Looks like Donald Trump didn’t just cut the ribbon, he played some golf too.
At the official opening of his new MacLeod Course in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the U.S. President stepped up to the first tee and delivered what onlookers are calling a flawless drive, right down the middle. The swing, captured and shared by NUCLR Golf on X, showed Trump taking a couple of warm-up swings before smashing the ball dead straight. Like it or not, the man can still drive it.
Standing alongside Trump were golf pros Paul McGinley, Rich Beem, and his son Eric Trump. The round doubled as a soft launch for the MacLeod Course, which Trump named after his Scottish-born mother, Mary Anne MacLeod. The venue sits just north of Aberdeen, hugging the North Sea, and boasts the world’s largest natural bunker.
According to developers, the course spans 7,589 yards and was built to challenge even the most seasoned pros.
While Trump’s tee shot was clean, the online chatter wasn’t.
#NEW — U.S. President Donald Trump split the fairway with the inaugural tee shot at the grand opening of Trump International Golf Links, Scotland and is playing alongside Paul McGinley, Rich Beem and son Eric. pic.twitter.com/MlYCXBMxE9
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) July 29, 2025
Fans wasted no time flooding social media with reactions, most of them not focused on the swing. “Looks like svelte 215 lbs of muscle mass split his pants too!!” one person joked.
Looks like svelte 215 lbs of muscle mass split his pants too!!
— Annie (@AnnieForTruth) July 29, 2025
Another said, “Never trust a man who cheats at golf.”
Never trust a man who cheats at golf.
— Craig Ford (@FordytenCraig) July 29, 2025
One fan wrote bluntly, “HE’S NOT WELCOME,” voicing concern over Trump buying up Scottish golf real estate.
I’m not really into politics for obvious reasons
but he better stop buying all of our golf courses over here just because he can
HE’S NOT WELCOME— TheCaddy (@TheCaddy18) July 29, 2025
A few others rolled their eyes entirely: “Who cares?”
Who cares?
— SBZ (@christo_bez) July 29, 2025
But the bigger picture is hard to ignore. Trump’s golf empire in Scotland keeps expanding quietly, but steadily. His latest addition, the MacLeod Course, is already getting plugged into the European Tour Group’s circuit. The DP World Tour’s Nexo Championship will be held there, with the Legends Tour also stopping by. All this with hardly a peep of protest.
Even the Scottish government backed the Nexo event with £180,000 in public funds. That fact alone has stirred criticism among Trump’s detractors, who argue he’s building influence while everyone’s busy looking the other way.
Trump’s influence could grow even more if reports about Doonbeg, his Irish resort, hosting the Irish Open by 2026 prove true.