Trump’s new Scottish golf course to open next summer

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Louise Thomas

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Former US president Donald Trump’s new links golf course in Aberdeenshire will open next summer, with bosses claiming the site will complement the existing course to offer the greatest 36 holes in golf.

Trump International said the new championship links will be “one of the most environmentally-friendly and sustainable courses ever built”, with views across the North Sea.

Mr Trump and his son Eric broke ground last spring at the site, which is designed to accompany the existing world-ranked championship links at Trump International near Balmedie, north of Aberdeen.

Trump International said more than 10 hectares of vegetation has been translocated across the largest sand dunes in Scotland, allowing indigenous plants to thrive and expand, while one million sprigs of native marram grass have been planted and six tonnes of marram seeds harvested.

Sarah Malone, executive vice-president at Trump International, hailed “extraordinary progress” at the site.

She said: “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.”

Trump International said new wildlife habitats emerged within the wetlands areas, sand dunes, and heathlands, and most materials – other than drainage and irrigation pipework – were sourced on site to reduce the carbon footprint.

An “innovative environmentally-friendly freshwater and drainage system” has been engineered from wetlands and ponds to provide irrigation.

Golfer Paul McGinley said: “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.”

Clare Barber, principal director of project engineers Fairhurst, said: “Given the outstanding ecological and geomorphological setting of the site, our priority has been to provide engineering solutions which do not just meet the minimum standards, but enhance the natural landscape, with a particular focus on the water environment and biodiversity.

“Working with academic experts in the field, we have achieved engineering and course morphology designs which not only respect but complement the existing landform, taking account of ongoing natural processes.”

Principal golf contractor Esie O’Mahoney, of Golflink Evolve, said: “Over my 30 years’ experience in the industry, this is by far the most environmentally-friendly and sustainable golf project we have ever worked on.

“This course has been built with the utmost respect for the environment. We have harvested and sourced almost all of the materials from the land itself and developed an energy efficient and environmentally sustainable water system that supports both championship courses for the future.”

Robert Maxfield, chief executive of the Professional Golfers’ Association, said: “This could be one of the last great modern links to be built in Scotland.

“This course is an absolute gift to the game of golf, and I am pleased the course will be accessible and open to all.”