- by cnn
- 15 Aug 2024
When Donald Trump announced plans in 2006 to build a golf complex on ancient sand dunes on the Aberdeenshire coast in Scotland he told reporters it was love at first sight. "As soon as I saw it there was no question about it," he said. It would be the world's "greatest golf course".
This week Trump International Scotland became a central element of a case that looks poised to dominate his post-presidential life, and could even put him behind bars.
Local fishermen denounced Trump as a "loudmouth bully" during construction of the course. Environmentalists warned the development would destroy the natural habitat, and sure enough it did inflict such damage that the site was stripped of its protected status.
But none of this deflected Trump from his goal. Today, the Scottish complex stands as a "premier luxury golf" experience replete with five-star hotel and helicopter landing pad, at a bargain membership of £2,595 ($3,518) a year.
Fifteen years on, the property has done wonders for its owner. That is, if you measure success according to the idiosyncratic accounting style of Donald Trump.
He bought the 2,000 acres (809 hectares) site at Menie in 2006 for $12.6m. Within five short years it was valued by the Trump Organization in its financial statements at $161m, an increase of almost 13 times.
By 2014, the windswept Scottish holding was put at $436m.
Union Square’s latest attraction, Madame Theodore’s Floral Academy for Wayward Travelers, is set to captivate visitors and art enthusiasts alike. Created by local artists Nicole Whitten and Carina Garciga Meyers in collaboration with the iconic Beacon Grand hotel, this floral-inspired installation transforms a historic corner of San Francisco into a must-see attraction. Blending the thrill of discovery with the beauty of botanical artistry, this installation offers travelers a unique glimpse into San Francisco’s artistic spirit.
read more