The Donald...

[Brian_Ewen]

Does anyone here know what the greens fee will be yet? I think not.

Trump’s new golf course ‘not just for the rich’
Balmedie residents could enjoy cut-price games
Published: 23/09/2009
GOLFERS in Aberdeenshire will be able to enjoy reduced prices at Donald Trump’s world-beating course at Menie, near Balmedie, it was revealed today.

Trump’s development director George Sorial said the cost of a round on the Menie course would vary and some people living in the Aberdeenshire area would be given favourable rates.

Mr Sorial said: “It would certainly include people from Balmedie – and possibly more broadly in Aberdeen city and Aberdeenshire.

The resort will not be an enclave for the rich.

Business plans for Donald Trump’s course near Balmedie, presented at a public inquiry last year, put the cost of a single summer round on the Menie course at £150.

[Brian Phillips]

That will probably be the price for people outside of the local area.

[Michael Blake]

Jud,

Calling the course a 'dogtrack' before it's even built is a bit presumptuous to say the least, don't you think?

[Jud_T]

If it's a Donald Trump course, it is IMHO by definition a dogtrack, but apparently I'm bumming out the optimists here...

[Rich Goodale]

No, Jud

You are just bumming out the people on this site who can and wish to think for themselves.

Have a nice day!

Rich

[George Pazin]

If it's a Donald Trump course, it is IMHO by definition a dogtrack, but apparently I'm bumming out the optimists here...

Have you played them all?

It has nothing to do with optimism, merely thoughtful discussion.

EDIT: Damn, I think I just agreed with Rich...

[Jud_T]

Guys, I got the message.  I'm done bashing the Donald on this site.  He doesn't need any help making a fool of himself anyway...Have fun and toss a coin in the waterfall for me....

[Alister Matheson]

Greenkeepers from the area got a guided tour on the links last week and there is no doubt the land is fantastic .There is  a lot stabilizing to do on the back 9 ,the routing winds its way through the dunes  and you can get a good feel for some of the shots that will be required .The general impression we were left with was that it was a traditional  links they were passionate about building minimal earth moving revetted bunkers bent /fescue ect ect.

One thing that amazed me was the size of the dunes and as a lot of the holes are routed through them it feels very secluded.

The plan hopefully will be for us greenkeepers to get a look at the different stages of construction in the next couple of years .

I personally am all for the development appart from the compulsory house buying nonsense ! JUST USE THE LAND YOU HAVE .

[Steve Lapper]

No, Jud

You are just bumming out the people on this site who can and wish to think for themselves.

Have a nice day!

Rich

Rich and George,

   Thanks for highlighting this. Here's to wishing we'd all choose this path!

S

[Marty Bonnar]

Dune stabilisation: ST ANDREWS.

http://www.fife.gov.uk/atoz/index.cfm?fuseaction=facility.display&facid=F34F9DCE-399D-4C02-97A10D6AC5118C4C

Just saying....

FBD.

[Marty Bonnar]

Dune stabilisation: KINGSBARNS.

http://www.kingsbarnslinks.com/info/kgl/statements/parsinen01.htm

Just saying....again

FBD.

[Marty Bonnar]

Dune stabilisation: TENTSMUIR.

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1470248

Just saying....again and again

FBD.

[Marty Bonnar]

Dune stabilisation: ICE-FREEKIN-LAND!!!.

http://www.golfcoursearchitecture.net/Article/Black-Sand-Golf-Project/1438/Default.aspx

Just saying....think that's my point made

FBD.

[Kalen Braley]

Marty how dare you.

Didn't you know when other courses do dune stabilisation...its perfectly OK.
Just like when they build massive hotels or other housing along the course...its fine.
Just like when they charge massive green fees...not a problem.
Just like when they build unnatural looking revetted bunkers...no issue with that.


But heaven forbid the Donald does it, then he's evil incarnate!!   

[Brian_Ewen]

I personally am all for the development appart from the compulsory house buying nonsense ! JUST USE THE LAND YOU HAVE .

Ally
I know CB have been very vocal in their backing for this development .

But would you care to share why you personally are all for it ?

[JMEvensky]

Marty how dare you.

Didn't you know when other courses do dune stabilisation...its perfectly OK.
Just like when they build massive hotels or other housing along the course...its fine.
Just like when they charge massive green fees...not a problem.
Just like when they build unnatural looking revetted bunkers...no issue with that.


But heaven forbid the Donald does it, then he's evil incarnate!!   

He's evil incarnate just on the strength of the comb-over.The other stuff is gravy.

[Scott Warren]

Ally, I don't know enough to say I support the rest (though am inclined to support a new golf course on general interest), but like you, compulsory aquisition annoys me, and in my mind goes against many of the things our western cultures, values and systems of government allege to represent.

[Brian_Ewen]

I cant get over how childish the Son of Donald has came across this past couple of days , like .....

But a jubilant Donald Trump jnr, watching work crews arrive on the estate to begin his father's project, dismissed the opponents as "extremists".

"I don't care that there's none of them here," he said. "They are probably playing in their sandbox right now. It's recess at school and they probably weren't able to get their parents to write them a permission slip to leave."

[Ulrich Mayring]

Probably it'll be a good, perhaps even a great course. But applying to forcefully evict locals from the place where they lived for decades is shameful and grounds for me not to play there. Let's hope it won't happen.

Ulrich

[Jed Peters]

I will say this, that Donald Trump, for all his pomp and circumstance, came off to me in my one (short) meeting with him as a likable, affable gentleman, who absolutely LOVES the Game of Golf.

His courses at Bedminster (the only two I have personally seen) are not the best in their area, they're not the end-all-be-all of GCA and golf courses in general, but they are both DAMN FINE golf courses, if not world-class.

As a side note, I can appreciate Donald Trump's humanity and egoism, if not his great theatrical exuberance about his Scottish project. I think it's pretty cool that he's into it. And I'm sure he'll do a great job.

Just no island greens, Donald!

[Jason McNamara]

He redesigned a lot at Lahinch.

...which overall has gotten very good reviews, as I understand it.

[George Pazin]

I cant get over how childish the Son of Donald has came across this past couple of days , like .....

But a jubilant Donald Trump jnr, watching work crews arrive on the estate to begin his father's project, dismissed the opponents as "extremists".

"I don't care that there's none of them here," he said. "They are probably playing in their sandbox right now. It's recess at school and they probably weren't able to get their parents to write them a permission slip to leave."

Brian, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but this has become standard MO for people in power: don't address concerns, belittle those who hold them - call them extremists, etc, and you will likely succeed beyond your wildest dreams.

We live in a world that is becoming increasingly dichotomized (don't know if that's a word, but I like it and am sticking with it). The problem is, while many understand and identify problems, very few know and are willing to implement the solution.

If the aforementioned strategy wasn't lifted from Sun Tzu, I'd say someone should be re-writing the strategy books.

P.S. to Jud -

There are plenty of us who enjoy a good Donald bashing, we just prefer opinions to be based on fact or experience rather than speculation.

[Kalen Braley]

Ally, I don't know enough to say I support the rest (though am inclined to support a new golf course on general interest), but like you, compulsory aquisition annoys me, and in my mind goes against many of the things our western cultures, values and systems of government allege to represent.

Scott,

You must be kidding right? America never uses emmenient domain?    Its even in our Constitution.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eminent_domain

[Scott Warren]

Kalen,

I never said the US doesn't use it. As best I know, the US is part of the "western" world, though I made no comment that involves the US.

I was referring to what is going on in Scotland, and what does go on in Australia.

Or did I miss something?

[Lou_Duran]

I cant get over how childish the Son of Donald has came across this past couple of days , like .....

But a jubilant Donald Trump jnr, watching work crews arrive on the estate to begin his father's project, dismissed the opponents as "extremists".

"I don't care that there's none of them here," he said. "They are probably playing in their sandbox right now. It's recess at school and they probably weren't able to get their parents to write them a permission slip to leave."

Brian, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but this has become standard MO for people in power: don't address concerns, belittle those who hold them - call them extremists, etc, and you will likely succeed beyond your wildest dreams.

We live in a world that is becoming increasingly dichotomized (don't know if that's a word, but I like it and am sticking with it). The problem is, while many understand and identify problems, very few know and are willing to implement the solution.

If the aforementioned strategy wasn't lifted from Sun Tzu, I'd say someone should be re-writing the strategy books.

P.S. to Jud -

There are plenty of us who enjoy a good Donald bashing, we just prefer opinions to be based on fact or experience rather than speculation.

Mr. Pazin,

I hate to disagree with you, but belittleling those who hold different opinions is hardly an exclusive strategy of those in power.  As we see nearly every day on this site, some very small people are also afflicted with this tragic disease.  And while society is indeed very divided, it has been that way since day 1.  One big difference might be that we are probably more crass today and that technology has provided the means so that nearly anyone who wants to get noticed can do so with relative ease.

Regarding the Trump bashing club, I want no part of it.  While his bravado and politics are not to my liking, when I start providing but a tiny fraction of jobs that the man has, pay but the smallest portion of taxes that he does, or build a course one-tenth as good as Bedminster-Old, then I might have some semi-defensible basis to try to bring him down to my size.  As it is, I have a very long way to go.  For the sake of Scotland and golf, I hope that Trump succeeds well beyond expectations.