Donald Trump has pledged to “never stop improving” his Turnberry resort.
The former US President, who flew in to his Carrick golf retreat this week, insists he and his team have created “one of the best courses in the world.”
But as he closes in on ten years of ownership at the South Ayrshire jewel, he claims his company will “never stand still” in driving up standards.
Speaking to the Ayrshire Post at the course’s iconic Halfway House, he said: “What we have created here is so special.
“It is one of the best golf courses in the world and we are so proud of it.
“It’s been an honour to come here and do this – the people here have welcomed us and can see the improvements.”
But he added: “We will never stop improving and will never stand still. You always need to keep going and that’s exactly what we will do.
“It is a magical place and we will always look to make it better wherever we can.”
Trump and his entourage enjoyed a one night stay as part of a UK tour which is also taking in his properties at Aberdeen and Doonbeg in Ireland.
Security, although high, was on a much reduced level to his last visit in 2019 while still President of the States.
Son Eric, who heads up the Turnberry operation on behalf of his dad, was among the travelling party.
He told the Post: “My father has never hidden his love for Turnberry – he would be here far more often if time afforded him the chance.
“Next year marks the 10 year anniversary of us coming in and that’s obviously a big thing for us.
“We always said we wanted to make a big difference here – and I think people can see we’ve done that and stuck true to our word.
“The course is rightly regarded as the best you’ll find anywhere in Europe.
“You look out here to the scenery – you just don’t get this anywhere else you go.
“To people who live here...they are maybe numb to it because it’s all they know.
“But trust me, you are incredibly lucky to have this as your backdrop and what we’ve done is use it to create this amazing resort we have now.”
More than £250 million has been plunged into the transformation of Turnberry, both on and off course, since the Trump arrival in 2014.
And while his name being above the door splits popular opinion, the family insists those on the ground have seen the clear and dramatic benefits of the last decade.
Eric, 39, said: “This is one of the jewels of the world. When we came in it was run down and there was no heart and soul being put into it.
“The people who owned it were great people but they lived thousands of miles away.
“My father and I have had a huge involvement in the property since day one – we know every inch of every hole.
“We’re constantly investing and tweaking and the results speak for themselves.
“It’s probably the most sought-after golf course in the world to play right now – and it’s right here in Ayrshire.
“When you match it up to what we’ve done with the hotel, where you get probably the best hospitality in Europe, it’s quite something.”
But he added: “It is unfortunate when we get dragged into a political conversation and people take cheap shots.
“We’ve put hundreds of millions of dollars in capital investment in to save hundreds of jobs that probably wouldn’t have existed here otherwise.
“How many other companies are coming in from around the world to do that?
“It’s put so many eyes and attention on this region of the world.
“When our plane lands at Prestwick the eyes of the entire world are on Ayrshire.
“It’s a part of the world we have made a bit of our home and we love it.
“It’s not like we pop in once every 12 years – I’m here numerous times every year. We know the locals, we know our neighbours.
“We have made every effort to be part of this community.”
He added: “The key thing is we have fun doing what we do here.
"It’s probably the one course in the UK where changes don’t need to be made. But we don’t like our assets getting stale, so we’ll never stand still in that regard.
“I think it’s really important for our guests to see us continuing to invest.
“So many properties around the world stagnate due to lack of investment – that’s not who we are as people and we won’t let it happen to Turnberry.
“This property is literally ingrained in our DNA. My father adores this place and it is right up there for him of anything we own in the world.”
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