The new championship links course in Aberdeenshire will offer “the greatest 36 holes in golf” when it opens next summer, according to bosses at Trump International
Donald Trump’s latest golf course in Scotland has unveiled plans to open by next summer, with bosses claiming the Aberdeenshire green will be environmentally friends and have the greatest 36 holes in golf.
Typically bombastic, Trump International has declared that their new championship links will stand out as “one of the most environmentally-friendly and sustainable courses ever built”, providing sweeping views of the North Sea. The former US president, alongside his son Eric, kicked off the development last spring.
The new course is designed to accompany the existing world-ranked championship links at Trump International, just a stone’s throw north of Aberdeen. According to Trump International, over 10 hectares of plant life have been shifted around the vast Scottish sand dunes, which could cause local flora to flourish – while millions of sprigs of native grassland has been planted.
Sarah Malone, the executive vice-president at Trump International, boasted about the “extraordinary progress” their team had made. 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 has boasted about new wildlife habitats emerging within the wetlands, dunes, and heathlands of their golf course development, stating that most materials – bar the essential drainage and irrigation pipework – were locally sourced to keep the carbon footprint down.
They also claim an “innovative environmentally-friendly freshwater and drainage system” is in place, crafted from wetlands and ponds to serve as a source of irrigation.
Golfer Paul McGinley shared his enthusiasm: “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.”
McGinley also expressed certainty about the golf course’s appeal, saying: “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.”