A new golf course awaits Donald Trump's inspection as he arrives in Scotland, his first visit to the UK since his re-election.
The US President's personal wealth was recently estimated by Forbes as hovering somewhere around $5 billion (£3.7bn). Among his many assets are the Menie and Turnberry golf resorts, with a round on the latter's famed Ailsa course the most expensive in Scotland at a price of £1,000 for non-hotel residents before 1pm during peak season.
Mr Trump is expected to split his time between the South Ayrshire resort and Aberdeenshire where he will dedicate the new championship MacLeod course, named after his Scottish mother. It is expected to officially open in August.
Trump International Scotland
The Trump Organisation bought the 1,400-acre Menie estate, along with its former baronial mansion and hunting lodge, in 2006. Located eight miles north of Aberdeen, the area is now home to the five-star golf resort known as Trump International Scotland.
The 500-hectare Trump International Golf Links opened in 2012, with construction of the course blamed for damaging the dunes system at Foveran Links. The new MacLeod course has come in for similar criticism.
Menie House, now known as Macleod House and Lodge, has been turned into a five-star hotel. When he originally purchased the property in 2006 Mr Trump spoke of adding a hotel and hundreds of vacation homes to the complex, but these have not been built.
In latest accounts filed with Companies House the resort posted a loss of £1.4m in 2023 on turnover of £3.7m, its 11th straight year of losses. It is listed as having an asset value of £37m and 84 employees.
Trump Turnberry
The Trump Organisation purchased this 800-acre Turnberry Hotel and Golf Resort in 2014. The group says it has since invested £200m in the hotel and Ailsa golf course, which re-opened in June of this year after the latest round of renovations.
The South Ayrshire course has been the stage for four Open Championships but the competition has not returned to Turnberry since 2009 when Stewart Cink took home the Claret Jug. Mr Trump is expected to use this week's visit to continue pressure for the return of The Open to Turnberry, but officials at governing body the R&A say the venue faces logistical challenges.
In addition to the Ailsa, King Robert the Bruce and Arran golf courses, the purchase of the resort included the 192-room hotel, the ruins of Turnberry Castle, and a the iconic lighthouse built in 1873 by the family of Robert Louis Stevenson.
The resort is operated by SLC Turnberry Limited, which in turn is 100% owned by Golf Recreation Scotland Limited. SLC Turnberry made a loss of £1.7m in 2023, while Golf Recreation Scotland reported a profit of £3.8m, up from £186,000 the previous year.
