Menie Estate,
Balmedie, Aberdeenshire AB23 8YE
Office
+44 (0)1358 743 300Pro shop
+44 (0)1358 743 300Website
Visit websiteGolf pro
Christopher Campbell (PGA, Head Golf Professional).The Course:
18 holes. Seaside links. Undulating terrain - several slopes to climb.
Surroundings:
Coastal duneland directly alongside Balmedie Beach and the North Sea.
Designer:
Dr Martin Hawtree
57.274681
-2.037320
9 mi N of Aberdeen.
Trump Aberdeen
Trump Aberdeen is home to one of the finest seaside links golf courses in the British Isles. Laid out behind Balmedie Beach on the Menie Estate, this relatively new addition to the panoply of great links layouts in Scotland contains a wealth of wonderfully crafted, memorable and challenging holes. The course occupies an area of huge coastal sand hills, as big as you'll find on any golf course in Britain, and rebranded by Trump as the "Great Dunes of Scotland".
Martin Hawtree's design is based on two nine-hole loops that weave through the dunes on either side of the functional rather than opulent clubhouse. There's plenty of undulation and elevation change along the way. Several tee-boxes, fairways and greens rise-up to provide views onto the North Sea, as well as far inland over the rich and rolling Aberdeenshire farmland. Other parts of the course plunge into sheltered valleys. Close-mown fairways and fast-paced greens are liberally dotted with revetted pot bunkers, and always back-dropped by the pale green, marram-grass covered dunes.
The creation of a golf course on these centuries old sand hills was not without some local controversy, further compounded by the addition of a few wind turbines just offshore. However, the resulting layout, ruggedly handsome rather than winsomely beautiful, has been widely acknowledged in the golfing world as a stunning addition to the links courses of the British Isles. Definitely worth going out of your way to play.
Pick of the holes: Almost a case of take your pick from any of the 18, but in terms of North Sea and coastal views, they don't come any better than those from the back tees of the par-4 14th hole and long par-5 18th.
Stay & Play at Trump Aberdeen: luxury onsite accommodation available, see Where2Stay section below.
Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends during the golf season (March thru' Nov).
Must book in advance.
Credit cards accepted. Contact club for full details, discounts, Stay&Play packages, etc. [Last updated: 2018].
Soft spikes only. This is a walking course. Golf carts available for hire only with a valid medical certificate. Caddies available (book in advance).
Excellent (incl a double-ended driving range).
Donald Trump's connection to Scotland goes back to his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, who was born on the Isle of Lewis (Outer Hebrides), off the west coast of Scotland. His grandfather, Frederick Trump (born Friedrich Trumpf), emigrated to the United States in 1885 and became a naturalised American in 1892.
World: 100th best course in the world (GOLF magazine, 2020/21).
GB&I: 14th best course in Britain & Ireland (Golf World, 2020/21).
Scotland: 9th best course in Scotland (Golf World, 2021).
Menie estate, Balmedie, Aberdeenshire AB23 8YE.
+44 (0)1358 743 300
Visit websiteThis opulent boutique house hotel provides superior and grand deluxe guestrooms, intimate bar and excellent dining facilities. With its secret stairways, traditional log fires, whisky snug and spectacular grounds, MacLeod House & Lodge (named after Donald Trump's Scottish grandmother) offers luxury and comfort in a secluded and dramatic location.
Trump Aberdeen
Newburgh-on-Ythan
Murcar Links; Royal Aberdeen; Cruden Bay; Peterhead (23 mi).
North Deeside Road, Pitfodels, Aberdeen AB15 9YA.
+44 (0)1224 861 000
Visit websiteSet in its own picturesque grounds on the outskirts of the historic city of Aberdeen, The Marcliffe Hotel & Spa at Pitfodels is a five-star Scottish country hotel offering 40 luxury guest rooms and suites. Since its official opening in 1993 by Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev, this luxury hotel has earned wide acclaim as an ideal base for exploring the many riches that North-east Scotland offers ... not least an excellent array of world-class coastal and inland golf courses that includes Royal Aberdeen, Cruden Bay and Trump Aberdeen. The hotel is a member of the coveted Small Luxury Hotels of the World collection.
No
Deeside; Royal Aberdeen (6 mi).
Murcar; Newmachar; Trump Intl; Newburgh-on-Ythan; Banchory; Meldrum House.
Tournaments:
Solheim Cup: can Europe defend the most prestigious team trophy in women’s professional golf, when the 17th Solheim Cup is played out at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio (Sept 4-6).
Italian Open: Nicolai Højgaard recorded his first European Tour win (Sept 5), just a week after his twin brother Rasmus landed the European Masters title (Aug 29); the first brothers to win back-to-back on the European Tour.
Who's Who:
Patrick Cantlay: moved into the world top 5, after winning the final two FedEx Cup playoff events and scooping the $15 million first prize.
Trish Johnson: kept the Senior LPGA Championship trophy in European hands, with her second win in this event in its four-year history.
Golf World Top 100: Best Golf Courses in Europe. From France to Spain to the Netherlands and Norway, the Golf World Top 100 panel reveals the places you have to play (published 20 October 2021).
New 27-hole golf complex to be built in southern Belgium
A new golf complex in southern Belgium, close to the border with Luxembourg, will start construction in June 2021.
Marco Simone Golf & Country Club "makes its tournament debut with the hosting of the Italian Open on the European Tour" by Richard Humphreys
Gamble Sands opens short course:
David McLay Kidd’s 14-hole QuickSands short course has opened for play at Gamble Sands in Brewster, Washington.
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