Will he succeed in getting planning permission for his development without having to surrender a lot of prime golf ground as had to be done at Doonbeg?

Will he get the go-ahead to build on true linksland while here in Ireland such projects have been refused in Kerry, Donegal and Sligo and the Nick Faldo project at Bartra Island, in the mouth of the Moy River, has been stalled for some time?

He is being confronted by the usual collection of "heritage", "culture" and "rights" groups and by an unimpressed local resident who owns 23 acres right in the centre of the proposed development area and has written "No Golf Course" in big red letters on one of his sheds. Trump has hit back with very direct speech and a huge-scale project which demands attention even at Scottish government level as he plans two championship courses (he has expressed the hope that the British Open will be played there one day), a 450-bedroom hotel, 950 holiday homes, 36 golf villas and 500 houses.

He argues that the golf itself could not sustain a project such as his and that the housing elements are essential to underpin the development and assure him some return on his investment. Local officials have recommended that the project be allowed to go ahead.

But the opposition continues and Trump says he will pull out if he doesn't get a positive response when the Aberdeenshire Council meets on 30 October as the project would be "so far underwater that it would have no chance of success."

Meanwhile, he rounded on local landowner Michael Forbes, to whom he had offered �350,000 for his 23-acre holding, describing his property as being in total disrepair and disgusting. Not the way to get along with neighbours.

But the challenges facing the project are greater than just these. This writer had occasion to plan an outline golf links on the site three years ago when offered a lease, build and buy later deal by Menie Estate owner Tom Griffin. It looked alluring. To build a links of your own in Scotland had a certain attraction.

The land was superbly suited for golf.

But there would be opposition and other possible negatives including a short season in such a northerly spot, the constant threat of erosion at such a beautiful but soft coastline on the North Sea, what is possibly a world record level of sea haar (fog) while there were also a few unsightly small holdings jutting into the site in a damaging way and it would clearly cost money to resolve that problem.

Otherwise, everything was tempting but one decided to go ahead with plans for semiretirement and concentrate on enjoying and developing the European Club. But one flew close enough to the flames of temptation to see how Donald Trump's organisation was attracted to the place and all the more so since he has Scottish roots. The homing pidgeon instinct is incredibly strong in the toughest of characters, even after a generation or two.

To his credit he has done great things with his golf courses in America and presented them in a way which is to be admired. Trump has succeeded in sitting comfortably alongside the environmental community. There is not sufficient linksland at Aberdeen to do two pure links so the plan is to do some creationwork which will have the benefit of taking some strain off the old dunes and he is likely to offer help in stabilising and protecting the place.

If he does succeed though, it will give hope to would-be golf developers of similar projects in Ireland and throughout Britain. Certainly, when taken alongside a links currently under development at Machrihanish, right beside the ancient links of the same name in the deep south of the Mull of Kintyre, the indications are that golf can happen even in areas of scientific interest and the like. What is allowed in Scotland can hardly, surely, be forbidden elsewhere in these islands?

The Trump initiative does, of course, excite local tourism interests as he has the undoubted ability to market Scotland in America.

The Scots are ahead of Ireland in this respect but at enormous cost as they have effectively sold much of the family jewels in the process.

The fact of the matter is that a listing of Scotland's top 20 golf courses today would show that almost half of them are owned by Americans.

Troon Golf of Arizona owns Loch Lomond and Dundonald, Wasserman Real Estate of Rhode Island has a majority holding in Kingsbarns, Herb Kohler of Whistling Straits fame owns The Dukes course and the Old Course Hotel at St Andrews, Don Panoz . . . who is known to us through the Elan company . . .

owns the hotel and two courses at St Andrews Bay, and the British Open venue at Turnberry is owned by Westin Hotels.

That is a whole lot of powerful Americans with a vested interest in promoting Scottish golf. They form a mighty magnet along with the old-time famous courses at Berwick, Gullane, Muirfield, St Andrews, Carnoustie, Nairn, Dornoch, Troon, Prestwick and Machrihanish.

Still, mighty though they look, the Irish collection compares very well and will continue to attract overseas visitors in goodly numbers. But one eye needs to be kept on global developments and those on the neighbouring island.