Like any self-respecting American president, Donald Trump loves golf. Like Biden, like Obama, like Bush, and way back, well beyond Dwight D. Eisenhower. But Donald Trump's relationship with golf is special: the world's strongest man thrives on golf.
Trump and golf
Donald Trump owns 15 resorts on three continents. He boasts of playing almost as well as a professional. He hops on his golf cart whenever he can: two websites document his time on the green, complete with extra expenses for US taxpayers.
The White House resident transforms his resorts into impromptu diplomatic missions where he discusses war and peace between holes with international leaders.
His friends include Tiger Woods (now the partner of Vanessa, his former daughter-in-law), Greg Norman, and Bryson DeChambeau (who was with him on stage the night of his 2024 election victory).
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According to the most recent tax returns, the president earned $354 million from his golf course portfolio in 2024. This is a significant figure, although the peak was in 2023, when Trump declared $555 million. The decline may be linked to the sale of Trump Golf Links in the Bronx.
The president is currently about to visit two of his properties in Scotland, Turnberry (Ayrshire) and Trump International Golf Links, in Menie (Aberdeenshire). There, he will inaugurate a second 18-hole course, named after his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, who was born and raised on the Isle of Lewis before emigrating.
The Organization is pulling the strings of Donald Trump's business empire and golf. The golden goose is Trump National Doral in Miami, one of his most prestigious resorts in the United States. It has four courses (the most famous is called the Blue Monster) that have hosted PGA Tour events, World Golf Championship tournaments, and, amid controversy, recent events on LIV GOLF, the circuit funded by Saudi petrodollars.
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In Great Britain, Aberdeen and Turnberry also exist under Trump's aegis. The latter has a unique history, having also hosted The Open Championship four times (the last in 2009, won by Cink).
After the siege of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, the R&A excluded Turnberry from the rotation for the world's oldest Major. "We won't return until we're convinced the focus is solely on the competition, the players, and the course itself," said CEO Martin Slumbers. The goal is to keep The Open out of politics and safeguard the interests of its sponsors.
