Doral Revenue Falls $41.1 Million In One Year

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Harvested from President Donald Trump's asset disclosure, Trump Doral has shown a massive revenue decline from 2016 to 2017. 

Without a PGA Tour event and other lost business, this is a pretty steep decline:

The statement, released Wednesday by the Office of Government Ethics, show how much his properties, golf clubs and businesses earned last year. The highest-grossing Trump property was the Trump National Doral Golf Club at 4400 Northwest 87th Avenue with $74.7 million in 2017, according to Business Insider. While it raked in the most cash last year, the Doral resort also experienced the biggest dip in revenue compared to the previous year’s $115.8 million.

WaPo On Trump's Move To Cash Acquisitions: $240 Million "In The Hole So Far" For Doonbeg, Turnberry

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 Jonathan O'Connell, David A. Fahrenthold and Jack Gillum take a close look at the Trump Organization's shift from loans to cash or mostly-cash purchases in recent years. 

The President's company has infused way more of his own money into golf than he has with is past real estate ventures. The Trump Organization did not dispute the figures listed in the story.

Of most note were the figures associated with Trump International Aberdeen ($62.5 million to date), Doonbeg and Turnberry.

He began buying up land near Aberdeen, on Scotland’s North Sea coast. Trump ultimately paid $12.6 million for the property. He’s spent at least $50 million more to build a golf course there, which was wrapped up in land-use fights and didn’t open until 2012.

In 2014, he shelled out $79.7 million for the huge golf resorts in Doonbeg, Ireland, and Turnberry, Scotland — both of which were losing money at the time. 

The Trump Organization pursued pricey renovations of both courses, during which time the properties have continued to suffer losses. Under Trump, the two courses are at least $240 million in the hole so far, according to British and Irish corporate records. 

While the story is obviously focused on the shift in philosophy, the expenditures at Turnberry involved an aging luxury hotel that is obviously far more expensive to renovate than the two golf courses there, both remodeled in stellar fashion by Martin Ebert.

R.I.P.: Presidential Seal Tee Plates

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Katherine Sullivan of ProPublica follows up on an initial report of presidential seal tee markers ordered by "Trump International" in likely violation of federal law, with the club now saying the markers have been removed from the ground where they were installed. 

The Palm Beach club said they were a gift from members.

In a statement Tuesday morning, a spokesman for the company said, “The plaques were presented to the club by a small group of members, who are incredible fans of the President, in honor of Presidents day [sic] weekend. They were temporary and have since been removed.”
As our story noted, an order form for the markers lists them as being bought by “Trump International.”

 A post on Sunday, since removed, showed how the Presidents Day weekend commemorative appeared.

"America is being governed by a country-club bore, backed up by other members of the club"

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Michael Goldfarb is the host of the First Rough Draft of History podcast and says he's seen enough of country club life to know that we're watching the country clubization of the United States government. Judging by the number of people and variety of political persuasions of those who sent me this link, Goldfarb's premise scored points.

After all, if you've seen the club world in any form, it's not a leap to consider Goldfarb's premise in this New York Times op-ed:

This country club mind-set is not unique to the United States. All over the world there are clubs with people whose wealth (it doesn’t have to be extreme wealth) buys them extra access to government. Indeed, their businesses require that access to make sure they get government contracts to build office buildings and hospitals or simply pave a local road.

When the country-club class gets directly involved in politics, a country is on a shortcut to disaster.

Equating President Trump to the guy at the club bar with an opinion on about everything, here's a view of the golf club world that could do lasting damage to the game's image.

Those who want to resist Mr. Trump should accept that America is being governed by a country-club bore, backed up by other members of the club — a class that doesn’t worry that it will suffer if he makes a mistake.

President Trump Tees It Up With Tiger, DJ And Someone Else

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Oh how quickly they forget!

Having 280 characters at his disposal still didn't encourage the President to get a mention in of the fourth today:

Brad Faron!:

The President is a Taylor Made man!

We did get some Tiger swing video too...

Bloomberg: Golf Course Deduction Currently Safe But Facing Increased Scrutiny In Trump Era

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As Republican tax reformers are eliminating many write-offs, the current House version of a new tax bill currently includes the long-controversial deductions for golf course owners promising never to develop their land. While the "loophole" has come close to being closed, it's getting new attention with President Donald Trump's ownership of golf courses using the deduction in ways that contradict the spirit of the law.

Dan Wilchins and Prashant Gopal, reporting for Bloomberg, present a balanced picture, including the important counterpoint to arguments for eliminating the deduction and the relatively small amount of revenue that would be generated by closing the loophole.

In some cases, the tax benefit can make sense. There are communities where golf courses are some of the only open space available. Without the easements, an owner might be tempted to sell out to the highest bidder, which might develop housing on the space, said Sylvia Bates, director of standards and educational services at the Land Trust Alliance, a conservation group.

But in practice, the deductions that land owners take for golf courses are enormous compared with the conservation value, said Ruth Madrigal, a tax lawyer who worked on conservation easements for the U.S. Treasury department during the Obama administration. A developer can build homes and a nearby golf course, get a conservation easement on the links and claim a deduction that can pay for the entire development, she said.

Page Six: Some Winged Foot Members Want Trump Presidential Portrait Erected

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Emily Smith of the New York Posts says some Republican members of Winged Foot are lobbying for a portrait of the President to be erected in the Clifford Wendehack-designed clubhouse.

Smith says there is opposition, including "senior club management".

The insider continued, “It seems the leaders of Winged Foot do not want to rock the boat and politicize the club, given that the US Open will be at Winged Foot in 2020.”

The President's locker at the club where he's been a member since 1969, no longer has his name on it.

“Each member has a locker with their name on it, but Mr. Trump’s name has been mysteriously taken down. Some members are outraged because there seems to be no justification, apart from, perhaps, too many people were trying to take selfies at Trump’s locker, or they simply don’t want to advertise his membership.”

Too late now!

Someone Posts A 68 To President Trump's GHIN Account

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Given the circumstances--a Tuesday, a course rating of 66.1 and the unlikelihood our President posting a score these days even as he tees it up regularly--I'm guessing we'll find out this was a breach of Donald Trump's handicap. Shocking, I know!

Nonetheless, Golf.com's Dylan Dethier has tried to piece together the oddities of the posting, including this:

The round of 68 is listed as an "away" round, suggesting it wasn't played at one of the president's home courses. The course rating is also oddly low: 66.1, a far cry from the ratings and tee boxes Trump normally favors, which range from the low- to mid-70s.

As is often the case with President Trump, the story raises far more questions than answers. Where and when was this round of 68 played? Why did he choose to post this score, and no others since June of 2016?

Politico: "Trump finds golf isn't the way to Congress' heart"

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As President Donald Trump prepares to embark on an 11-day trip through Asia scheduled to include golf with Prime Minister Abe and Hideki Matsuyama, Darren Samuelson considers how the game is helping his relationship with Congress.

Schedules, it seems, are not leading to golf games that include talk of business, Samuelson writes.

Sen. David Perdue, a Georgia Republican ranked by Golf Digest last year as the best golfer among members of Congress, said he had just discussed playing 18 holes with Trump when the president visited the Capitol for a GOP luncheon earlier this week.

“I’ve been invited for sure,” Perdue said. But Perdue said that finding a date in recent weeks has been challenging because of his commitments back in Georgia.

While Perdue said he expects to talk political shop when he does finally play golf with Trump, he also expects the round to be heavy on the social side.

“I’m not sure he’s using it as a tool,” Perdue said. “It’s a personal thing to do. This man has friends and uses it that way. He uses it to get relaxation. He uses it to think.

A Sunday game with with three legislators was rained out, which would have been his 79th day at one of his golf properties since becoming President.