Trump Courses

Doon frae Troon said:
Drove past Turnberry a couple of days ago and there is a hell of a lot of work happening at the Ailsa course, clubhouse and hotel.
Trump is certainly investing mega long term bucks into the place.
I have quite a few friends in the area who are either members or staff. Not one has a bad word to say about Trump's actions at Turnberry.
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The changes Trump is going ahead with were planned pre-Trump, in order to make it more Open ready, and they will improve the course. The hotel probably needs an upgrade too, but it remains to be seen what happens in the medium term. The locals' ardour may cool when he starts the real Trumpification process.
 
I'm with JohnnyDee on this one.

Will my boycotting his courses make any difference to him? Not a chance but I'll feel better about it.

I'll miss out on playing the Aberdeen course but there are plenty of other quality courses around so I'll not be losing any sleep over it.

What I'm more annoyed about is his buying Doonbeg as that's a course I've long had a yearning to play, but having said that I believe that it was struggling financially so at least his having more money than he'll ever know what to do with means he can keep it going without worrying about the balance sheet, at least until he falls out of love with golf, which I don't think will be very far into the future.
 
I admire those that are boycotting his courses on a point of principle. Myself I will hopefully be playing Aberdeen twice and the blue monster this year. Ideally I'd not really want my money going to fund his presidential campaign but I have anyways wanted to play the Aberdeen course ever since I saw the first pictures. Plus something happened to my wife last year that made me realise life can be short and you should never die regretting what you have not done.

So that has overode my principals.

But playing devils advocate, do those boycotting trump also boycott any course that does not allow women members? If so fair play, if not then where do you draw the line? It's a tricky one.
 
Hacker Khan said:
But playing devils advocate, do those boycotting trump also boycott any course that does not allow women members? If so fair play, if not then where do you draw the line? It's a tricky one.
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I would have no hesitation in boycotting these too, as per my earlier reply in post #5.

Clubs with such arcane and preposterous rules, in my view, deserve to go out of business as soon as possible. It is them and their silly old duffer members (Major Carruthers and Wing Commander Fanshaw-Smythe etc.) that still give Golf, in the minds of some people, the fuddy-duddy image that the modern game is trying to shake off.
 
Ethan said:
Well, I think there are a lot of issues. If any of you have a private pension or a stocks/shares investment, then you almost certainly are investing in some stuff Trump is also in. It is rather silly to suggest that people who object to the weirdly coiffed buffoon should boycott Facebook, P&G and so on.

But if I was organising a big event for which Turnberry was one of the options, I would think twice and probably wouldn't go there.

As for his golf, it is a mixed bag. Trump Aberdeen is well enough reviewed by people who know what they are talking about to be accepted as a current great course. Likewise the changes at Turnberry are generally accepted as likely to improve the course. Doonbeg is also a fine links.

On the other hand, some of his other courses are less great. Doral Blue Monster is widely regarded as a mediocre slog with a few infamous holes and lots of drudge in between, sort of like a Belfry with good weather, palm trees and fewer Brummies. Trump National LA is an 18 hole course squeezed into a space big enough for a good 12 hole course. Trump reckons it is better than Pebble Beach, but it is an exercise in extreme polishing of a turd. I did sit beside Mark Wahlberg at the halfway hut when I played there, though. He is really quite short.

I don't think Trump is good for golf. He is essentially a predatory businessman and his image and values are not what I would like to see in golf. He is also the guy who said that Pinehurst (when Kaymer won the US Open) was the worst golf course he ever saw. He likes green golf courses with white sand and blue water. He had better leave the design and refurb of his courses to people who have a better sense of what they are doing.
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Again playing devils advocate I know a member at Doral. And before he took it over my mate was on a tee and the Donald turned up. He was on his own and was apparently quite humble. He asked my mate how the course/resort could be improved. He then told my mate his plans for when he took it over and he has made good on all of them.

I played it a couple of years ago and I could not have been made to feel any more welcome. He seems to be all about ensuring the golfer has as good an experience as possible. I liked the fact I did not have to worry about what type of shorts I had on or the colour of my socks.

As for the course then my impression was that it was very good at what it was trying to be. If you are after beautiful traditional heathland or a links experience then you won't get it. But it didn't beat me up much if you played off a sensible tee
 
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JohnnyDee said:
I would have no hesitation in boycotting these too, as per my earlier reply in post #5.

Clubs with such arcane and preposterous rules, in my view, deserve to go out of business as soon as possible. It is them and their silly old duffer members (Major Carruthers and Wing Commander Fanshaw-Smythe etc.) that still give Golf, in the minds of some people, the fuddy-duddy image that the modern game is trying to shake off.
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Fair play them, I do admire your stance. And wish that the R&A should follow suit when awarding the open.
 
Hacker Khan said:
And wish that the R&A should follow suit when awarding the open.
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Agree 100%. But I imagine that the following scenario still exists somewhere.

SC 1 -A GOLF CLUB LOUNGE.

Two elderly gentlemen, Major Carruthers and Wing Commander Fanshaw-Smythe, are seated at a table sipping G&Ts and watching nearly everyone who enters the lounge with almost ill-concealed hostility.

George Robinson enters the lounge.

FANSHAW SMYTHE:
That fellow there who’s just come in, Robinson. He’s a new member isn’t he?

CARRUTHERS:
Yes I believe so. Been in for about a month now or there about.

FANSHAW-SMYTHE:
What does he do? I mean what’s his line?

CARRUTHERS:
I was told that he’s a gynaecologist.

FANSHAW-SMYTHE
Good god! What is this place coming to? They’ll be letting Solicitors and GPs join next!

CARRUTHERS:
And then where will it all end? I met this chap only the other day and he told me that his brother is a member at some place where they are allowing WOMEN to join.

FANSHAW-SMYTHE
Women? What exactly are they old boy?

ENDS:
 
JohnnyDee said:
I would have no hesitation in boycotting these too, as per my earlier reply in post #5.

Clubs with such arcane and preposterous rules, in my view, deserve to go out of business as soon as possible. It is them and their silly old duffer members (Major Carruthers and Wing Commander Fanshaw-Smythe etc.) that still give Golf, in the minds of some people, the fuddy-duddy image that the modern game is trying to shake off.
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Do you have a list of criteria for what things you would boycott courses for?
 
My green fees will be paying the wages of the most attractive waitress, and not going in Trumps pocket.:thup: Hopefully she will show her appreciation in the usual way.:whistle:
 
richart said:
My green fees will be paying the wages of the most attractive waitress, and not going in Trumps pocket.:thup: Hopefully she will show her appreciation in the usual way.:whistle:
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A slap in the chops and a greeny in your sarnie ????? :) :) :)
 
JohnnyDee said:
Possibly this opinion, which for me has been something of an elephant in the room now for some time, is a bit contentious with some, for which I apologise and cast no aspersions, as I know there are many on here looking forward to playing his courses, and in particular I know there's a big forum event lined up for later in the year organised quite some time back, but for me I will never play a course he's associated with purely on principle.

It saddens me that he's now got Turnberry in his stable and I'm afraid his boorish crassness offends me too much to be prepared to give him even so much as one penny of my hard earned dosh.
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Seriously, is this a wind up?

So do you check the owners of everything you buy and make sure you or the rest of the world haven't been offended or victimised by them in a past life.
 
richart said:
My green fees will be paying the wages of the most attractive waitress, and not going in Trumps pocket.:thup: Hopefully she will show her appreciation in the usual way.:whistle:
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You'll need to bring a lot of 10p coins then as I bet she'll be on minimum wage or lower :mmm: :whistle:
 
richart said:
My green fees will be paying the wages of the most attractive waitress, and not going in Trumps pocket.:thup: Hopefully she will show her appreciation in the usual way.:whistle:
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I just know that dumplings will be mentioned at some point!
 
Ah, the good old mention of dumplings :rolleyes: Could post the replies I used to men when I worked as a waitress and barmaid but I'd be banned from here.
 
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