Trump tees up Scottish addition to golf empire

Mark MacAskill, The Sunday Times, 17 April 2005

Donald Trump, the American property tycoon, is in the market for an exclusive golf club in Scotland.

The billionaire, who owns four courses in America, intends to expand his golfing empire across the Atlantic.

Wealthy members of his international golf club would be given privileged access to courses and benefits including preferential tee times, clubhouse facilities, luxury accommodation and concierge services.

Ashley Cooper, the head of Trump National Golf Club and one of the tycoon’s closest advisers, travelled to Scotland recently to view two properties.

He said the 56-year-old businessman - whose mother was born in Stornoway - is keen to gain a foothold in the “home of golf” either by building a new course or giving an existent one the “Trump touch”.

The news is likely to concern Scotland’s leading private members’ clubs, such as Loch Lomond, which could face a battle to hold on to wealthy patrons such as the Duke of York, Sir Sean Connery and Sir Jackie Stewart.

“We’re looking at Scotland,” said Cooper. “Donald and I have had a lot of conversations about it. I can’t give you names but there are one or two pieces of property over there that we’re specifically interested in looking at.

“One of the most interesting and intriguing places in the entire world for us is Scotland; it’s the home of golf, and Donald’s mother is from there. I think there would be enormous demand for the international golfer over there to have access to our golf courses in the United States.

“There’s a lot of interesting things we can do. We’re absolutely serious about it. We build great golf courses; we have a great product.

“We will not do a parkland course, it has to be a links course. If we did something new it would be in keeping with the history and tradition of Scotland.”

Trump, who has attained hero status as the star of the “Business Idol” reality TV show The Apprentice, owns an impressive portfolio of golf courses in America.

It includes Briarcliff Manor in New York, widely regarded as one of the world’s most sumptuous golfing resorts. His other courses are in Florida, New Jersey and California.

Earlier this year, the golf aficionado formed a new company, Trump Golf Management, to ensure his organisation’s “image and mystique is melded into the golf, recreation, and dining experiences for all its members and guests”.

According to golfing pundits, exclusive clubs, which typically charge membership fees of tens of thousands of pounds, are becoming more popular in Britain. In 2003, members of the Loch Lomond course were told they would have to increase their total contribution to £50,000 in a bid to reduce the 1,800 membership by half and make it more exclusive.

Only Queenwood golf club, in Surrey, which charges new members about £100,000, is thought to be more expensive.

The new £55m Archerfield Links course in East Lothian, a private members club owned by Kevin Doyle, the Edinburgh pub tycoon, is expected to raise more than £15m in membership fees over the next three years. Members will be asked to pay a one-off £15,000 fee on top of an annual charge of £1,000.

“It would be nice if Trump took a Scottish course and gave it his treatment,” said David Russell, a former European tour professional and leading course designer. “It would be very attractive to have one membership for a number of courses. With Trump’s money behind it, it’s bound to be successful.”

Bob Torrance, the father of professional golfer Sam Torrance, said: “There’s a market for exclusive clubs among wealthy people, and there’s room for more in Scotland.”