The 'Dictator of the Free World' should not be allowed to own one of Scotland's golfing cathedrals

Credit: Ian Dick

Nearly 12 years ago I was privileged to be able to play Trump International Golf Links near Aberdeen, reviewing the course for St Andrews Golf Magazine (now SHANK), and back in 2014 I was very much a fan of Donald Trump's commitment to golf. Here was a wealthy, famous, and in many corners, adored, celebrity, putting his money and profile behind golf courses all across the world.

Trump Golf opened courses in Dubai, saved Doonbeg from closure in 2014 and across the USA in Florida, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Virginia, Philadelphia and California, and in April of 2014 they bought Turnberry Resort from then-owners, Dubai-based Leisurecorp. As with all courses, Trump's name was inserted into the name of the resort, which for all of his other courses I did not have a problem with, but this isn't just any other course.

Turnberry was, is, and always will be a jewel in Scotland's golfing crown. Host to the iconic Duel in the Sun Open Championship of 1977, and 3 other incredible editions of The Open including Greg Norman's first Major title in 1986, the stunning Nick Price win over Jesper Parnevik in 1994, and the heartbreaking and remarkable battle between Tom Watson, Lee Westwood and eventual champion, Stewart Cink in 2009. Turnberry found fame in the living rooms across the UK through BBC's Pro Celebrity Golf, with many editions between 1979 and 1988 being filmed on the Ailsa Course. The Ayrshire course also staged almost every major amateur event in Scottish golf, as well as the Walker Cup in 1963, the European Open in 1979, and 7 editions of the Senior Open.

It can be argued with some credibility that Turnberry ranks alongside St Andrews and Gleneagles as the most important golfing destination in Scotland. Now, imagine Turnberry was Old Trafford, or Wembley. Having one wealthy celebrity put their name before the name of such an iconic and important sporting venue. It is wrong and never should have been allowed in the first place. But having said all of this, in 2014 I was of the opinion that he had done great things for golf, and could do more in the future, and there cannot be an argument that the changes he has enabled on the Ailsa Course and across the resort, are nothing short of spectacular and have vastly improved the course and destination.

My opinion changed on Donald Trump due his disgraceful, racist, xenophobic and offensive comments about Mexicans, immigrants and women in 2014, 2015 and 2016. I was then of the view that golf should not be establishing links with him through golf, and clearly the PGA TOUR agreed when they moved the WGC event at Doral to Mexico in 2017. Trump Golf had spent millions of dollars redesigning The Blue Monster course, only to see the tournament move to the very country he had so awfully disparaged.

Incredibly, despite these comments, Trump was elected President of the United States of America in 2016. He had no history of public office, and was woefully underqualified for the role, but unfortunately his election was symptomatic of a change in the world society, where fame and outrage was valued more than relevant experience. Ever since his election the R&A have had to field questions about The Open returning to Turnberry, when in 2009 it seemed a shoe-in that Turnberry would become a regular host of the championship, at least every 10 years. They have had to balance the needs of the event, golf and the need to prevent The Open from becoming a political showcase, a venue for propaganda on a global scale.

When Trump lost the 2020 election, and disappeared following the outrageous events at the Capitol on 6 January 2021, I think most sane people breathed a sigh of relief. He was gone.

But he never really went away, did he? In Scotland if you were playing golf at Turnberry, his name was there, and his name was near Aberdeen, he welded his name and brand to the sport which millions of us love. He welded his name and brand to a sport which teaches respect for others, courtesy and etiquette, and above all, teaches people to honest. Donald Trump is the Anti-golf.

When he returned in 2024 he did so with a quite chilling inauguration in Washington DC and almost ever since day 1 he has unleashed terror on the American people, and on the world stage. He has threatened Canada and Mexico, he has ordered an attack on Venezuela and kidnapped their President and his wife, he has walked to the tune of Putin and he has established tariffs on a global scale, with almost no country escaping. He has weaponized ICE (United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement), which was established as part of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 following the September 11 attacks. It absorbed the prior functions of the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the United States Customs Service. ICE is now used aggressively to remove seemingly any immigrant off the streets with no valid reason apart from being an immigrant.

This month they were responsible for the unlawful death of a woman on the streets of Minneapolis, but Donald Trump and the cult around him have denied it and backed the ICE agent responsible. ICE has chilling echoes of the Gestapo in Germany.

And now, he explicitly threatens to take ownership of Greenland either by the easy way, or the hard way. Today he has hit NATO allies in Europe with a 10% tariff because they dared to stand up to him and tell him he will not be taking control of Greenland. The 10% will increase to 25% in June if the UK and others do not approve of him owning Greenland. This monster is taking the world to the edge, more than 80 years since the end of World War Two.

He is breaking an alliance which has largely succeeded in keeping the western world safe from conflict, and he is breaking an alliance which has benefited many of us economically and socially for the second half of the 20th century, and the first quarter of the 21st.

He holds the position which has been known for decades as 'Leader of the Free World'. Now he is destroying freedom in his own country, and is threatening freedom across Canada, Mexico, Latin America and Greenland. He fails to stand up to Putin in favour of Ukraine, and yet he demands the Nobel Peace Prize. The incredible FIFA President Gianni Infantino may well have disgracefully cozied up to Trump, but most of know that Trump couldn't spell peace, let alone deliver it.

Ownership of a golf course is not a world priority, but he has even proven that his impact on golf is a negative one.

Trump Turnberry raised green fees to £1,000 for non-hotel guests in 2024. The fee increase applies to peak season tee-times before 1pm, with fees dropping to £545 after 1pm and to £315 in low-season. Many factors affect green fee rates, but this milestone increase two years ago has contributed a UK-wide explosion in green fee rates.

The Old Course, St Andrews green fee for visitors in 2014 was £160, in 2026 it will be £355.

Gleneagles green fees for the Kings, Queens and PGA Centenary courses have increased from £135 when they hosted the Ryder Cup in 2014, to £375 in 2026.

Trump's absurd pricing at Turnberry is creating a race to the top, breaking decades of golf trying to make this game more accessible, and making it unaffordable, unattainable and elitist again. No round of golf is worth the crazy prices being charged now, and Trump and his ilk are part of the cause of this explosion of green fees in the UK.

It is unlikely that the Scottish Government or UK Government would act to strip Trump of the ability to own a company in the UK right now, as it would undoubtedly agitate the resident in the White House. But as soon as he leaves office, if he does leave office, the process should begin of banning the Trump Organization from operating in Scotland and the UK. Turnberry should be put up for sale, with the government setting conditions for its sale.

Turnberry is a cathedral, a national monument, and no tyrant should ever own it again.

SHANK, by Matt Hooper