Everyone knows Donald Trump. The man is everywhere—firing Trump wannabes on his highly-rated NBC reality show, The Apprentice, touting his lavish casinos on enormous billboards all the way from Manhattan to Atlantic City, and making headlines for his latest real estate deals. If there has ever been someone who defined the term “larger than life,” it’s Donald Trump.
Trump’s enormous persona is evident in all facets of his business dealings. One can’t think of a property he owns that doesn’t contain the Trump name. Even for a man who goes by “The Donald,” it takes some major chutzpah to name a casino after one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, as he did with the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. This very same bravado is evident in the side of Trump that this magazine is most interested in: his golf courses.
Not many people are able to steal some time with The Donald, but Golfing Magazine was able to slow down Trump for just a few minutes to talk golf. Aside from his business dealings, the game of golf may be Trump’s greatest passion.
Quite possibly one of the busiest men in the world, Trump has invested over $200 million in golf properties in the U.S. alone and is starting to branch out internationally. He owns and operates four award-winning golf courses in the U.S., one on the Canouan Island and is in the process of building two more: one in Scotland and a second course at his Bedminster, New Jersey property.
GM: What’s it like to step onto a new Trump course for the first time? DT: I love the whole concept of building golf courses. Right now I have four courses in the United States, all of which are top-100 rated courses, and some of which are top ten, in a sense. I really enjoy being able to see these courses grow and mature. I have the top-rated course in the state of California (Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles). We’ve been rated even better than Winged Foot. Our course in Florida has also been given the best rating of any course in the state, so we’re having a lot of fun with it.
GM: How much personal input do you have in your courses? I know you’ve worked with some top-flight course designers. DT: I have very strong ideas on golf design. I have a lot of input in my courses, and I work closely with Tom Fazio, Jim Fazio, Pete Dye, and lots of top designers. They’re all great people.
GM: Obviously you spend a lot of your golfing time on Trump courses, but what’s your favorite non-Trump course to play? DT: I’m a member at Winged Foot (the site of the 2006 U.S. Open), so I’d have to go with that.
Trump’s newest project is a brand new course on the Canouan Island, part of the Grenadines in the Caribbean. Spread over 150 acres, the Trump International Golf Club at Raffles Resort has been described as one of the most spectacular and challenging golf courses in the Caribbean.
GM: What can you share about your newest course with our readers? DT: It just opened and it’s doing very well. It’s a beautiful course that was designed by Jim Fazio. It’s actually built on the side of a mountain in the middle of the ocean. It’s been very successful; people are loving it.
Across the Atlantic, Trump is about to build a course at the home of golf, Scotland. The country is also the birthplace of his mother, making this project a labor of love. Trump International Golf Links, Scotland, just 90 miles from St. Andrews, will be comprised of two championship golf courses, a five-star hotel with associated facilities, a state-of-the-art golf academy and a turf grass research center. The courses will be Donald J. Trump Signature Designs, in association with Tom Fazio, nephew of renown course architect Tom Fazio.
GM: Tell us about your expansion into Scotland. DT: I own 1,000 acres of land in Aberdeen, along the ocean. We’re looking to do something really spectacular there, and we’re just starting on that now.
GM: When are you hoping to have a course up and ready? DT: Hopefully we have our approvals within the next four months, and then we can start.
Trump plays to a 6 handicap and despite his many business dealings, he loves to play the game. But if you have the good fortune to play with the Donald…you had better keep up because he plays quickly!
GM: On a personal level, what kind of challenges do you face on the golf course? DT: I drive it fairly straight, with pretty good distance. I putt well, but the chipping definitely needs help. I’m a very good putter and a very bad chipper. I don’t know why—if you’re a good putter you’re supposed to be a good chipper. My chipping is weak because I don’t get enough practice at it.
GM: How do you even find the time to play? DT: Well it’s not easy, let me tell you. That’s the advantage to building courses, though. You can play and you don’t think you’re playing, you think you’re working.
GM: Speaking of working, how do you compare two of your more prominent businesses… the golf courses and the casino industry? DT: They’re very different industries in terms of styling and in terms of temperament, but they’re both great industries and I derive a lot of satisfaction from each one.
