Trump at Doonbeg: A Presidential Backdrop for Golf’s Complicated Future

Here’s what struck me when I read that Donald Trump is “likely” to attend the Amgen Irish Open at his Doonbeg course in September: we’re not really talking about golf anymore, are we?

Look, I’ve been covering this tour since before most of you reading this were born. I’ve watched the Irish Open evolve from a solid mid-tier European event into something genuinely special—a tournament with real prestige, real crowds, and real competitive depth. Rory McIlroy winning his second title last year at The K Club in a playoff? That’s the kind of drama that reminds you why we love this game. Shane Lowry, Padraig Harrington, Tom McKibbin—these are magnetic storylines for an Irish gallery that knows golf.

But when a managing director of a golf resort starts publicly discussing whether the sitting President of the United States might show up, and when the DP World Tour’s senior championship manager is already strategizing about “cordons” and security perimeters, we’re operating in a different universe than we were even five years ago.

The Trump Effect on Professional Golf

Let me be clear: this isn’t a condemnation. It’s an observation from someone who’s watched the golf business evolve in real time. According to Joe Russell’s comments to the Irish Independent, Eric Trump is confirmed to attend, but the President himself is merely “earmarked” at this point. As Russell put it:

“It is likely at the moment, President Trump will attend. It’s not confirmed. Eric (Trump) will attend, so there will be a security presence leading up to the Open, but the size and scale of that will really depend on which Trump is coming, but at the moment the President is earmarked to come.”

What interests me professionally is the transparency here—and the implicit acknowledgment that Trump’s presence fundamentally changes the nature of a sporting event. In my three decades covering professional golf, I’ve seen presidents attend tournaments before. But I’ve never seen the size and scope of security explicitly tied to which family member shows up, as if we’re calibrating the experience based on VIP attendance.

The DP World Tour’s Chris Upson put it diplomatically:

“In terms of local access, I think it’s important to say that we need to understand the impact of potential VIPs – which member of the Trump family will visit. We are working with the local authorities in terms of what a cordon might look like.”

Translation: we’re building contingency plans for a scenario that hasn’t been fully confirmed yet.

Trump Courses Are Becoming Tour Staples

What’s undeniable is the trend. Trump courses are now integrated into professional golf’s calendar in ways that seemed impossible a decade ago. We’ve got two LIV Golf events being held at Trump properties, and the PGA Tour is returning to Trump Doral later this year. Doonbeg, a stunning links layout that ranks 48th in Golf Monthly’s Top 100 Courses of UK & Ireland, is now hosting a DP World Tour event.

In my experience, the golf business follows money and visibility—not necessarily in that order. Trump brings both. The man shows up at major tournaments. He’s shown at Ryder Cups. He’s visible and engaged with the sport in ways that few political figures are. You might like that or dislike it, but dismissing it as irrelevant to professional golf’s evolution would be naive.

Having caddied for Tom Lehman back in the ’90s, I watched the tour become increasingly professionalized, commercialized, and interconnected with broader business interests. What we’re seeing now—the proliferation of Trump courses on professional schedules—is just the latest chapter in that story.

The Positive: The Irish Open Is Thriving

But here’s what matters most to me as someone who genuinely loves this game: the Irish Open itself is in excellent health. McIlroy’s defending his title. Jon Rahm, the two-time champion who won at nearby Lahinch in 2019, has already expressed interest in returning. The spectator experience at Doonbeg—a truly world-class links course in one of Ireland’s most beautiful regions—should be exceptional regardless of whether Trump attends.

Bumper crowds have been showing up to the Irish Open consistently in recent years. That’s because the tournament has earned credibility. The field is strong. The venue is worthy. The storylines are compelling. Those fundamentals don’t change based on VIP attendance.

The Real Question

What strikes me is this: will Doonbeg—and by extension, the Amgen Irish Open—be remembered as a great golf tournament, or as the event where the President maybe showed up?

If McIlroy plays brilliantly and defends his title in thrilling fashion, if Lowry mounts a genuine challenge on his home course, if some young Irish talent announces themselves on a European stage—that’s what should dominate the conversation. That’s the golf story.

The security protocols and the Trump family schedule? That’s just logistics. Important logistics, certainly, but logistics nonetheless.

September will tell us whether Doonbeg is remembered as a venue that hosted presidential pageantry, or as the stage for legitimate professional golf drama. My money is on the latter—but only if the golf is good enough to steal the headlines back.