Turnberry: Golf course owned by Donald Trump lands in hot water
One of US President Donald Trump’s golf courses in Scotland has landed in hot water after failing to file a crucial document on time.
The 800-acre Trump Turnberry was bought for £39.5m in June 2014 while the president stepped down as a director after first being elected in 2016 and gave control to a trust run by his family. He retains a financial interest.
The company behind Turnberry, Golf Recreation Scotland Limited, now counts Trump’s son, Eric Trump, as its sole director.
But now the firm behind the golf course has been served with a first gazette notice for compulsory strike off by Companies House after failing to submit a confirmation statement by 25 February this year.
A confirmation statement includes details of a firm’s directors, shareholders, registered office address and other key data.
In the unlikely event that the situation escalated to the point where the strike off went ahead the company’s assets could become the property of the Crown, Eric Trump could be disqualified from being a director for 15 years and access to the firm’s bank account lost.
A confirmation statement includes details of a firm’s directors, shareholders, registered office address and other key data.
The strike off notice could be discontinued by Companies House if a confirmation statement is filed before the next stage is reached.
Trump Turnberry has been contacted for comment by City AM.
Could The Open return to Turnberry?
The warning from Companies House comes after the organisers of The Open Championship raised hopes that Donald Trump’s Turnberry could come in from the cold and stage the golf major again.
Turnberry has not staged the Open since five years before the current US president’s 2014 purchase of the Ayrshire resort, amid suspicions that it has been unofficially blackballed over the Trump connection.
City AM reported earlier this week that organisers the R&A have insisted that is not the case, and have begun a feasibility study to determine how Turnberry could host the sport’s oldest major again.
Among the concerns raised by chief executive Mark Darbon is whether the local infrastructure has sufficient capacity for an event that has seen spectator numbers double to almost 300,000 in 15 years.
Mixed results for Donald Trump’s golf courses
In October 2024, City AM reported that the company that operates the Trump family’s Turnberry resort saw its pre-tax profit rise from £186,261 to £3.8m in 2023.
However, over the same period its turnover dipped from £21.82m to £21.1m.
It is the second year in a row that the business has reported a profit after seven years of being in the red.
In separately filed accounts, Trump International Scotland reported a pre-tax loss of £1.4m for 2023, having also lost £738,344 in the prior 12 months – it’s 11th conservative year in the red.
The widening loss comes despite its turnover rising from £3.59m to £37.4m over the same period.
The increased deficit meant that Trump International Scotland has now lost more than £16m.
Tyson Fury’s property company shut down
Earlier this year, three companies owned by pop star Harry Styles were issued with first gazette notices to be struck off for failing to file their accounts on time. The action was later discontinued by Companies House.
However a company set up by former world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury to buy, sell and lease real estate was forcibly shut down by Companies House in February.
Greenwaybalmoral Ltd, which is registered to an address near Lancaster, was established in January 2023 and counted Fury as its sole director.
Having failed to file any set of accounts since it was incorporated, Companies House issued it with a formal notice in December 2024 that it was about to be dissolved from the register of businesses.
The proposal to strike off came after Greenwaybalmoral Ltd failed to file its accounts for the year to 31 January, 2024, with Companies House by the 6 October, 2024, deadline.
At the start of 2025, City AM also reported that the investment company owned by Manchester United star Marcus Rashford was at risk of being forcibly shut down.
MUCS Investments Limited, which counts the footballer as its sole director, was issued with a compulsory strike off notice by Companies House.
However, the move was discontinued not long afterwards.