Cabot Links, Trump International Make Grand Entrances

The eighth at Cabot Links. Wow. Just, wow.

New golf course openings have slowed to a trickle, but a pair of super-high-profile unveilings took place in recent weeks. Better yet, both are honest-to-Old-Tom seaside links.

Cabot Links in Nova Scotia has been pre-billed as the "Bandon Dunes of the East," thanks to its locale and the involvement of Bandon visionary Mike Keiser (along with GolfClubAtlas impresario Ben Cowan-Dewar). Visit the Cabot Links website for all the info, and don't miss the hole-by-hole tour.

Then there's Trump International Golf Links near Aberdeen, Scotland. One of the most publicized and controversial courses ever built -- go figure -- it's garnered near-universal acclaim from reviewers, even those who are biased against the buffoon who owns it.

So I admit to a small personal distaste for the Donald, spelled out in more detail in this piece at Golf-Newz.com.

At least the guy loves his golf.

Yippee! Trump Gets His Open

Huzzah for Donald Trump! His Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., was chosen to host the 2017 U.S. Women's Open, a huge feather in the cap of golf's would-be king.

I have little to add to the conversation other than this: I can't stand Donald Trump. His lone redeeming quality, in mind my, is his passion for golf. And he ruins that by making absurd pronouncements, one after another, about his own properties.

Speaking of which, here's an interesting take on the new Trump International Scotland by Darius Oliver at Planet Golf. Spoiler alert: Darius hints that Donald's insistence on building picturesque signature holes caused architect Martin Hawtree to sacrifice sound design principles. Style over substance from the Donald? Go figure.