The State Of The Donald

His helicopter will be strategically parked and he'll be conspicuously present this week at Doral (as well as next week for another PGA of America-related announcement), so Steve DiMeglio takes stock of Donald Trump the golf course developer.

As I told John Patrick's radio show today, love him or hate him, The Donald has an entertainer's sensibility and seems to do a nice job reminding the PGA Tour that they are, in fact, supposed to be entertaining.

Even Commissioner Moonbeam is a fan...

Trump started building courses using some of the game's best architects. Then in 2008 when the market crashed, he started buying up existing golf properties and rebuilding them.

"I've always liked to say I'm a plus 10 (handicap) at building," Trump says.

He says he has no plans to expand his golf portfolio unless the right deal comes along. Such as the 800-acre Doral resort, which he snapped up out of bankruptcy in 2012 for $150 million. Trump pumped $250 million into a tired-looking resort in need of restoration, refurbishing the 643 guest rooms, updating a 48,000-square-foot spa and rebuilding and touching up 90 holes of golf, including the 18 of the famed Blue Monster course the PGA Tour stars will tackle this week.

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem says Trump is leaving a lasting mark on the sport.

"He has found a successful formula in purchasing wonderful properties like Trump National Doral Miami and then teaming with respected designers like Gil Hanse to bring these courses to their true potential," Finchem says.

The Donald: Golf Should Be Aspirational, For The Successful

The November Golf Digest will feature an interview (highlights here) with the uber-exposed Donald Trump as part of its "disruptors" feature and at least The Donald finally comes clean on his vision for golf: a rich man's game.

So much for those Scottish roots where the game started as very much a working man's pursuit back when they were whapping pebbles around.

On where grow-the-game efforts are flawed: "I would make golf aspirational, instead of trying to bring everybody into golf, people that are never going to be able to be there anyway. You know, they're working so hard to make golf, as they say, a game of the people. And I think golf should be a game that people want to aspire to through success."

Of course this means we have to use The Donald's definition of success, which might include wearing gold chains that would be the envy of Sammy Davis Jr., owning some hot red $500 driving moccasins and owning at least one jacket with a bold gold crest. Take that millennials!