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Press and Journal
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Press and Journal
Trump International Links relishing ‘milestone year' as more details on second championship course unveiled
Trump International Links is gearing up for the most significant few weeks in the course's history since it was opened by Donald Trump in 2012. The Balmedie links will play host to back-to-back events this summer with the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship held from July 30 to August 3 taking place the week before a DP World Tour event, the Scottish Championship. It will be the first time a DP World Tour event has been held at the Martin Hawtree-designed course. If that is not enough to keep the greenkeepers busy at the Aberdeenshire venue, a second championship course will be officially opened this summer. Colin Montgomerie was at Trump International Links on Wednesday as he prepared to once again act as host to the PGA Seniors Championship, the flagship event on the Legends Tour. Sarah Malone, the executive vice president of Trump International, says it is an exciting period for the venue. She said: 'This is a very significant, very special year for us. It is great honour for us to have Colin with us again. 'He has a great history with this site, having been here on the opening day in 2012 with the Trump family to open our magnificent links, so it is very fitting that he is the host of the Legends Tour event here for the second year. 'It is a milestone year for this asset in the north-east of Scotland. It has been a labour of love for the Trump family. 'It is held in the highest regard by the family and the organisation. We are immensely proud to be hosting the Legends Tour for the third year. It is a special event that has many components to it. 'It is very firmly established in the north-east as a must for spectators, for celebrity spotters. It is very much in people's diaries and it has attracted great sponsors. 'To add to that, we have the DP World Tour event. This is why this site was built. We said at the very outset that we wanted to host tournaments and so this year we are doing back-to-back tournaments and we will be announcing very soon the opening date of our new championship links course. 'Which is not the second golf course. It is equal in stature to the existing course, which I can confirm will be known as the Old Course and the New Course, something of a nod to tradition and to make it easy for our golfers to book. 'It is the beginning of a new era for us, having 36 holes is a big thing. It will ensure that golfers will not be too ready to leave the area, which is good news and gives us limitless options and possibilities for tournament and professional play.' Ms Malone says the Trump family's commitment to the Aberdeenshire venue remains 'steadfast' and believes the addition of a second championship course will be a huge draw to golf tourists from around the world. She added: 'This entire site, the nucleus for this was the Trump family's connection with the ancestral home of Mary Anne McLeod, the President's mother, and the great game of golf. 'It was a visionary project, always a multi-phase project. The Trump family has been steadfast in their commitment, irrespective of the backdrop with the economy or the markets. 'None of that has had impact on our vision to create a world-glass golf destination that hosts the biggest and best tournaments in the world. 'This year is a milestone for us. It's the completion of two magnificent golf courses. Maybe not quite tomorrow but I think we could possibly put a tournament out there as it is ready for play. 'We have gone to great lengths to ensure that it complements the existing links. That was the benchmark – what a benchmark. 'This is a big year for us and the family are very proud of what we have accomplished and I think it plays a very important part in the future of golf in Scotland.' Montgomerie, an eight-time European Tour order of merit winner, is looking forward to playing host at the Legends Tour in a few weeks' time. He said: 'I'm very honoured obviously to be associated with this event again. Any event you are associated with that is first-class, five-star is special and this is, the venue and everything about it. 'It was very easy to put my name to this again for a second year out of the three that have been here. I think it is superb, I really do. 'I might be a bit biased, but I thought it was a great success last year and let's hope this year we can build on that success and make it even better. 'This year we've got Sunningdale as our Senior Open venue followed by next week here. 'You can't really get any better than that. You would go a long way to beat that, I can assure you. You've got two weeks on the Legends Tour that is second to none.'
The National
05-05-2025
- Business
- The National
Are Donald Trump's Scottish businesses actually a financial success?
He bought the Trump International Golf Links in Balmedie in 2006 with the intention of transforming it into a million-pound location capable of hosting major events like The Open Championship. It didn't take long before the boasts the US president is known for started to spout. "I have done so much for Scotland, including building Trump International Golf Links, Scotland, which has received the highest accolades, and is what many believe to be one of the greatest golf courses anywhere in the world,' he said in 2015. READ MORE: Scottish ministers approve plan for new wind farm and battery storage site Upon acquiring Turnberry in 2014, Trump pledged to invest approximately $200 million (£120 million) into the golf resort. "We're going to spend a tremendous amount of money on bringing the hotel to the highest standards of luxury. I think it'll be the finest hotel in Europe when it's finished,' he said. The apple, predictably, doesn't fall far. (Image: Andrew Milligan/PA Archive/PA Images) 'Turnberry is considered by all to be the best golf course in the world by the players, the writers, the spectators, and the entire golfing community,' Eric Trump, his son, said in a statement to Telegraph Sport amid reports senior Whitehall officials were pressuring top golf bosses to help Turnberry host the 2028 Open championship. But Trump – be it of the Donald, Eric or perhaps even Donald Jr. variety – has been notably less inclined to boast of the financial performance of the family's Scottish businesses. Are Donald Trump's Scottish businesses a success or a flop? Things aren't looking great for Trump's Aberdeenshire golf course – in fact, they haven't pretty much from the beginning. According to the latest filings in Companies House, losses have almost doubled in the last year – £1.4m in the period up to 31 December last year, with £738,000 the previous year. This comes despite a £4.8m loan from Trump parent company, DJT Holdings. According to the accounts, this takes the total borrowing from the parent firm to £11.8m. The development's turnover increased slightly compared to the previous year, up from £3.6m to £3.75m – coming as it hosted the PGA Seniors Championship last August. A statement signed off by Eric Trump (above) in the accounts said: "As demonstrated, ownership remains steadfastly committed to their vision for the property and confidently foresee a positive fiscal improvement as the impact of the investment activities flow through in the medium and longer term." The National spoke with Richard Murphy, a professor of accounting practice at Sheffield University Management School, who looked through the accounts and wasn't optimistic. The former chartered accountant said the firm was losing money 'hand over fist'. 'The last reported accounts, for 2023, suggested that the loss was £1.4 million in total income of just £3.7 million. This makes this look like a hopeless commercial venture,' he said. 'In total, this course has lost £18.7 million under Trump ownership, and is totally dependent on money borrowed from Trump entities to keep going each year.' It's a downward trend that the firm and the US president himself will be keen to reverse, with his forthcoming visit coinciding with the opening of a second golf course in Aberdeenshire this summer – the 18-hole MacLeod Course, named after his mother – perhaps not a coincidence. (Image: Photo by) Turning to his other main Scottish venture, the fortunes for Turnberry (above) look brighter. The company that operates it, Golf Recreation Scotland Limited, saw its pre-tax profit rise from £186,261 to £3.8m in 2023. Although, over the same period, its turnover dipped from £21.82m to £21.1m. It is the second consecutive year the firm has seen profits following seven years of losses after Trump purchased the 800-acre resort for £39.5m. In his director's report, Eric Trump said: "Trump Turnberry sustained its strong performance from 2022, generating total revenues exceeding £21 million for the second consecutive year. "Highlights included growing golf revenues by 35 per cent over 2022 and driving incremental membership, spa and recreation activity revenue. "Trump Turnberry continues to be recognised as Scotland's premier destination for luxury travel. "Continual investment from the owners in the resort, and in particular the championship golf courses, will ensure our continued growth into 2024 onwards in the luxury market." But Murphy was less positive, highlighting the high amount of loans the firm relies on to stay afloat 'This company is profitable now, although it clearly has not been in the past,' he said 'However, it's important to note that it is wholly dependent on loans of around £125 million provided to it by related companies, the details of which we do not know. They have obviously given the auditors an assurance that they will not be asking for their money back.' Murphy added: 'The company is controlled by something called the Donald J Trump Revocable Trust. A revocable trust means that the person who created i (presumably Trump) can cancel it and claim the assets back. There is no such thing in UK law. 'It seems likely that Trump has always been a person with significant control as a result. That makes the acknowledgement of the fact as late as April 2025 very odd.' Trump International has been approached for comment.
