Donald Trump was joined by former PGA Tour winner Rich Beem and Irish golfing great Paul McGinley for a round on the new course at Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire last week
09:49 ET, 06 Aug 2025Updated 12:31 ET, 06 Aug 2025
Donald Trump played a round at Trump Turnberry in Aberdeenshire(Image: Andrew Harnik, Getty Images)
Golf star Rich Beem has revealed the sheer size of Donald Trump’s entourage blew him away when he joined the U.S. President for a round of golf last week.
Trump hit the links with 2002 PGA Championship winner Beem and Irish golfing icon Paul McGinley as he showcased his new course in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where the reception for Trump was mixed and where he was even accused of a shocking Royal blunder.
The commander-in-chief spent several days in Scotland, his first since his courses caused a degree of friction. He visited his golf estates and engaged in political activities. This included the inauguration of the new course at Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeen, where McGinley and Beem were present. It comes after a Trump family member revealed the latest chilling symptom of his cognitive decline and revealed he is “far gone”.
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Speaking on the Sky Sports Golf podcast, Beem was quizzed about the oddity of playing golf with the 45th and 47th President of the United States. Beem acknowledged the “surreal” nature of the experience and shared a peek into the elaborate preparations involved when a president hits the fairways.
“Listen, I had a great time, I have to say,” Beem, 54, said. “It exceeded any expectations that I had, which were none, [but] he entourage that was out there? I mean I knew there’d be some folks but I didn’t realise there’d be about 30-40 golf carts following him around. Most of them had weapons of some kind and there were definitely some snipers up in the hills.
“It was interesting, I kind of felt, to be fair, I was a little on edge for most of the day. I wanted to make sure I didn’t play hide and seek in the dunes and all of a sudden have some red dots all over me [from the snipers].
“But no it was cool, I really kind of had no idea what it was going to be like and everyone was asking me like, ‘Was Trump engaging?’ and I’m like, ‘Engaging? The guy doesn’t stop talking, it’s hysterical’.
Rich Beem claimed he felt a little “on edge” during his round with Trump(Image: 2024 Getty Images)
“Listen, you just sit there and listen and soak it all in and hear what he has to say – there’s too many funny things, some of which I can’t repeat on air. But yeah, it was great, I enjoyed it thoroughly. It was one of those interesting, surreal experiences that I’m glad I did. I was glad I was invited and there was no chance I was ever going to pass it up.”
Beem also addressed the backlash he received for playing alongside the deeply polarising President, adding: “I found out real quick on X that it was not a very good thing for me to do. I was reading through it and me and McGinley were just getting battered on it and I’m just laughing so hard because I’m just like, ‘Whether you like him or not, you gotta respect the position, you have to respect the office itself.”
When asked about the President’s golf game, Beem gave an honest assessment. “He drove it great,” Beem said. “He didn’t miss a single fairway. Short game, you know at 78 years old, short game was OK, but he drove it great. He played pretty good.”
U.S. President Donald Trump opened the course last month(Image: 2025 Getty Images)
At the unveiling, Trump said: “We’ll play it very quickly, and then I’ll get back to D.C. and we’ll put out fires all over the world. We’re going to go out and have a good time.
“It’s going to be a special day and a special year and a special decade, and we’re going to make all of our countries strong and great and really wonderful again.”
The golf course is gearing up to welcome guests this month, as Trump further expands his collection of golf properties. With 15 golf holdings to his name, including 11 in the United States in locales like Los Angeles, Florida, and New Jersey, Trump’s presence in the golfing world continues to grow.
It comes after Trump was accused of ‘cheating at the highest level’.
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