Shock: The Donald In Feud With Politicians Who Approved His Scottish Course

An unbylined AP story on The Donald's shocking, I mean shocking turn against the same politicos who ramroded his Scottish golf project through despite objections. This time it's over the wind farm that'll spoil The Donald's views the days the water is not shrouded in fog.

Trump has launched a blistering attack on Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond over plans to build a "horrendous" wind farm off the coast of his luxury Scottish golf resort. In an open letter, Trump accuses Salmond of being "hell bent on destroying Scotland's coast line and therefore Scotland itself."

The bitter words are a far cry from the love-in the two men enjoyed four years ago when Salmond backed Trump's 750 million pound (US$1.2 billion) golf development 12 miles (16km) north of Aberdeen despite protests from environmentalists and locals about damage to rare sand dunes.

Back then, Trump invited Salmond to join him and actor Sean Connery to be the first to tee off on what the businessman described as "the world's greatest golf course." Trump also heaped praise on Salmond's government after it overruled local lawmakers who rejected the planned golf resort.

The Scottish leader backed the golf course by claiming it would create hundreds of tourism jobs around the Aberdeenshire area.

The Donald wrote a letter...and brought China and his mother into it.

"Jobs will not be created in Scotland because these ugly monstrosities known as turbines are manufactured in other countries such as China. These countries, who so benefit from your billions of pounds of payments, are laughing at you!" Trump said.

Trump concludes the attack by referring to his mother, who was raised in Scotland.

He adds: "I'm doing this to save Scotland and honor my mother..."

He ridicules the Scottish National Party's renewable energy policies, claiming the economic benefit is going to China and other countries, not Scotland.

Donald: “My feasibility study is my gut."

And that's a big study these days. Brad Klein looks at the Ferry Point situation and reminds us that anyone complaining about the $125 green fee should not blame the man who kept Gary Busey in line during season eleven--yes, eleven--of Celebrity Apprentice, but instead, on sloppy and slightly corrupt bureaucrats. And maybe Jack Nicklaus.

The project finally went to public bid in 2008, with the design contract awarded to the team of Jack Nicklaus and John Sanford. Both are golf course designers, with Nicklaus, the game’s leading major champion, having a legendary worldwide portfolio, and Sanford having done much work on land remediation, including conversion of a Boston-area dumpsite for the “Big Dig” into public-access Granite Links Golf Club at Quarry Hills.

The idea behind Ferry Point has been for the city to add to its existing supply of 13 municipal golf courses and to do so on a level that would make a big splash. There’s certainly a demand for golf, with tee sheets booked steadily through the year and rates attractive and affordable, in the $40 range in peak season.

And the Donald sounds like he wants to displace a course in the current Barclay's rotation. Judging by our Golf World ranking of tour courses, I think I know which one goes first!

For his part, Trump is understandably excited about the prospect of being part of a New York City landmark. “It’s a spectacular piece of land, a major-championship site literally right next to everything, on the city,” he told Golfweek. “It’s important for golf. Golf has been suffering lately, and it’s major course in the biggest city in the world.”

For such projects, Trump says he doesn’t need to do a detailed cost-benefit analysis. “My feasibility study is my gut,” he said.

More Trump Scotland Photos, Set To The Inevitable Bagpipe Accompaniment

Thanks to Brian Keogh for tweeting (and apologizing in advance) for the bagpipe-accompanied Brian Morgan photos of Trump International Scotland. I just can't take my eyes off the green carpet walkway on the uphill par-3 with the burn to the right...

First Revealing Photos Of Trump's Scotland Course

Castle Stuart's Fraser Cromarty toured the course and tweeted images of the 3rd, 6th and 14th holes. Make sure you click on the images to see them a little bit bigger.

Certainly looks interesting! Just hope they enlist some sheep to graze those natives.

Kinder, Gentler Donald? Denounces Film, But No Lawsuit

The Daily Beast's Lizzie Crocker reports on the growing feud between the documentary filmmaker of "You've Been Trumped" and The Donald himself. Oddly, as the film is winning awards and decent enough reviews on the festival circuit, The Donald has not done what he does best: threaten or file a lawsuit! What's gotten into the man?

In a phone conversation with The Daily Beast, George Sorial, the Trump Organization’s managing director and assistant general counsel, elaborated on the statement:

“Anthony Baxter was a guy that hid in the bushes, we dealt with him for weeks. He showed a shot of a field [in the film] and described that area as this terribly important scientific site. He will allege that we destroyed it, when we only ended up touching 3 or 4 percent. He stole footage from the golf channel and David Letterman. That gives you some insight into the veracity of this guy. Once the truth gets out there, everyone will know he’s just another guy out to make a dollar by using the Trump name.”

Baxter brushes off Sorial’s scathing remarks. Using the Trump name only put him at an economic disadvantage in Scotland, where every major organization he reached out to refused to fund the project. It’s not easy to take down a celebrity billionaire.