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Friday
Jul102015

USGA On Trump: "We're Evaluating" 

I'm just getting around to today's Trump reading and all signs point to the golf v. Donald matter not really subsiding.

Randall Mell on the USGA Thursday press conference at Lancaster CC during the U.S. Women's Open where Executive Director Mike Davis was asked about the controversial host of the 2017 U.S. Women's Open.

“I can’t speak for the other golf organizations, but I can for the USGA say that we have not wanted to get involved in politics, presidential politics, but at the same time we are about diversity, about inclusion, about growing the game,” USGA executive director Mike Davis said Thursday at the U.S. Women’s Open. “We are evaluating things, and at this point that’s all we can say.”

With Trump Bedminster just down the street from Golf House, there's no telling how much needs to be sorted out here. Oh, the joys of neighborship!

Bradley Klein considers the Trump golf brand and how the unraveling of golf v. Trump impacts the cache built up of late.

That brand is now two-fold: in the form of marketing and of a recognizable aesthetic. By putting his name on each of his 17 properties, he has unavoidably, and in fact quite systematically, created a unique mode of consumer identification with his product. No one else has done that in golf course development. Not in such personal terms.

And James Corrigan of The Telegraph warns that golf might want to be careful in cutting ties to Trump and opening up other worm cans.

But what should the R&A do about keeping Trump Turnberry on the Open roster?

My advice would be nothing. After all, Royal Troon may be having a review into their membership policy but next year’s Open venue still does not allow women to be members. Neither does Muirfield.

Meanwhile, many of the sponsors which keep the sport awash in greenbacks could hardly be said to be squeaky clean. Golf should stay away from the high ground for a while yet. Otherwise that tremendously infectious disease called hypocrisy could pour across its borders.

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Reader Comments (56)

@oneputt
Do you even know what the word racism means? Explain how his comments or my posts here are racist
07.10.2015 | Unregistered CommenterGolfin' Dolphin
@oneputt

Disagreeing with Trump doesn't make one a cuck. Being such a baby over a person giving their opinion on a political matter, crying hysterically that someone "do something" because the big bad man is mean, and generally getting worked up over something so trivial, makes one a cuck. Grown men being "offended" and unable to do anything or say anything because they are concerned about someone's feelings getting hurt.

If Trump is so ridiculous and inconsequential, why is he getting so much of everyone's attention, especially the people that hate him? He's not a politician and has no direct political power. So why are you worried about him and demanding golf groups stop doing business with him?
07.10.2015 | Unregistered CommenterGolfin' Dolphin
The O - if you are considering alternatives to joining Trump DC look into River Bend just a few miles from Trump - very under the radar excellent Keith Foster retro restoration of a 50+ year old course...
07.11.2015 | Unregistered CommenterJonathan
Of course the USGA is evaluating, for them to announce a decision the week prior to, or of, the women's open would either take away from or overshadow this years event. It wouldn't be fair to the players to have them answer questions about it (which the media would for sure ask) while they were preparing for or playing in the women's open. So the earliest any decision would likely be announced would be after this years women's open.
07.11.2015 | Unregistered CommenterSteve
@Golfin Dolphin

'So why are you worried about him and demanding golf groups stop doing business with him?' Simple. He's bad for the game. Tell me one good thing he's done for the game of golf.
07.11.2015 | Unregistered CommenterIan B
@ Ian. His political statements aside, he has done plenty for the game of golf in terms of construction of new courses and purchase on re-investment in existing courses. If he had just done Doral, that would be significant, but he has done significantly more than just Doral. In the last 10 years, it has to been Trump, Keyser, and Kohler at the top of the guys in the US actually adding and/or improving the courses in America. But of course, folks on this site think he should be building munis and charging $20 twi-light rates.
07.11.2015 | Unregistered CommenterBrianS
Mike Davis said Thursday at the U.S. Women’s Open. “We are evaluating things, and at this point that’s all we can say.” Yeah, he's evaluating how many illegal immigrants are employed by the USGA, golf courses across the USA, and landscaping companies doing work for the USGA, Mike Davis's personal properties, and any golf courses.
Hahaha ... Davis the gutless wonder he is , is evaluating how he keeps that gravy train job . He doesn't want to go back being David Fay's beeach , he kissed more tail than the last mule on a wagon train to get that pathetically overrated job .
07.11.2015 | Unregistered CommenterMac
Brians, please explain how Trump "is doing plenty for the game of golf" by his renovation at Doral? I'm being serious, just curious how it helps the game of golf in your opinion?
07.11.2015 | Unregistered Commenterol Harv
@BrianS. Buying courses, re-branding them, making them even more elite and charging 400 bucks plus to play is definitely not helping golf.
07.11.2015 | Unregistered CommenterIanB
If Trump is so bad for golf, why are there even relationships to "evaluate" in the first place? I didn't hear calls for this re-evaluation to take place until he made political comments.

You cite Doral and other trump properties as being bad for golf. The same could be said about many Nicklaus, Fazio, Etc. housing community designs? Lots of overpriced worthless garbage that wasted a ton of money and is expensive to maintain. When are you going to lead the charge to kick them out of the game?
07.11.2015 | Unregistered CommenterGolfin' Dolphin
for some time I've been trying to figure out the USGA/Mike Davis bashing and negative commentary, not just in this thread, but on this site entirely. why go so negative? is there some underlying jealousy? or is it just plain stupidity? are those making the negative comments enemies of the USGA/Davis, either personally or professionally? do these folks have any idea what's involved with what the USGA/Davis even do?
07.12.2015 | Unregistered CommenterPlay It Forward
"If Trump is so bad for golf, why are there even relationships to "evaluate" in the first place? I didn't hear calls for this re-evaluation to take place until he made political comments."

GD, you're providing a perfect example of why people cannot have a civil discussion in matters like this. You just posted something saying that I posted something which I didn't. Where did I say Trump was "bad" for golf? I just asked BrianS to explain how Trump buying Doral was so good for golf. I'm really interested to hear how that helps the game of golf? Big difference. My wife has similar tactics when we argue and it's just really childish to put words in people's mouth like that.
07.12.2015 | Unregistered Commenterol Harv
Criticizing Illegal immigration in all its forms and expressing a love and respect for the Mexican people are not mutally exclusive ...

in fact, treating it as mutually exclusive is a total slam on law abiding Mexicans and legal Mexican-Americans.

It is an upside down world when media and so-called leaders cannot or refuse to recognize this - Trump does.
07.12.2015 | Unregistered CommenterJohn C
Mr. Donald Trump is primarily focused on developing high-end golf courses, just as he is primarily focused on high-end real estate (although his father's slum-lord properties contributed to the family fortune). His golf developments only impact one segment of golf, and not ALL of golf. So, a basic litmus test to determine if Trump is "good for golf" or "bad for golf", would be the answer to a simple question. Are Doral and the other courses he purchased better now or better before Trump purchased them?
07.12.2015 | Unregistered Commenterrightward rough
@Harv

You're correct, except your point applies to you and not me. I wasn't replying to you.

So now you've a perfect example of why we can't have a civil discussion. You just posted something saying that I said something that I didn't say. It really is childish to do that.
07.13.2015 | Unregistered CommenterGolfin' Dolphin
@golfin dolphin

My original comment explains what calling the other commenters cucks means and how that is racist. I don't think it could be any clearer. Funny how you lob hand grenades and complain about a lack of civil discourse.

Trump is getting attention because the media is built on sensationalism. Reality TV crossed with poor journalism. Why else would Kim Kardashian ever be in the news?
07.13.2015 | Unregistered CommenterOneputtforpar

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