Trump Aberdeen's Proposed Second Course Seen As Another Dunes Destroyer

Business Insider’s Thomas Colson reports on outrage over the proposed second course at Trump International Golf Links near Aberdeen.

Trump's second course will adjoin the existing one and be built on a different area of sand dunes that remain part of the Site of Special Scientific Interest. There are fears that those, too, will now be destroyed, meaning the entire sand dune system will eventually be destroyed - or "stabilized."

"I think it will lead eventually to further damage to all of the sand dunes," said the LSE's Bob Ward.

"There will be nothing left of the natural dune system. At the moment if you go there, you go along the shoreline and there's a very large dune bank that protects the inland including the golf course. And once you go inland, there was this whole dune system. But part of it has already been destroyed by the golf course - and now a bigger area is going to be affected by this second golf course. The whole thing is going to be unrecognizable."

The council said the new course "will contribute towards the significant social and economic benefits expected to be delivered by the wider development proposals within the Menie estate."

Adding to the matter: the failure so far to deliver the promised economic benefit. Trump Golf will claim it needs the second course but given the abundance of links that seems a stretch.

But the current course has posted losses of over $1 million a year and locals say the economic benefits promised by the Trump Organisation when they built the first course have never materialized.

Guy Ingerson said: "Mr Trump and his organization promised the world: Thousands of jobs, lots of new amenities for the local community. That hasn't happened. So why are we allowing him to create a new golf course when he hasn't delivered on the existing promises made?"

Bloomberg recently offered this look at the drop in Trump’s net worth while in the White House and the golf properties stood out as a strength compared to other assets. They cite $18 million in debt, $108.3 million in and while a -19% income change from 2015-2020, and a $271.7M valuation.

Golf has been one of the few bright spots for the Trump empire during the pandemic, thanks to enthusiasm for a socially distanced outdoor sport. The number of rounds played last year was among the highest ever, according to Mike Loustalot, co-founder of Sagacity Golf, which collects data on the industry. But all isn’t well at the 19 courses his company owns or manages. Two in Scotland, Trump Turnberry and Aberdeen, have consistently lost money, U.K. filings show. After the Capitol attack, the PGA of America voted to end an agreement to host next year’s tournament at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey, saying holding it there would hurt the group’s brand. The opening of Trump World Golf Club Dubai, Trump’s second course in the United Arab Emirates, has been delayed for years. That course, and two in Indonesia, are listed on his website as “coming soon.”