Trump International Golf Links - Scotland - North East Scotland - Scotland

Played Trump last week of October just before it closed for the winter. We've all heard the hype about the course and the negative TV programme against the place but I’ll speak only about the course and what I experienced. We got a first class welcome from everyone we made contact with but that is accepted at places of this nature. Quite simply every hole is stunning. While playing I reflected on how I would rank the course. For me I enjoy Royal Birkdale, especially the par 3’s. IMO the par 3’s here are better so that is some way to get a feel on how good the place is or is going to be. Previous comments made about playing off the right tees to maximize your enjoyment. This is critical, don’t massage your ego and play off tees to far back. They were top dressing the fairways as we played. I don’t know why they couldn't have waited 2 days when the course shuts for the winter. Having said that the layout is truly magnificent with some of the best run off's I’d seen. The conditioning will only get better and I'm sure it won’t be long before we see World Class players teeing it up at Trump International Links.

I was invited to play this course earlier this year. The condition of course was fine (for a new course) but clearly needs time to settle. The greens have very little grass on them and have been dyed to appear as though there is plenty of grass on them. They are true but slow and a ball landing on them is like hitting a drum as they are very soft with no roll. The views are excellent from the elevated tees. and the course was clearly designed with this in mind. With the tees so high and exposed I suspect that the designer has failed to take into account the typical weather conditions for the area. Any ball landing in the rough is lost and there is no pointing looking for any ball which strays offline. What Trump has done to at least one of the property owners (I think around the 10th tee) is nothing short of disgraceful. He has built an earth bank all around the house and planted large fast growing hedges to prevent the occupiers from having any views at all - this is clearly the actions of a bully. I am glad I have played the course. Do I wish I was a member - no. Will I return - no. Is it worth the green fee - no. There are many courses in Scotland which are much better albeit most do not have the fantastic views of this course. Everyone in our fourball agreed with the above comments. The course is over hyped by the journalists and golf writers invited to play to provide favourable reviews.

Let’s not beat about the bush, this is a stunning golf course. It has been set up to test the very best players and most probably will in a few years time after the Scottish Open has had its stint at neighbouring Royal Aberdeen. I am reluctant to rate it in relation to the other great Scottish courses as the conditioning simply wasn’t there when I played in mid-summer but I can confidently say that it is the most spectacularly designed course in the country with more memorable holes than almost any other.

I will focus on the best holes which in my opinion are 3-7, 10 and 18. The 3rd is an improved version of the 11th at Castle Stuart which is high praise indeed but absolutely deserved. The green seems to be elevated in an island of rough with a large and deep bunker to the right and the unforgiving North Sea coastline tucked tightly to the left hand side. Demanding a faded approach it offers very limited opportunities of redemption for a less than perfect tee shot and a 3 is a great result. The fourth is a stunning par 5 featuring a wide burn enclosed by granite slabs that advances up the entire right hand side. With no bunkers off the tee you can let one rip to try to get there in two but a myriad of fairway bunkers short of the green means that only the purest of ball strikers will make it. For those laying up the green is sufficiently sloped with some great run-off areas to ensure that birdies are very hard earned.

The fifth is a short par 4 from one of many tees positioned high on the dunes. It gives you the option of nailing a driver over a fairway bunker or papping a 3 wood to the right side bail out. Again the green is raised and narrow to ensure that nothing is taken for granted with the approach. Not a long hole but one which can be played in different ways and where each shot must be given absolute consideration. Six is another great par 3 seemingly played from the top of one dune to the top of another. A shot played to the left side will kick down from a blind area to the left of the green which is just as well as there is a deep bunker, marram clad slope and burn to the right. Unfortunately the Aberdeen haar was in when I tackled this one meaning that the selected line was something of a lottery. Hole 7 is a great risk/reward par 4 although it possibly overly favours the former over the latter. At only around 280-300 yards it is seemingly there for the taking but anything other than a perfect strike will give birdie opportunities. Anything too far left or right is as good as lost in the dunes and there are bunkers at exactly the point you would want to lay up to. The green wouldn't look out of place at Dornoch meaning that even good drives may still get par at best. An fascinating hole that verges on being unfair but still great fun to play.

Ten is an interesting par 5 which has a magnificent green placement at almost 90 degrees to the fairway and located in a bowl of huge dunes. There is supposedly an option to take on the green in 2 from the right side of a split fairway but the positioning of the tee meant that the right hand route would have been sheer folly to attempt. I’d like to think that Dr Hawtree had an extra kummel the night before he drew this one up or maybe this was Trump's doing. Not too sure but I’d bet that some tweaking is done here in the next few years. And then there is eighteen. At a mere 650 yards from the tips it is what all finishing holes dream to be. Again playing from a huge dune the view back over the rest of the course is stunning but there is no relaxing here! You can go for length down the left and risk finding a watery grave or lay up short right of a group of fairway bunkers that must be avoided to stand any chance of making par. In the 180 yards up to the green there seems to be more sand than grass as this is where the majority of the hole's 18 bunkers reside. A spectacular end in keeping with the 17 holes preceeding it. In time I may reflect that the 18th, like much of the rest of the course is somewhat over the top. However at the moment I can only see it in a positive light as every hole brings an interesting and new challenge to be considered.

The land was just destined for golf and world class golf at that, just a shame it had to be Trump to make it happen. Five stars now but a guaranteed six in a year or two when the conditioning comes together, can't wait to return.

I played ‘The Donald’s’ latest addition to his portfolio of golf courses on the 24th July, a mere matter of weeks after Mr Trump’s ceremonial first tee shot found the deep stuff on the 1st hole. First off, as stunning as the scenery undeniably is, the course looks and plays as though it has recently opened for play. As others have previously mentioned the ball wasn’t running like on a traditional links. There was a lot of sand on the fairways and greens were anything but lightening. In my opinion the course will need at least a few years to fully bed in. I’m not going to go into hole by hole details but the holes that stick in the mind for me were the par 4 14th through the towering dunes and the par 5 18th, along with the collection of fantastic par 3s. Mention must be given to the fantastic practice facilities. You’ve really got no excuses for topping your fist tee shot if you’ve warmed up either at the range or the short game area. I would like to return to the course once the clubhouse has been built. Although the temporary clubhouse does have the essentials, it isn’t the most spacious of spaces. Come the summer of 2014 I’m looking forward to revisiting Trump International Golf Links to see if it realises its undoubted massive potential. Best course in the world…I’d still plump for Pine Valley or Cypress Point (if I’m ever invited).

I was lucky enough to be invited to play TGIL through work and the overall experience was something that will live long in the memory. Firstly, I expected it to be a little bit pretentious but I couldn't of been more wrong. All the staff, including our excellent caddy, we're friendly, down to earth and clearly proud to work there. The course itself is simply awesome. It's a beast of course. Very tough off the tee but one which rewards good shots and is score able but you have to have a good day off the tee as anything not on the fairway is gone. I won't go into a hole by hole account, suffice to say each one is different, challenging and awe inspiring. A round here is a must for anyone bothering to read this. I hope one day I'll have a chance to go back and play it again because it will only get better and was simply a great experience.

I was fortunate enough to play TIGL last week as a special 40th Birthday treat. Having looked forward to it for a number of weeks I could not help think that I might be setting myself up for some disappointment.How wrong I was. It is true that there are some signs of newness and areas that need to settle in. Most noticeably that the areas around the greens are quite long and don't run like a traditional links course. The greens themselves were superb. They were not at the speed they will ultimately reach although I would question how low they can go before the strong winds will blow balls around.The track is simply stunning and a real challenge in itself which becomes even stiffer when coupled with a strong wind. I didn't really get used to the beauty of the course and was still left standing on the tees in awe right up till the end of the round.Having played a number of courses in the top 100, for me this is the best and most challenging course I have ever played.When you couple this with the excellent service and friendliness from the staff you have to admit that Mr Trump has done an excellent job.My advice would be if you can splash out and play this course you wont regret it.

Having seen the breathtaking pictures and read the incredibly positive reviews we made the seven-hour pilgrimage north with feelings of great anticipation but also some caution. How often are you seduced by the hype and bluster only to be left feeling a little disappointed as you throw your clubs into the boot of the car? We need not have worried; from start to finish the beauty, routing and challenge of this magnificent new course captivated us.

On arrival you are offered free use of the superb practice facility and range. The chipping area is made up of numerous greens and bunkers and is certainly the best we have seen in Britain. The putting green is a massive 300 square metres in size and will test your skills to the limit. The current clubhouse is a temporary structure, but it is expected that the larger more permanent version will be complete by the end of 2013.

Arriving at the first tee you are reminded more of the West Coast of Ireland than anywhere in Scotland. At times recollections of days spent at Enniscrone, Ballybunion, Carne and Doonbeg came to the surface but in truth the sand dunes here are on a much grander scale. Choice of tee is vital to your enjoyment as the fairways need time to bed-in and therefore are offering very little run at present. The greens and surrounds are excellent without being tricked up but are understandably quite slow at present. Even if you avoid the deep revetted bunkers, there are plenty of run-off areas around the greens which will give your short game a full work out.

The grass pathways between greens, tees and fairways are a classy addition. They weave around some dunes and cut right through others leading you expectantly to the next visual delight.

Most of the fairways are routed through the natural corridors; many give you uneven stances but in the main they are quite generous in width. However many of the tees are set at an angle which can deceive you in to thinking that the landing areas are quite narrow. Add thick marram grass and strong crosswinds to the mix and even the best players may feel intimidated at times.

In our opinion there is not a weak hole on the course. Not every hole can be magnificent but here a very high percentage most certainly are. The collection of par threes is simply stunning. The 3rd is set between a high sand dune and the sea; the 6th sits amongst dunes left and rear with a huge drop to a burn on the right. The13th is a majestic valley hole and the 16th with its cavernous bunkers, runs away from you at an angle making correct club selection vital.

The four par fives are also memorable. The 1st provides an exceptional start, the 4th has a burn running the full length of the fairway and the 10th doglegs to a green which nestles beyond a narrow entrance between dunes. The final hole is a beast measuring 651 yards from the tips so be sure that the wonderful views of the North Sea don’t distract you from the 18 bunkers on the hole.

There is great variety amongst the par fours with the 5th, 7th and 15th offering a risk and reward option to the better player. Depending on wind direction and which tee is being used you may wish to have a go at the putting surface. The 8th, 9th and 17th on the other hand offer a stern challenge for anyone hoping to get there in regulation.

Another of our favourite holes was the spectacular 14th. Walking through a narrow gap in the dunes you are suddenly met with one of the most magnificent vistas in golf. You tee off from high dunes to a ribbon of fairway running along the valley floor, with panoramic views of the sea on your right this is a magical spot to linger for a few moments so don’t forget the camera.

Course architect Martin Hawtree should be immensely proud of his work here which will undoubtedly see his reputation rise even higher across the world of course design. Give this masterpiece a year or two to mature and we could potentially have another British high-flyer in the World Top 100. The press have already spoken of Donald Trump’s desire to host a major tournament and the 2022 Ryder Cup has been mentioned as a possible target. Donald has friends in high places in the golf and business world as well as the necessary financial clout. I for one would not bet against it. Brian Ward