When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
Looks like The Donald is picking on a little old lady...again? Same thing in Atlantic City and he lost that one, no?
Peter Woodifield of Bloomberg reports on the case of Molly Forbes v. Trump"
“Mr. Trump has been granted planning permission to demolish my home, but I do not wish to sell, and I do not wish to be forced out,” Forbes said in the statement. “I never expected in my life to face eviction from my home, let alone for a golf course.”
Trump’s proposed development on the Menie estate north of Aberdeen was the subject of a public inquiry last year when the Scottish government intervened after Aberdeenshire Council rejected the first application. In September, the municipality granted planning consent for five areas of land, including where Forbes lives. Trump may seek approval for compulsory purchase orders if Forbes and the other owners refuse to sell.
The Trump Organization has about six months to negotiate an agreement before it needs to apply to the municipality for the purchase orders to ensure it can start building houses at the resort in two years, Donald
The Internet Sports Writer of the Year has now (twice) told The Donald to forget about his course planned for very environmentally sensitive land. I expect The Donald to be protesting that ISWOTY award any day now. You go Hoppy:
Though there is little sign of activity at the Donald Trump International Golf Links at Balmedie, near Aberdeen, that does not mean that work has stopped, according to Neil Hobday, the project manager. "When we got outline planning permission last November we were given 40 conditions that have to be purified before we could put a shovel in the ground" Hobday said. "That is what we are doing now - trying to purify these conditions.
"We are not behind schedule though we are not ahead of it either. We are going through a transparent process. We are optimistic that we will be in the dirt in April 2010 and the opening date will be 2012.
"We have not been affected at all by the current economic situation," Hobday continued. "Mr Trump is in a strong cash situation. Everything has been paid for in cash. There is no mortgage on this project. I assure you Mr Trump is in an acquisition mode."
Though a friend made the valid point that Trump's project would be good news economically for a depressed part of the country, it did little to reduce one's feelings of concern at this project. Golf did not need another course in 2008, one, furthermore, set in an area of outstanding natural beauty much enjoyed by everyone. And it does not need one now, however on schedule it is and even though one year down the line, it looks more of a reality than it did.
Brendan Prunty reports that the Donald was approached about hosting the LPGA Championship but turned the LPGA Tour when they wanted more than a one-year deal.
"They came here, they wanted to be here and I turned them down," the real estate mogul said at his Bedminster golf club. "They wanted it for more than one year and I didn't want to commit the course for more than one year."
I just wish he would stop being so humble!
A little behind I know, but on Monday Sarah Lyall filed this NY Times piece on the Trump-Forbes battle near Aberdeen, and there are a few new items, including some interesting scrutiny of the local hero by authorities. But the ultimate takeaway from the piece was this:
“I’m all for development and for people building golf resorts,” said one local resident, Bill Grant, 54, who spoke in downtown Aberdeen. “But he’s doing it in the wrong place.”
Mr. Grant explained that the dunes tend to suffer from the notorious haar, a thick fog that pours in from the sea. “You cannot see your hand in front of your face, and if the wind goes calm it can stick there for days,” Mr. Grant said. “If you were playing golf, you would need a homing device to find your ball.”
It's amazing that in a world where so many projects with great potential struggle to get financing, while something with a well known hazard potentially detrimental to revenue and reputation is apparently ignored. The Donald is just that convincing I guess.
If they only knew how many times The Donald has been through this, they'd understand it's all part of doing business the Apprentice way.
He said the company "represents substantially less than 1% of my net worth, and has for some time".
"If I can't manage something, it's not for me," said Trump who holds 28% of the company's stock, according to a recent filing. "Now I will study and watch as the horrible and outrageous fees being paid to lawyers and consultants will suck the blood from the company."
Last night, Aberdeenshire councillor Paul Johnston, an opponent of the Menie golf development in its present form, said he believed events in America did have a bearing on the Menie development.
"He is a property developer at the riskiest time ever for property development and the questions is, will it ever get finished if he starts it? People are worried it will never happen and Mr Trump, by his resignation, is breeding uncertainty. I am not in high finance but this doesn't look good.
"Clearly he always has the option of making life easier for himself by scaling back the development here and still build the world's greatest golf course but without destroying the sand dunes. This whole development may be built on sand."
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
