Trump International Scotland Golf Transfers & Chauffeur Tours
Trump International Golf Links Scotland on the Menie Estate, 10 miles north of Aberdeen, is a Martin Hawtree design routed through what the R&A once described as the largest moving dune system in Britain. The original course opened in 2012; the New Course (MacLeod) opened in 2023 to significant acclaim, giving the estate a genuine 36-hole championship offering.
The site was designated an SSSI before development and the routing was designed to sit within the dune landscape rather than reshape it. The MacLeod course, named after the owner's mother from the Isle of Lewis, has been ranked in Scotland's top 20 within its first year.
Return chauffeur transfers to Trump International Scotland (New Course) start from £500 return from Dundee and from £850 return from Edinburgh Airport (EDI), with clubs, luggage and waiting time included.
Drive times: Aberdeen Airport — 25 min (15 mi); Aberdeen city centre — 20 min (12 mi); Cruden Bay — 30 min (18 mi); Royal Aberdeen — 20 min (10 mi).
Recommended vehicle: Rolls-Royce Ghost for the estate arrival. The entrance drive at Menie is deliberately theatrical — the Ghost belongs on it. The Vito remains the answer for four with clubs.
Aberdeen 3-course tour: Day 1 MacLeod Course. Day 2 Trump International Old. Day 3 Cruden Bay or Royal Aberdeen. Overnight at MacLeod House on the estate.
Trump International at Balmedie is 25 minutes from Aberdeen city centre and 20 from Aberdeen Airport (ABZ), which makes it the simplest north-east transfer we run. Day hires from Aberdeen keep the chauffeur on site through the round; from Dundee, allow around 1 hour 45 minutes each way and consider an overnight if you are pairing it with Cruden Bay or Royal Aberdeen.
Nearby courses, hotels and venues: Cruden Bay — 25 min north, the natural pairing. Royal Aberdeen (Balgownie) — 20 min south, one of the world's oldest clubs. Murcar Links — 15 min south, sharing the same dune system. MacLeod House & Lodge — On the estate — we drop at the door. Aberdeen Airport transfers — 20 minutes away, with flight tracking on arrivals.
MacLeod House and the clubhouse handle guest arrivals directly. Ballroom lunch or clubhouse lunch depending on the group. Chauffeur waits.
Can visitors play both courses? Yes — visitor tee times are available on both, though MacLeod is in higher demand.
How does it compare to Cruden Bay? More modern, more manicured, larger scale. Cruden Bay is more historic and quirkier.
Is MacLeod House a good base? Yes — 16 rooms in a Victorian country house on the estate. Ideal for the two-course itinerary.
How exposed is the course, and does that affect timings? The dunes here are among the tallest in Scotland and there is little shelter, so rounds can run long in a North Sea wind — allow four and a half to five hours rather than four. We build that into the pickup time and keep hot drinks and dry towels in the car, so no one is standing in the car park waiting.