.5, though he has not posted an official score with the US Golf Association since 2021. By comparison, President Joe Biden's handicap is 6.7, and Barack Obama once claimed an 'honest 13.'
A handicap in golf is a numerical measure of a golfer's playing ability, designed to allow players of different skill levels to compete fairly against each other by leveling the playing field.
(With inputs from AP)
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