US President Donald Trump played golf under tight security on the first full day of a visit to Scotland Saturday, as hundreds of protesters took to the streets in major cities.

Trump played at his Turnberry resort with son Eric and US ambassador to the UK Warren Stephens, waving to photographers following his arrival in his mother's birth country on Friday evening.

His presence has turned the picturesque and normally quiet area of southwest Scotland into a virtual fortress, with roads closed and police checkpoints in place.

Police officers - some on quad bikes and others on foot with sniffer dogs - patrolled the famous course and the sandy beaches and grass dunes that flank it.

Secret Service snipers were positioned at vantage points while some other golfers on the course were patted down by security personnel.

The 79-year-old touched down Friday at nearby Prestwick Airport as hundreds of onlookers came out to see Air Force One and catch a glimpse of its famous passenger.

The president has professed a love of Scotland, but his controversial politics and business investments in the country have made for an uneasy relationship.

Speaking to reporters on the tarmac, Trump immediately waded into the debate surrounding high levels of irregular migration, and lashed out at renewable energy efforts.

Trump's five-day visit, which is set to mix leisure with business and diplomacy, has divided the local community.

Several hundred protesters demonstrated outside the US consulate in the capital Edinburgh and in the city of Aberdeen, near where Trump owns another golf resort.

The protests were organised by the Stop Trump Coalition. Participants held placards with slogans like "Scotland hates Trump" and waved Palestinian flags. (AFP)