And therein lies the heart of a point disputed by Pat some time ago and the very essence of the future for the 'complex.'
It's a tourist attraction, complete with bag pipes. It holds no appeal for knowledgeable local golfers, the vast majority of whom can play better courses for less.
Paul & other hater's et.al.,
Let me ask all of you a question. Given your label of "tourist attraction," shouldn't we view Pebble Beach, Whistling Straits, PGA West, TPC Sawgrass, Old Head and many other resort courses similarly?? Locals rarely, if ever, cough up the coin to play those place, benefiting instead from nearby more reasonable choices. Obviously, it's patently absurd to condemn any single course to such a label. Clearly, your flawed logic is poorly disguised as a front for your hatred and disdain for anything Trump Scotland finds a glaring spotlight.
The fact is that the course is most definitely good enough to earn accolades from many discerning critics. Most seem to really like it, some to varying degrees, but when people like Ran, Brad Klein, Joe Passov and Geoff Shackleford endorse it's architecture, that speaks with enough respectable volume. Like most other new courses, it has it's fair share of flaws and blemishes (some to be wishfully corrected in the near future), but nevertheless adds yet another interesting venue to the game.
Aberdeenshire was not always viewed as a destination for foreign golfers, regardless of it's older gems. Most went elsewhere, taking their tourist revenues with them. Fortunately, the North Sea Petro boom allowed the area's economy to thrive, but now the entire regions golf's prospects have one more reason to prosper. For example, I know one group of 12 Americans who leave this Sunday and play their way up from the Lothians thru to Inverness and will play at least three courses, if not four, in the Aberdeenshire area. In the past they all, to a man, wouldn't have ventured as far north.
Why is it that you all must spew your hatred over and over for this place? You don't like it. We get that. You are entitled to your opinion, however it's golf, it's an asset and a choice, and hating it can neither positively influence, nor impact it's existence and direction. It strikes me as sad to spend so much time and energy denigrating what is done. Why don't we all just continue to watch the evolution of the second course instead of prematurely revile it. Martin Hawtree may be lots of things, but an incompetent hack isn't one of them. I, for one, will remain excited to think of what else might compliment that very impressive site.
Cheers!