Martin Dempster: Dear Mr Trump, don’t treat golf this way

THEY say the worst time to write emails or post on social media is after alcohol has been consumed. While that is generally correct, having a loose tongue can often help get right to the heart of something.

Donald Trump was sent a heartfelt email. Picture: Phil Wilkinson

It certainly wasn’t drink talking, for example, when I decided to fire off an email to Donald Trump late on Thursday night after he had turned the opening day of the Ricoh Women’s British Open at Turnberry into a media circus.

It said: “I shared your excitement about Trump International Golf Links and was genuinely enthusiastic about you taking up ownership of Turnberry, one of the gems of Scottish golf but a venue that needed significant investment.

“However, I have to tell you that I have become appalled by recent events, starting with your declaration about the Scottish Open looking for a ‘permanent home’ at a time when the event is more popular than ever as it moves around the country. To then arrive at Turnberry on the opening day of the Women’s British Open and turn that event into a circus shows a total disrespect to both the event and the game as a whole.

“You had some friends in Scotland but, sadly, they are being lost at an alarming rate. You simply can’t come to a country steeped in golfing history and treat the game in such a way.”

He has emailed in the past when praise had been handed out, but nothing back yet on this occasion. I wonder why?