Donald Trump flew in to Scotland to oversee the progress on his controversial £750 million golf and leisure development near Aberdeen, claiming adverse publicity had helped the project and guaranteed its success.
The extravagantly coiffured entrepreneur arrived in his private jet emblazoned with his name in six-foot-high letters just in case anyone didn’t know who was coming and went to the Menie Estate near Balmedie, where what he claims will be “the best golf course in the world” is slowly taking shape.
Later, his famous hair protected from the sharp north-east winds by a red cap again with his name on it the tycoon had a few swings off completed and turfed tees at the course site.
Trump said he would invite the new US Open champion Rory McIlroy to be one of the first to play the course when it was ready in just over a year and that he wanted First Minister Alex Salmond and Scottish movie legend and avid golfer Sir Sean Connery to do the official opening.
Trump arrived in Aberdeen just days after the Scottish premiere of Montrose filmmaker Anthony Baxter’s You’ve Been Trumped documentary was held in the city. Its run has now been extended after the Belmont Picturehouse reported an “unprecedented” response to Mr Baxter’s film.
But Trump continued to dismiss the controversy over the development which includes the championship course, a 450-bedroom hotel, 950 holiday homes and 450 residential properties saying he believes the resulting publicity has benefited his own profile and that of the project.
“We’ve had tremendous support here,” Mr Trump said. “If there was any inaccuracy from the press it’s been that they haven’t reported how popular this project has been with the people of Aberdeen and the surrounding area.
“The documentary makers couldn’t find anyone to say anything bad about it. If you ask them what they think, they say ‘We love it’.
One of Mr Trump’s stated aims during his three-day visit is to site the course’s clubhouse, a tricky proposition even without the continuing presence of the house of Michael Forbes, the man who refused to sell his property after the sale of the rest of the estate.
“Very rarely is the clubhouse built at the same time as the course,” he said. “If you build it too soon you might build it in the wrong place. What we will do is build a temporary clubhouse, then build a permanent one. You want to wait until the course is taken care of and almost complete. The hardest part has already been done now the artistic side begins.”
The “hardest part” was the extensive works done to stabilise the dunes with widespread planting of marram grasses and temporary installation of fencing, a process which the Trump camp claims is an environmental asset.
The course routing has been completed and grow-in has begun. The final championship course will be a maximum of 7407 yards but playable at under 5175 yards off forward tees.