The 18-hole MacLeod course would be built to the south and west of the original course at Menie, which opened in 2012.

Councillors on the local authority’s Formartine area committee approved the plans for the second course by eight votes to four.

In a report to councillors on the Formartine committee in Ellon on Tuesday morning, planning officials said the second course would bring economic and social benefits to the area. They recommended granting planning permission, subject to a range of conditions, including the creation of an environmental management plan.

The decision comes days before the full Aberdeenshire Council prepares to discuss a separate application for a major housing development at the Menie Estate.

Branded The Trump Estate, the £150 million plans feature a range of two, three, four and five-bedroom cottages.

The application was initially expected to be considered in February, with a final decision on the development expected in March, but late information was received which delayed the decision.

Council planning officers then recommended the application for approval despite claiming it “significantly breaches” legislation.

In November, it emerged that a council memo described the plans as a “weak substitute” for the original proposals put forward 10 years ago.

The Trump Organisation described the remarks in the memo as “naive at best”.