For those apprentice fans, Donald just claimed that the Trump National Golf Club in Southern California would be one of the "world's great golf courses" when complete.  Even rising above the lauded Pebble Beach.  
For anyone familiar with the site, is there truth to this statement, or is this typical Trump propaganda?

Jeff

There was an article on the collapse of the 18th hole at the then Ocean Trails GC, designed by Pete Dye, in the Oct. 26, 2001 Golf World. The collapse occured in June of 1999, and is rumoured to have been caused by a leaky sewer which led to the fairway sliding on an inches thick layer of bentonite within the soil. Overall, the repairs were projected to cost $20 million and 2 million cubic yards of earth was to be moved.

Tyler Kearns

Actually, he said something about the project costing $200-million, making it the most expensive course built in the world. Not sure what that was about -- maybe the land cost him $200-million to build. Certainly it didn't cost that simply to build one hole....

Course does look pretty neat -- though I'm sure The Donald will find a way to put in some fake waterfalls and other ostentatious frills.

Robert

Wayne, and of course The Great One hit on it pretty good here. Bob, I'm still mesmerized by your knowledge of the english vocabulary!

I would say the closest that The Donald could come to making the place even mentioned in the same sentence as PB would be to tear it all down including all of the houses and trailer park thats sits just due South at the former site of Billy Bell's The Royal Palms/San Pedro Golf & Country Club/St. Andrews By-the-Sea.

Now that would be something that could be impressive! (and of course impossible!)

So this is a public course? Why not private like Trump NY and FL?

Does it have a website by chance?

Evan

Ryan-

Thanks for that info.

That makes sense that he would be forced to keep it private- The CA coastal commission is very strong on those kind of issues. I remember when there was an attempt in the early 90's to privatize Pebble Beach by the Japanese owners that it was killed by the Coastal Commission.

Evan

Better than Pebble?  Nope.

Top 10 Public Access Course in Southern California?  Nope.  

Mr. Trump apparently hasn't heard that if you want to build a world class course it helps to have a world class site.  While Ocean Trails' site has nice views, it is a bad site for golf.  Steep slope down toward the ocean, with most of the fairways terraced back and forth across the hill.  Mounding in between the fairways to protect the golfers adjacent and below.  

I was talking to TommyN about Trump (amongst other things) yesterday. Trump has a carefully constructed modus operandi and caricature image that's an interesting cross between Toynbee's remark (I think);

"No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public"

and,

PT Barnum's quote (I think);

"A sucker is born every minute".

Trump did say that "Trump National" course in LA was going to be the most expensive course in history ($200 mil).

However, for both historical interest and comparison we should note that other great course promoter of his day, C.B. Macdonald (who really did have taste), was not averse to bragging about what his golf courses cost, including Mid Ocean, Yale ($450,000) and particularly Lido ($750,000-$800,000). The latter in its day was probably perceived to be as expensive as Trump National LA in our day.

Bob Huntley:

Donald Trump's hair, I'm also convinced, has to be a carefully thought out caricature too----it's just so bad I think it actually works to get the effect he's probably looking for. It'd be virtually impossible, in my opinion, for anyone on Earth to be serious with a haircut like that!  

The Donald claims his course will be better than Pebble Beach.
Then he hires a cat that wore two golf gloves while acting like the Mad TV UPS driver.
Man was I laughing. BUT we were all watching weren't we??

From what's been posted here, the comment wasn't surprising at all.  Pretty funny really.  I quite like the bloke.  

A GCAer has a good story about caddying for Trump at Winged Foot and misclubbing him...where are you Mark?

On the final episode of the Apprentice last night, the "winner" got his choice of jobs, either the General Manager at Trump National Golf Course or the construction of the Trump International Hotel in Chicago ... and he chose building the hotel ...

I was wondering how long it would take to get a thread going about this!! I was laughing to myself last night when they were showing gratutious shots of the waterfalls!!
I said to my fiance: "Oh I bet this will get the web site guys going tomorrow."  
As far as better than pebble, I haven't been there so I can't comment.  Give me Half Moon Bay anytime!!  

It was telling about Bill, the winner, that he chose to stay in Chitown. Similar to Moses and the hot coal. If Bill had chosen the golf/residential gig, it would've showed an interest in the "flash". The lure of that California project was great, but if Bill knew anything about ocean trails, he likely knew part of it fell into the ocean. A prospect most flatlanders would gladly never want to risk expereincing. By choosing the skyscraper it exhibited his desire to work, rather than schmooze and B.S.

On topic. I saw a few trees that looked like goal posts on TN.

And, to a person, if you owned a golf course, wouldn't that be alot better golf course, than the ones you don't own?