Throughout his career as a businessman and politician, Donald Trump has had a relationship with the sport of golf. As a real estate developer, Trump began acquiring and constructing golf courses in 1999. By 2016, he owned 17 golf courses worldwide through his holding company, the Trump Organization.
Courses owned by Trump have been selected to host various PGA and LPGA events, including the 2022 PGA Championship, although the PGA terminated this in the aftermath of the January 6 United States Capitol attack in 2021. A spokesman for the Trump Organization said that "This is a breach of a binding contract and they have no right to terminate the agreement."
Following his election, Trump broke precedent with recent presidents and chose not to divest from his business holdings, including his golf courses. Although this was not illegal, ethics lawyers and journalists identified potential conflicts of interest. At least three lawsuits (D.C. and Maryland v. Trump, Blumenthal v. Trump and CREW v. Trump) were filed claiming that foreign payments at Trump golf courses and hotels violate the Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The three lawsuits were dismissed as moot, dismissed for lack of standing, and allowed, respectively.
Trump as player
Trump, according to Jack Nicklaus, "loves the game of golf more than he loves money". According to Golf Digest, his handicap is as low as 2.8, a figure that sportswriter Rick Reilly dismisses at length in his book Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump.
Trump began playing golf while attending Fordham University. In the introduction to his 2005 book The Best Golf Advice I Ever Received, Trump wrote, "for me and millions of people—men, women, young and old around the world—golf is more than a game. It is a passion".
Trump's love of golf has also affected American diplomacy. Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe played golf with him five times, helping the two leaders to become personally close. After Trump's victory in the 2024 United States presidential election, President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol reportedly began playing golf again to similarly benefit his country when Trump was again president.
In 1999, Trump opened his first golf course: the Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach in Florida. Land for the US$45 million course was acquired through a lawsuit against Palm Beach County, Florida, after Trump's purchase of the Mar-a-Lago resort. By 2007, Trump owned four courses around the US. After the 2008 financial crisis, Trump began purchasing existing golf courses and re-designing them.
Golf courses owned by Trump hosted the LPGA Tour finale from 2001 to 2008, as well as the 2009 US Junior Amateur and US Junior Girls Championships. In 2014, the Professional Golfers' Association of America announced a multi-year partnership with the Trump Organization. The PGA of America selected Trump golf courses to host the 2017 Senior PGA Championship and the 2022 PGA Championship.
In June 2015, Trump announced his candidacy in the 2016 presidential election with a controversial speech which led to companies such as Macy's and NBC cutting ties with the businessman. While speaking on illegal immigration, Trump falsely claimed that Mexico is "sending people that have lots of problems... they're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people," drawing criticism from immigration and Latino advocacy groups. The LPGA, PGA of America, PGA Tour, and United States Golf Association issued a joint statement, saying that while the organizations "do not usually comment on presidential politics, Mr. Trump's comments are inconsistent with our strong commitment to an inclusive and welcoming environment in the game of golf."
The PGA of America also decided to relocate the 2015 PGA Grand Slam of Golf—an exhibition match which had been scheduled to take place at Trump National Golf Club, Los Angeles. In 2018, PGA Tour Latinoamérica held its Shell Tour Championship at Trump National Doral Miami's Golden Palm course after plans were announced to demolish the Melreese Country Club in Miami, which had held the event, for a football stadium.
In July 2024, an hour-long YouTube video was released of Trump playing 18 holes with Bryson DeChambeau.
Cheating allegations
Interviewed under oath in 2022 before a grand jury, Senator Lindsey Graham was asked if Trump cheats at golf, to which Graham replied: "Some people say you may outdrive him, but you’re not going to outdrive his caddy. It is what it is."
Trump's cheating at golf has been the subject of much commentary. Sportswriter Rick Reilly's book Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump details Trump's cheating at golf.
Rick Reilly examined a lie Trump frequently tells: "Trump's boast about winning 18 club championships is a lie that's so over-the-top Crazytown it loses all credibility among golfers the second it's out of his mouth." Reilly cites Gary Player: "When Trump told Gary Player he'd won 18 championships, Player scoffed. 'I told him that if anyone beats him, he kicks them out. So, he had to win. He describes how Trump's name is only on the wall of golf clubs he owns, and in one case the club wasn't even open at the time he claimed to have won the championship there: "Trump International in West Palm Beach, Florida, has a plaque on the wall that lists all the men who've won the men's club championship. Trump appears three times: 1999, 2001, and 2009. But hold on. The course wasn't even open in 1999."
Tom D'Angelo has examined Trump's long history of cheating at golf. One time, Mike Tirico "hit a 3-wood about 230 yards onto the green on one hole. When he arrived the ball was in a bunker about 50 feet from the pin. 'Tough break,' Trump said. Tirico later was told by Trump's caddie that his shot was about 10 feet from the hole and Trump threw it into the bunker. 'I watched him do it,' the caddie said." D'Angelo also quoted Reilly:
Peter Wade described how Trump claimed he scored a 67 at his Bedminster course, eight strokes fewer than Phil Mickelson shot there two weeks earlier. Wade also wrote:
Golf courses owned or managed by the Trump Organization
As of December 2016, Trump owned golf courses in the United States and abroad. Over nearly two decades (as he reported in his 2000–2018 tax filings), these golf courses had combined losses of $315.6 million.
The Trump Organization also operates golf courses not owned by them.
The following is a current list of courses owned and/or managed by The Trump Organization: OM denotes courses for which The Trump Organization owns and manages M denotes courses for which The Trump Organization manages only DM denotes courses for which The Trump Organization developed and previously managed F denotes future courses for which The Trump Organization will own and manage
Name Contribution Year built Year purchased City / town / regency State / province / council area / barrio / emirate Country / territory Comments Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles OM 1999 2002 Rancho Palos Verdes California United States formerly known as Ocean Trails Golf Club, designed by Pete Dye and Donald Trump Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach OM 1999 1999 West Palm Beach Florida United States private, 27 holes, designed by Jim Fazio Trump National Doral Golf Club OM 1962 2012 Doral Florida United States formerly known as Doral Country Club, 90 holes Trump National Golf Club Jupiter OM 2002 2012 Jupiter Florida United States designed by Jack Nicklaus Trump National Golf Club Bedminster OM 2004 2002 Bedminster New Jersey United States 36 holes, designed by Tom Fazio Trump National Golf Club Colts Neck OM 2004 2008 Colts Neck Township New Jersey United States Originally designed by Jerry Pate, reconstructed by Tom Fazio in 2009 Trump National Golf Club Philadelphia OM 1998 2009 Pine Hill New Jersey United States formerly known as Pine Hill Golf Club, designed by Tom Fazio Trump Links at Ferry Point DM 2017 2015 Throggs Neck, Bronx New York United States located in Ferry Point Park, renamed Bally's Golf Links to Ferry Point in January 2024, designed by Jack Nicklaus Trump National Golf Club Hudson Valley OM 2001 Hopewell Junction New York United States private, formerly known as Branton Woods, designed by Eric Bergstol Trump National Golf Club Westchester OM 1922 1996 Briarcliff Manor New York United States private, formerly known as Briarcliff CC, Briar Hills CC and Briar Hall G&CC, designed by Jim Fazio Trump National Golf Club Charlotte OM 1999 2012 Charlotte North Carolina United States designed by Greg Norman Trump National Golf Club Washington, D.C. OM 1999 2009 Sterling Virginia United States 36 holes (The Championship Course, The Riverview Course), formerly known as Lowes Island Club, designed by Tom Fazio and Arthur Hills Trump International Resort & Golf Club Bali F Tabanan Regency Bali Indonesia designed by Phil Mickelson Trump International Resort & Golf Club Lido F Bogor West Java Indonesia designed by Ernie Els Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Doonbeg Ireland OM 2002 2014 Doonbeg Munster Ireland formerly known as Doonbeg Golf Club, designed by Greg Norman Trump International Golf Club in Rio Grande M 2005 2007 Río Grande Río Grande barrio-pueblo Puerto Rico 36 holes, formerly known as Coco Beach Golf Club & CC, designed by Tom Kite, Trump management ended in July 2015, renamed Coco Beach Golf Club Trump International Golf Links Scotland OM 2012 2010 Balmedie Aberdeenshire Scotland private, designed by Martin Hawtree Trump Turnberry Scotland OM 1906 2014 Turnberry South Ayrshire Scotland private, 45 holes, designed by Willie Fernie and Martin Ebert Trump International Golf Club, Dubai M 2017 2017 Dubai Dubai United Arab Emirates designed by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner Trump World Golf Club Dubai F Dubai Dubai United Arab Emirates designed by Tiger Woods
Puerto Rico In 2007, the Trump Organization took over the management and licensed Trump's name to the 4-year old, 36-hole oceanfront golf course at Coco Beach, Puerto Rico. It hosted the 2008 PGA Puerto Rico Open, but the club kept losing money and in 2015 filed for bankruptcy protection.
Dubai According to the Trump Organization, it is neither the owner nor the developer of the Trump International Golf Club. The financial disclosures Trump filed with the Federal Election Commission in 2016 show that the Trump Organization manages the two golf courses in Dubai. The second Trump-branded golf course, the Trump World Golf Club, was designed by Tiger Woods and developed and built by DAMAC Properties, a company founded by Hussain Sajwani. It was scheduled to be opened in 2017, the year in which a report revealed that migrants working on the project were not being paid on time. In February 2021, it was announced that the inauguration was delayed at least until 2022, as the work on the project was paused. Some officials working on the construction project were told that the delay was because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but developers in the Emirates were reportedly struggling to finish such developments even before the global health crisis.
Ferry Point, New York
From 2015 to 2023, the Trump Organization operated the Trump Links at Ferry Point, New York, a public golf course built and owned by New York City, under a 20-year contract awarded in 2013 by the administration of then-Mayor Bloomberg. Under the agreement, the city paid the course's utility and water bills while collecting no income for the first four years. In the first year of operation, ending in March 2016, the company had $8 million in gross receipts, and the city paid $1 million in water and sewage bills. In the second year of operation, gross receipts dropped 9.5%. For the operating year that ended March 2019, the Trump Organization reported a loss of $122,000; it now faces contractual fees of at least $300,000 per operating year from the city.