Golf's alpha family

DORAL, Fla. -- Everything at Trump National Doral says Donald Trump. Even the water bottles have his picture on them.

There’s also the helipad next to the ninth tee of the Blue Monster course -- because why deal with I-95 traffic and an 80-mile commute when you don’t have to -- and fountains. Lots of fountains.

But how Trump National Doral came to its current pristine state involves much more than the family patriarch. His three children, Don (37), Ivanka (33) and Eric (31), all have been heavily involved in the acquisition of and Miami makeover given to the 650-acre property and four of its five golf courses.

The family’s connection to Doral runs deep; they used to vacation here during the resort’s heyday. But the property had grown tired in recent years.

Then came an opportunity to acquire it out of bankruptcy at the bargain-basement price of $150 million. It was a no-brainer. The land alone is worth about $1 billion, it’s close to the airport and about 30 minutes from South Beach. Plus, its ties to the PGA TOUR run deep, having hosted an event since 1962, including this week’s World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship.

Ivanka, who along with her role within the Trump organization runs her own fashion company that includes lines of jewelry, handbags, footwear, apparel and a fragrance, spearheaded the deal. The Trumps then poured another $250 million into the renovation.

“It was an incredibly competitive process,” she says. “At the end of the day we’re closers. Another group was willing to pay a lot of money (for Doral), but they couldn’t close.”

Once Trump did, each family member had their role. Ivanka focused on the interior and design elements, Eric the golf side and Don the hotel and its operations.

Donald, of course, had his part, too.

During the past 15 years, his passion for golf led to his immersion in the game, acquiring a number of properties around the world. “It gave him an excuse to play more,” his son Don jokes. “It has been something of a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

It has been something else, too.

“What he’s been doing is terrific for the game,” Jack Nicklaus says. “He brought a new life during a time when the game was struggling.”

Ivanka Trump congratulates Patrick Reed after his victory in 2014. (Stan Badz/PGA TOUR)

Trump has been the public face of Trump National Doral, and he picked every photo hanging in each of the resort’s villas, all named after players such as Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Tiger Woods. Naturally, Nicklaus’ villa is the largest with 172 guest rooms and suites, all designed by Ivanka.

“We really wanted to bring everything to the highest level and set a new precedent,” says The Donald.

Ivanka is a “natural-born dealmaker,” her father adds, and has grown into her own as a builder and manager (she was also at the forefront of the Trump’s renovation of the iconic Old Post Office Pavilion in Washington D.C.).

She is as competitive as her father, but far less brash. She admits to not agreeing with everything he says or does. To Donald’s credit, though, he gives her and the rest of his kids plenty of autonomy.

“Bringing a perspective of a different generation and in my case a different gender complements (the business) really beautifully,” Ivanka says.

Her brother Don puts it another way: “Four alpha personalities, that’s part of the fun.”

Ivanka does bring something unique to the environment -- a style and elegance in a world often known for its brawn. There’s a lightness and grace to the way she carries herself.

There’s an athleticism, too. Her mother Ivana was a member of the Czech national ski team and Ivanka played tennis and swam competitively as a child.

She also dipped her toe in modeling as a teen but decided not to go the socialite route. She attended Georgetown for two years before transferring to her father’s alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.

Ivanka did get a job offer from Vogue’s Anna Wintour after graduating but turned it down to go into real estate -- but not to work for Donald. After Penn, she cut her teeth working for real estate mogul Bruce Ratner at Forest City Enterprises for a year before joining the family business.

In 2009, she married Jared Kushner, owner and CEO of Kushner Companies and publisher of the New York Observer. Two years later, they had a daughter, Arabella.

Balancing her career and motherhood doesn’t leave a lot of time for golf, but she has gotten more into the game in recent years.

She is a high-handicapper but has natural ability with the driver and says she’s a good putter, too. She and her husband sneak off to Trump National Bedminster in New Jersey (site of the 2022 PGA Championship) on summer weekends as often as possible. On a visit last year to Ireland and Scotland, she played 18 holes a day for eight straight days.

“You think of all the incredible properties we have and to spend all this time on them, to not be that good is painful for me,” she laughs. “But I lived out on the course (on that trip). They were looking for me at sunset.”

She also likes other opportunities golf affords, particularly the ability to give back.

Her brother Eric’s charity has donated and pledged more than $28 million to St. Jude’s Research Hospital, while the Cadillac Championship raises funds for such charities as the Florida Heart Research Institute and The Wellness Community. There’s also a concert with Carlos Santana, along with a Dolce & Gabbana fashion show at this year’s tournament that will raise money for charity. 

“Golf has raised more money for charities than most people realize,” she says. “To be able to be a part of that is incredible.”

All of it creates an opportunity for Ivanka, along with the rest of her family, to continue to leave a mark on the game.

“I’ve long heard my father talk about the value of golf for business,” she says. “You really learn about somebody when you see how they react on the course, particularly to challenging situations or something they don’t like, better than you can over lunch. It’s an interesting way to get to know someone.”

And increasingly a way to get to know the rest of the Trump family, too.