{"id":675283,"date":"2026-09-06T12:06:26","date_gmt":"2026-09-06T12:06:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/675283\/"},"modified":"2026-09-06T12:06:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T12:06:26","slug":"donald-trumps-golf-empire-from-gold-plated-statues-to-mona-lisa-courses-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/675283\/","title":{"rendered":"Donald Trump\u2019s golf empire: From gold-plated statues to \u2018Mona Lisa\u2019 courses \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

By any unit of measure, the Trump Organisation\u2019s golf property empire \u2013 of which Doonbeg, host to next week\u2019s Amgen Irish Open<\/a> is one of its prized jewels \u2013 is massive, encompassing as it does some 16 properties globally with yet more in the pipeline.<\/p>\n

The first golf resort acquired by Donald Trump<\/a> was West Palm Beach in Florida in 1999, which teed off a portfolio which has evolved to include the acquisition of some famous courses, among them Turnberry in Scotland which has played host to The Open on four occasions, and the creation from scratch of other projects in an ongoing expansion.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, this year alone bears testament of how all of the main men\u2019s professional golf tours have been drawn like magnets to courses with the Trump brand. When the Irish Open is staged next week, it will be the sixth tournament of 2026 held on courses owned by the Trump Organisation, following the Cadillac Championship at Doral in Miami on the PGA Tour, LIV Bedminster and LIV Virginia on the troubled LIV 1.0 circuit, the Nexo Championship on the DP World Tour and the Staysure PGA (both at Trump Aberdeen) on the Legends Tour.<\/p>\n

In terms of that magnetic pull, the exception, for now, remains the R&A. The Open organised have not featured Turnberry in its rota of courses to stage golf\u2019s oldest Major championship in recent years. The last time Turnberry staged the championship was in 2009 when Stewart Cink lifted the Claret Jug.<\/p>\n

And while the Trump organisation has used some of golf\u2019s highest profile designers and players to create courses \u2013 among them Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Greg Norman and Martin Hawtree \u2013 it may come as a surprise to people that two of the golf empire\u2019s portfolio were actually designed by Donald Trump himself. Trump National Los Angeles on the Palos Verdes peninsula and Trump National Washington DC (with contributions from Fazio and Arthur Hills in this case) are noted as Donald Trump Signature Courses.<\/p>\n

Since its inception in 2022, LIV has played events at least once every season at a Trump course (although the Saudi Arabia PIF\u2019s withdrawal of its financial support from that tour has left a big question mark over future tournaments).<\/p>\n

Before that Bedminster event in August, the LIV chief executive officer Scott O\u2019Neil couldn\u2019t have been more effusive in outlining why they were there. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you come to a Trump course, it\u2019s something special. It starts with the people … they attract some of the most wonderful people who can stop on a dime, who can pivot, who understand service, who understand what world-class golf courses mean and need.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DoonbegDoonbeg Golf Club, Co Clare was designed by Greg Norman in 2002. Photograph: David Cannon\/Getty <\/p>\n

Who doesn\u2019t like a bit of ego-bolstering, eh?<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s son, Eric, who is executive vice-president of the Trump Organisation, is responsible for the operation of the golf resorts worldwide, including Doonbeg. He is seen to adopt a hands-on approach in keeping on top of the group\u2019s expanding global empire of courses, with projects in Indonesia and Qatar set to add to its portfolio.<\/p>\n

And while operational control of the golf side of things has been left to Eric, there are physical associations drawing on president Trump\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n

A week before LIV Doral in Miami in May, a large gold statue \u2013 actually constructed of bronze but gold-plated measured 15 feet in height and weighed three tons \u2013 was unveiled at the golf resort.<\/p>\n

Dubbed \u201cDon Colossus\u201d, the statue depicts Trump with his right fist raised in the air, the pose taken after an assassination attempt in July 2024 at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. The statue was funded by a cryptocurrency firm.<\/p>\n

In Aberdeen, ahead of the opening last year, Eric arranged for a personalised sign to be erected with the following message: \u201cNew Course: The Great North Sea Links: This remarkable championship links course is built in honour of the greatest leader of our generation \u2014 my father, President Donald J Trump.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis vision, indefatigable strength, and pursuit of excellence, drove the development of this ground-breaking modern links destination. It was his abiding love for Scotland \u2014 the ancestral home of his beloved mother, Mary Anne MacLeod \u2014 and the great game of golf, that inspired the team and I to build the New Course and complete what many believe to be the greatest 36 holes in the world. From your loving son, Eric F Trump. Opened by president Donald J Trump, 45th and 47th president of the United States of America, July 29th, 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n

Designed by Martin Hawtree, the new links at Aberdeen was officially opened in August 2025 with the US president playing a round of golf with former Ryder Cup player and captain Paul McGinley and has staged tournaments on the DP World Tour and the Legends Tour.<\/p>\n

At that official opening of the new course to augment the older course (2011) and expand the resort to 36 holes, Eric Trump remarked: \u201cThis is not just another great golf course \u2013 it\u2019s a once-in-a-generation masterpiece. We speak of the Mona Lisa when we talk about timeless masterpieces in golf. This is our Mona Lisa and it will be here for hundreds of years to come. I firmly believe that both courses here are the greatest 36 holes you will find anywhere in the world!\u201d<\/p>\n

The Trump portfolio started with that purchase of West Palm Beach in 1999 and has since expanded to include Trump Nationals in Los Angeles, Miami, Turnberry, Bedminster (New Jersey), Charlotte (North Carolina), Colts Neck (New York), Hudson Valley (New York), Jupiter (Florida), Pine Hill (New Jersey), Washington DC and Westchester (New York) and Trump Internationals in Doonbeg, Dubai, Lido (Indonesia), Aberdeen and Turnberry.<\/p>\n

\"AnAn aerial view of the par 3, ninth hole with the lighthouse and the green on the par 4, eighth hole at Trump Turnberry. Photograph: David Cannon\/Getty <\/p>\n

Turnberry is the diamond in the crown of jewels, but remains on the outside looking in with regard to again playing host to The Open with no imminent date for any return.<\/p>\n

An interesting questions and answers developed at Royal Portrush last year between a reporter and Mark Darbon, the chief executive of the R&A, on whether Turnberry would again return to the championship rota.<\/p>\n

Reporter<\/b>: \u201cFor so long as Trump is president, we will assume that you don\u2019t have any particular interest in going back there, but does that mean that when he ceases being president, there might be more reason to go back to Turnberry?\u201d<\/p>\n

Darbon<\/b>: \u201cI think we\u2019ve been extremely clear on our position in respect of Turnberry. We love the golf course but we\u2019ve got some big logistical challenges there … we\u2019ve got some work to do on the road, rail and accommodation infrastructure around Turnberry. We\u2019ve explicitly not taken it out of our pool of venues but we\u2019d need to address those logistical challenges should we return.<\/p>\n

Reporter<\/b>: \u201cWhat plans are you making to address them?<\/p>\n

Darbon<\/b>: \u201cSo we\u2019ve had good conversations with the ownership and the venue like we do with all of our venues. We\u2019ll continue to assess the feasibility and work collaboratively not just with the venue, but with local and national government to understand what may be possible and that process at Turnberry is no different.\u201d<\/p>\n

And so it remains the case.<\/p>\n

Still, the beeline taken by the main professional tours to stage tournaments at Trump courses \u2013 with The Open and the R&A\u2019s diplomatic answers seemingly an outlier \u2013 has resulted in high-profile regular tournaments throughout 2026, with Trump International Doonbeg joining the list with next week\u2019s stage of the Amgen Irish Open.<\/p>\n

Five Jewels in the Trump Crown <\/b> <\/p>\n

Aberdeen<\/b><\/p>\n

\"DonaldDonald Trump plays a round of golf after the opening of The Trump International golf links course in Aberdeen, Scotland, in July, 2012. Photograph: Ian MacNicol\/Getty <\/p>\n

Purchased in 2006 with plans to develop two links courses on the 1,400-acre site, the Trump Organisation had to overcome many objections from environmentalists due to its status as a site of scientific interest before being permitted to proceed with the project. The first course was opened for play in 2012 and a second course, called the MacLeod Course in memory of Donald Trump\u2019s mother Mary Anne MacLeod, was opened in August 2025. The DP World Tour\u2019s Nexo Championship, played at the Aberdeen venue last month, was won by Scott Jamieson.<\/p>\n

Bedminster<\/b><\/p>\n

\"DonaldDonald Trump hits a drive from the tee during the pro-am round of the LIV Golf Bedminster. Photograph: Doug Mills\/The New York Times <\/p>\n

The 520-acre site in New Jersey was purchased for $35 million in 2002, and two courses \u2013 designed by Tom Fazio and Tom Fazio II \u2013 were constructed. It hosted the US Women\u2019s Open in 2017 and was awarded the men\u2019s US PGA Championship for 2022 but the PGA of America decided to move it to Southern Hills in Oklahoma instead following the Capitol Hill riots of January 2021, claiming that holding the championship at Bedminster would be \u201cdamaging to the PGA of America brand.\u201d Joaquin Niemann won the LIV Bedminster tournament in August.<\/p>\n

Doonbeg<\/b><\/p>\n

\"DonaldDonald Trump on the 15th hole at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel in Doonbeg. Photograph: Brian Lawless\/PA Wire <\/p>\n

Originally designed by Greg Norman and developed by the same company who owned Kiawah Island, the resort was purchased by the Trump Organisation in 2008 for a reported \u20ac15 million. Among the investment in the resort since the change in ownership was a rebuild of the golf links by golf course architect Martin Hawtree, who was also responsible for the renovation of Lahinch. The Amgen Irish Open next week will be the first time for the course to play host to a DP World Tour event.<\/p>\n

Doral<\/b><\/p>\n

\"DonaldDonald Trump plays golf at Trump National Doral Miami in 2022. Photograph: Giorgio Viera\/AFP via Getty <\/p>\n

Although the upmarket resort has four courses, the Blue Monster is the star of the show. A long-time stop on the PGA Tour \u2013 it hosted the Doral Open from 1962-2006 \u2013 the Trump Organisation purchased the resort out of bankruptcy for a reported $150 million. The WGC-Cadillac championship was held there from 2007-2016 while LIV Miami was staged at the venue from 2022-2025. The PGA Tour returned this season with the Cadillac Championship (won by Cameron Young).<\/p>\n

Turnberry<\/b><\/p>\n

\"TurnberryTurnberry has not hosted The Open since it was taken over by Trump. Photograph: Andrew Milligan\/PA Wire <\/p>\n

A host venue for The Open on four occasions \u2013 most memorably the 1977 so-called \u201cDuel in the Sun\u201d between Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson \u2013 the famous links was purchased by Trump in 2014 for a reputed $60 million from its UAE owners. The Ailsa links \u2013 designed originally by Mackenzie Ross and again by Martin Ebert in 2006 \u2013 is one of the most famous seaside courses in golf and has played host to The Open on four occasions, along with Walker Cups and the AIG Women\u2019s Open, but has not staged an Open since 2009.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By any unit of measure, the Trump Organisation\u2019s golf property empire \u2013 of which Doonbeg, host to next…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":675284,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3],"tags":[9,10,356,40191,5949,18,13,14,6,19,17,11,12,142366,15,16,5,14408,7,8],"class_list":["post-675283","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-breaking-news","tag-breakingnews","tag-donald-trump","tag-doonbeg","tag-dp-world-tour","tag-eire","tag-featured-news","tag-featurednews","tag-headlines","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-latest-news","tag-latestnews","tag-liv-golf-invitational-series","tag-main-news","tag-mainnews","tag-news","tag-pga-tour","tag-top-stories","tag-topstories"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/117224014055898445","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/675283","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=675283"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/675283\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/675284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=675283"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=675283"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=675283"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}