Donald Trump to lay out new golf course plan

DONALD Trump is to fly into Scotland later this week to spell out his ambitious plans for a second championship course at his £750 million Aberdeenshire golf resort which he plans to name after his Scottish mother.

US business tycoon Donald Trump. Picture: PA

• Trump will be visiting the North east of Scotland on Friday

• The new course was designed by acclaimed golf architect Dr Martin Hawtree.

The Trump Organisation submitted a planning application in February for the second course at the Menie Estate which is to be named the Mary MacLeod course, as a tribute to Mr Trump’s late mother, Mary Anne, seventh child of Lewis fisherman and crofter Malcolm MacLeod and his wife Mary Smith.

The new course, granted outline planning permission in December 2008, has been designed by acclaimed golf architect Dr Martin Hawtree, who also designed the main championship course at the golf resort.

Mr Trump will be visiting the North east on Friday and is expected to help fine-tune the plans for the second course before submitting a detailed plan to Aberdeenshire Council.

A spokeswoman for the Trump Organisation said the billionaire would be speaking about his plans for the new course before touring the site with Dr Hawtree.

Speaking about the second course in February, Mr Trump said: “Once again, Martin Hawtree’s design is genius - we have the greatest piece of links land in the world and the unprecedented demand to play our championship course has accelerated our plans to build the second course.”

Dr Hawtree said of his latest design: “At the centre, there will be an outstanding par-72 golf course, ranging between 7,500 and 5,500 yards, and situated on land with an extraordinary richness of landscape and topo-graphy; but every inch a seaside links course.

“The special and subtle challenge for me is to ensure that it sits comfortably beside its neighbour, neither outshone by the existing course nor making any attempt to mimic or rival those leviathan qualities.”

Mr Trump said he had originally believed it would be five to ten years before he began planning a second course at the Menie estate. But more than 10,000 rounds have already been played at the championship course since it opened last July.

A Trump spokeswoman said: “The eighteen hole course will complement the first and provide even greater capacity for golfers, tournaments and events at the estate.”

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