For many in the United Kingdom, the upcoming U.S. Presidential election on Tuesday, November 5, might not be that important on the grand scale of things — with the onus more on Sir Kier Starmer’s newly voted-in Labour Party fixing the current state of the UK left behind by the long-reigning Conservative Party.
However, you can’t shy away from the impact that the election across the pond will have on the climate—after all, the position of president of the United States is one of the most powerful roles on the entire planet.
The race to become the 47th president has already been drama-filled, with the attempted assassination of Donald Trump and the withdrawal of current president Joe Biden, only adding to the tension stateside as we count down the days to November 5th.
Republican candidate Trump will now go head-to-head with Vice President Kamala Harris in the polls, and there is very little to separate the two in the market, with the former having a very slender lead—priced at 5/6 if you’re looking for Trump odds.
Being re-elected to office would mean the 78-year-old has less time to play his beloved sport of golf.
Trump had previously clashed with Biden in a war over handicaps in June, shot a breaking 50 video with two-time major winner Bryson DeChambeau last month—which was watched by an astonishing 12 million people on YouTube—and is the proud owner of some 12 golf courses.
Two of those are in Scotland, with another in Ireland. The top-ranked of his courses is actually in the former, with Trump Turnberry in South Ayrshire earning a coveted spot in the top 100 golf courses in the world—with the Ailsa course ranked eighth by GolfDigest, while the King Robert the Bruce Championship Course also sneaks into the top 100 at 91st.
Trump bought the five-star Turnberry resort from a Dubai-based company for what was believed to be $60 million in 2014, and he drafted in Martin Ebert—a world-renowned golf course architect—to put a new revamp the course.
As far as the Ailsa is concerned, Ebert made significant changes with a £200m investment from Trump. New par 3s were added to the front and back nine, while the par 4 ninth was converted into a par 3. Five, 10, and 14 were lengthened to par 5s, while the 17th became a long par 4.
It has been the home to four Open Championships, including the famous Duel in the Sun between golf icons Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus in 1977. However, in 2021, the R&A announced that it had no plans to host the tournament back at Turnberry in the immediate future.
It will come as no surprise that a round of golf at this picturesque venue on the Scottish coastline doesn’t come cheap. At the time of writing, a full round on the Ailsa will set you back between £425-£495, while the King Rober the Bruce comes in at £210. The nine-hole Arran Course is £65.
If Harris does upset the political betting odds and wins the 2024 U.S. presidential election, at least Trump can get onto one of the best golf courses in the world for free.
