TRUMP INTERNATIONAL GOLF LINKS: IT'S GOING TO BE A SMASH HIT

NEWS RELEASE BY GOLF ILLUSTRATED
Love him or loathe him, you are going to have to get used to the fact that Donald Trump’s course near Aberdeen is going to turn a lot of heads this year. Despite early planning problems, there are few people now predicting anything but an outstanding success story for Trump International Golf Links.
The turf has now all been laid. A scorecard has been produced. Reservations for green fees (£150 midweek/£200 weekends) are selling like hot cakes. And, the grand opening is scheduled for July, when it is rumoured that Sean Connery will accompany Trump to the first tee.
You may still be unable to stop yourself scoffing when you hear Trump repeat that the links on the Balmedie Estate is going to be “the greatest golf course in the world”, something he repeats on an hourly basis; but – as the opening nears – the dissenting voices are fading off into the nearby Ythan Estuary.
Trump International Golf Links may not trip off the tongue, but the praise heaped on the course grows daily.
Most recently, the chief executives of both the European Tour and the PGA – George O’Grady and Sandy Jones – who visited the site late last year, have each given it glowing endorsements.
Now, Golf Illustrated is preparing the definitive piece on the project, revealing unseen photographs of every hole, Martin Hawtree's design sketches and comments on the final layout by Trump himself.
The piece is one of the highlights of the second edition of Golf Illustrated, which also includes a look behind the scenes at Ping's HQ in Arizona, a profile of Mac O'Grady, a celebration of hickories, an interview with course designer Kyle Phillips, a celebration of revetted bunkers, golf art and much, much more.
We also go behind the scenes at PING's factory in Arizona, talk to Martin Hawtree about working with Donald Trump in Scotland, profile the genius of Mac O'Grady, celebrate the hickory renaissance and see what really goes into greenkeeping.