He may be facing mounting legal issues, but Donald Trump still has reason to smile. Not only is he riding high in the Republican primary polls, but he's also doubled the income he receives from his many golf courses around the globe. The 17 golf courses owned by the former president have raked in as much as $555 million (£437m) between January 2022 and 14 April 2023, according to Sportico – and one of them hasn't even been built yet. The staggering sum makes up almost half the $1.2 billion (£945bn) Trump received over the period. In comparison, the courses made him 'just' $237 million (£187m) in 2020.
Trump National Doral Miami resort – pictured here in October 2022 – was far and away the biggest earner of the bunch, bringing in a hefty $159.3 million (£126m). Although that figure takes into account the hotel earnings as well as the income generated from the golf course, it overshadows Trump's second most lucrative golfing asset – Trump Turnberry, Scotland – by over $100 million (£78.7m), Sportico reports.
Trump's beautiful Turnberry golf course stands on the rugged Ayrshire Coast in Scotland and boasts striking views across the Irish Sea, as well as a healthy turnover. The course and hotel combined generated an impressive $52 million (£41m) over 2022 to April 2023, despite having attracted its fair share of protests when it was built (but more on that later). In January 2021, a report by Forbes revealed the course had lost roughly $3 million (£2.4m) on revenue of $26 million (£20.5m) in 2019 and had been struggling for years, so these latest figures indicate a shocking change in fortune.
Bringing just $17.7 million (£14m) in 2020 and $15.7 million (£12.4m) in 2018, Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster was Trump's third top earner, bringing in a massive $46.2 million (£36.4m) in golf-related earnings in the latest financial period. This may be due in large part to his decision to host controversial Saudi-backed LIV Golf events at his courses, such as this one, which took place at Bedminster in July 2022. After causing a damaging rift in the sport, LIV announced a shock merger with the PGA in June – something sports-savvy Trump predicted back in 2022. "All of those golfers that remain 'loyal' to the very disloyal PGA, in all of its different forms, will pay a big price when the inevitable MERGER with LIV comes..." Trump wrote on Truth Social. "If you don't take the money now, you will get nothing after the merger takes place, and only say how smart the original signees were."
It's fortunate Trump's golf courses are proving big earners, as he may well need the money to pay for a top-notch defence team to fight the three criminal cases that have been brought against him. In early August, he was indicted yet again, this time in relation to alleged attempts to overthrow the 2020 election, which resulted in the infamous January 6 Capitol riots. Trump – who looks set to become the 2024 Republican presidential nominee – has been charged with four counts, including conspiracy to defraud the US, preventing others from carrying out their constitutional rights and obstruction of an official proceeding, the last of which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. The latest indictment is the third for the controversial politician. Trial dates have been set for the criminal case in Manhattan regarding hush money allegedly paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels as well as the case related to Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents at his scandal-hit home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. Trump is also facing a fourth criminal investigation in Georgia, this time probing the possibility he tried to undo his 2020 election loss. If found guilty in the Manhattan case alone, the former president could technically face over 100 years in prison.
Read on to uncover the secrets and scandals behind Donald Trump's billion-dollar global golf empire...
During his time as the 45th president of the United States, Donald Trump played at least 150 rounds of golf on 298 golf-course visits. Trump and his real estate companies also own 16 different courses, with more in the works. As Trump faces legal battles, fraud cases and FBI investigations, it might not come as a surprise that some of these properties have seen their fair share of scandal. Click or scroll to take a stroll around the billion-dollar golf courses owned by Donald Trump and discover the fascinating controversies surrounding them...
A golf fanatic, with a handicap of 2.8, Donald Trump opened his first golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida in 1999. Since then, he's gone on to build a hugely expensive golf portfolio, which includes 12 clubs across the US, including two additional Trump National Golf Clubs in Florida, two in New York, two in New Jersey and one each in North Carolina, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Washington DC, as well as a links course in Ferry Point, New York.
Further afield, Trump – who is likely to become the Republican nominee for the 2024 US presidential race – owns Trump Turnberry and Trump International Golf Links, Aberdeen in Scotland, as well as a links course in Doonbeg, Ireland. In February 2017, Trump International Golf Club, Dubai (pictured) was launched – the first Trump property project to launch after he took office. Despite boasting luxurious clubhouses and courses designed by some of the biggest names in the business, Trump's 16 clubs lost more than $315.6 million (£252m) between 2000 and 2020, according to a New York Times investigation. But that's not the only shocking fact surrounding his golf empire...
Trump Turnberry is one of two Scottish links owned by the former president. It's home to three golf courses, including the Alisa course, which hosted four Open Championships prior to Trump buying the resort. Trump – who visited Turnberry in May 2023 – has made no secret of wanting the venue to host the event again, telling GB News recently that "everybody wants to see the Open Championship here – the players, it’s their favourite course, it’s the No 1-rated in Europe." But it doesn't look like he'll get his wish anytime soon...
Despite Turnberry losing a reported $61 million (£49m) since its purchase, Trump recently shelled out nearly $200 million (£160m) on a course re-design. However, a source close to the R&A – previously The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, the body that manages the prestigious event – has suggested that the Donald will never see his Aryshire course host another Open, despite the fact it remains on the Championship rota. According to The Telegraph, such are the security risks associated with Trump and potential protests against him, he would have to sell the club for another Open take place on its historic fairways.
Eric Trump declared that the family is still "deeply committed to the Open Championship whenever the call is received", in a statement made to The Telegraph. Turnberry last staged the tournament in 2009, five years before Donald Trump bought the club. One R&A insider revealed that, not only are there no plans to stage any of the championships at Turnberry, but they "will not return until we are convinced that the focus will be on the championship, the players and the course itself."
Security risks are unlikely to be the R&A's only cause for concern. Donald Trump is currently embroiled in several legal cases, one of which directly involves a number of Trump's golf courses, including Turnberry. In September 2022, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a civil lawsuit against the former president for a case of "staggering" fraud. She has alleged that Trump, along with his children and senior executives at the Trump Organization, "falsely inflated his net worth by billions of dollars" to secure bank loans on more favourable terms and gain tax benefits. Trump has rebutted the accusations, but the case continues. Aside from Turnberry, four additional Trump Golf Clubs are mentioned in the Attorney General's lawsuit, including Westchester, Jupiter and Doral National Golf Clubs across the US, and Trump's Aberdeen club in Scotland. Let's take a look around them...
Not only was Westchester named in is Attorney General Letitia James' suit, but in October 2021 it became the subject of an 'ongoing criminal investigation' by the district attorney's office in Westchester, New York. The probe was said to include records subpoenaed from the golf course and according to USA Today, it centred around the organisation's valuation of the property following a successful appeal to lower the club's taxes. The golf club has appealed its property tax bill in every year since 2015, according to the New York Times.
Donald Trump is shown here in the club's restaurant back in 2014, with his ex-wife Ivana, son Eric and his wife Lara. The Trump Organization's request to lower its tax liability on the Westchester estate was granted by a Supreme Court judge in August 2021, in a move that saved the club $155,000 (£124k) a year in tax going forward, as well as a substantial rebate of $860,965 (£690k). No charges or accusations of wrongdoing have been made at this time.
In 2002, Trump National Golf Club picked up this estate in Bedminster for a reported $35 million (£28m). Spread over 600 rolling acres of New Jersey countryside, Bedminster offers no end of world-class amenities. It boasts a 36-hole golf course designed by renowned architects Tom Fazio and Tom Fazio II, a 16-acre practice facility, an indoor golf learning centre and even equestrian facilities. Not just a corporate venture for the Trumps, Ivanka and Jared Kushner wed within the grounds in 2009.
In January 2021, the PGA stripped Bedminster of its role as host of the 2022 championship tournament after the violent attack on the US Capitol carried out by the then president’s supporters. The organization tweeted: “Our feeling was given the tragic events of Wednesday that we could no longer hold it at Bedminster,” PGA CEO Seth Waugh told the Associated Press. “The damage could have been irreparable. The only real course of action was to leave."
Bedminster also plays a role in the investigation currently being carried out by the Justice Department into Trump's possible mishandling of classified documents after leaving the White House. In May 2022, it was revealed that special counsel Jack Smith had obtained a 2021 recording of a meeting at Bedminster. In the audio, Trump is said to suggest he wants to share information from a classified document regarding a potential attack on Iran, but he knew there were limitations on his ability to declassify records after leaving the White House, according to CNN. This appears to undercut Trump's repeated assertions that he could retain presidential records and “automatically” declassify documents. The investigation continues. Meanwhile...
Donald Trump bought the 700-acre Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami back in 2012 for $150 million (£120m). It was initially one of the Trump Organization's biggest money-makers, but the estate's fortunes took a turn for the worse thanks to coronavirus. Prior to the pandemic, the resort reportedly brought in over $70 million (£56m) a year. However, following a divisive presidency and the introduction of coronavirus travel restrictions, that figure fell by more than $33 million (£26m), a colossal drop of over 40% in revenue. Luckily for Trump, Doral seems to be back on track with back with earnings of $159.3 million (£126m) over 2022 to April 2023.
Trouble for the club began back in 2016, when the PGA announced it was moving the World Golf Championship from the Doral resort. Meanwhile, back in 2019, the Washington Post reported that overall revenue had been falling since 2015. As of 2021, the Trump Organization had borrowed around $125 million (£100m) on the property, according to The Independent—loans which Donald Trump himself is said to have guaranteed.
What's more, when the pandemic struck, the resort reportedly laid off 560 workers. However, in January 2022, Donald Trump announced a new expansion was in the pipeline and revealed that he'd “just spent millions of dollars” on the resort's Blue Monster golf course. Originally designed by D. Wilson, a revered American golf club architect, and updated in 2014 by Gil Hanse, the 18-hole course is considered deceptively difficult. It seems Trump's investment may have been enough to save his Miami resort.
In 2012, the same year he purchased Doral, Donald Trump also bought this 350-acre estate in Jupiter, Florida for a reported $5 million (£4m) and turned it into Trump National Golf Club, Jupiter. A favourite among the Trump clan, Eric Trump, even owns a house on the property with his wife Lara.
The property's crowning glory has to be its breathtaking golf course, created by acclaimed course designer and former golf professional Jack Nicklaus. Spanning 7,531 yards, the 18-hole spread features deep pot bunkers and unusual island elements, as pictured here. Set against a backdrop of pine trees and native scrublands, it's a tranquil spot to tee off. However, perhaps unsurprisingly, Trump's Jupiter club hasn't escaped scandal...
It is named 11 times in the lawsuit brought against Trump by New York Attorney General Letitia James. According to the lawsuit, Trump bought the club for $5 million (£4m) cash in November 2012 but less than a year later he "valued the same property at $62 million (£50m) on the 2013 Statement of Financial Condition," a markup of 1,100%. "For every year from 2013 to 2020, virtually all of the value attributed to Jupiter was fraudulently overstated due to several deceptive methods and assumptions," the AG claims. Former president Trump hit back at allegations on Truth Social, calling James a "crime fighting disaster" and a "failed A.G."
In 2006, Trump purchased Balmedie, a 1,400-acre estate just north of Aberdeen, Scotland, and turned it into yet another luxury golf course. The estate reportedly cost Trump $60 million (£48m) to buy and a further $200 million (£160m) was spent on the new golf course. However, transforming the unspoiled stretch of coastline into a high-end golf course didn't run smoothly...
Just one of many hurdles for Trump to overcome, Scottish fisherman Michael Forbes, who had lived on his 25-acre farm his entire life, refused to sell his home to the billionaire. Located right in the middle of the planned second hole and hotel site, the real estate rebel was offered $408,000 (£327k) and a job on the golf course but still declined and refused to give up his home. In further trouble, the Aberdeenshire course is also named in the New York District Attorney's fraud lawsuit, which alleges that the club's valuation used "improper methods."
Unfortunately for Trump, his smallest golf club has proved a big loser. Closures during the pandemic triggered losses of $1.3 million (£1m) for 2019, and in 2020 the Balmedie club reportedly incurred losses of $1.6 million (£1.3m). While less than in previous years, pre-tax losses came to just under $836,000 (£670k) in 2021. Despite this, The Apprentice star visited the site in May 2023 to break ground on a second golf course on the estate. At the ceremonial ribbon cutting, he dedicated the course to his Scottish mother and declared it would be fit to "host many great championships" in future.
Four new sites are slated to join the Trump Golf portfolio. Dubai is to welcome a second course, the Trump World Golf Club, which will offer a "magnificent 18-hole Championship-standard course" to be designed by the iconic golfing superstar Tiger Woods. Further afield, the six-star luxury Trump International Hotel and Tower is set to open in Lido, just south of Jakarta. The 18-hole Ernie Els-designed golf course will be Trump's first in Asia and claims to offer a "captivating golf experience." However, the project has courted controversy over allegations that builders exhumed Islamic ancestral graves without permission.
Elsewhere in Indonesia, Trump struck a deal in 2015 to help run and license his name to the Nirwana Pan Pacific hotel and golf course in Bali. It was to become Trump International Hotel & Tower, Bali, but plans have stalled. When the original hotel (pictured) closed in 2017, hundreds of workers were laid off and although reportedly promised employment at the new complex, building work has yet to start six years later. Last but not least, in late 2022 Trump announced plans to build a Trump Resort and golf course in Muscat, Oman, which is under construction yet still brought in $5.35 million over 2022 to April 2023. Trailed as 'coming soon,' there isn't yet any official indication of when the new clubs will open – so golf fanatics everywhere will have to watch this space.
Loved this? Take a look at all of Donald Trump and his clan's properties from Mar-a-Lago to Ivanka's mansion on bunker island