Trump National Golf Club, Los Angeles

History

The Ocean Trails Golf Club was part of a 150 acre property owned by developer Edward Zuckerman and a partner. Prior to the Zuckerman purchase, the property was used as a farm. The golf course is on the Palos Verdes Peninsula known for its landslides. The height of the peninsula of 370 m above sea level and the action of the waves are two main contributing factors for the landslides. The stratification of the sedimentary rock below the course is visible in the high cliffs of the area as it gradually slopes seaward. The sloping and stratification create favorable conditions for the generation of landslides. As a result, homes and roads have been lost to the ocean in that area. In the area occupied by the golf course and its vicinity, there are three ancient landslides which have been named by geologists as A, B and C respectively. The green of the Ocean Trails golf course 18th hole and half of its fairway were on top of ancient landslide C.

On June 2, 1999, the 10-year, $126 million construction project on the Ocean Trails golf course was almost complete and close to its scheduled opening when a landslide unexpectedly occurred, caused by the sudden reactivation of ancient landslide C, and 980 ft of the 18th hole fairway disappeared under the ocean when a fissure parallel to the cliff appeared and subsequently collapsed. A 705 ft long island was created due to the landslide, temporarily trapping a local resident. The landslide caused most of the 496 yard par 4 18th hole to slide 50 ft toward the ocean, including the fairway and green.

Also due to the slide, bike paths, walking paths, the edge of the bluffs and a segment of an LA County sewer line disappeared. It is believed that fluid discharge from the sewer line, probably leaking before the slide, acted as a lubricant on the thin underlying layer of bentonite, which became saturated with liquid sewage in turn, and this acted as a facilitator for the stratified geological accumulations to slide relative to each other. Bentonite, a form of clay, exhibits a low frictional coefficient when wet, i.e. it becomes slippery. The golf course opened with only 15 holes because of the landslide.

The landslide caused the Ocean Trails Golf Course construction project to go into bankruptcy. Covered by insurance funds, a massive geotechnical project was launched to reconstruct the 18th hole using 1250000 cuyd of earth to fill it. The stabilization work and the slide caused cosmetic damage to the course. At the time, golf course historian Geoff Shackelford said that at the then projected cost of repair of more than $20 million, the 18th hole would have been "the most expensive single hole in history".

After three years, legal issues between the involved banks and developers caused the geological stabilization work to stop. In 2002, Donald Trump stepped in and bought the 300 acre property, including the golf course, with the intention of finalizing construction and repairs by the summer of 2003. On January 20, 2006, the 18-hole Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles opened in Rancho Palos Verdes. The reinforcement fill designed to stabilize the area affected by the slide is located under holes 17 and 18. During the massive geological stabilization process the golf course was open for business.

The geological stabilization process was based on a geotechnical design involving the use of geosynthetic materials designed to enhance the cohesion and strength of the landslide fill. Asked about the safety of the work, Trump said: "If I'm ever in California for an earthquake, this is where I want to be standing".

In 2008, Trump sued the city of Rancho Palos Verdes for $100 million, alleging that the city did not allow him to make the improvements needed to maintain the "Trump image." The lawsuit was settled in 2012 for undisclosed terms.

In 2015, Trump announced he would forgo his plans to build homes on 16 additional lots and granted an 11.5-acre conservation easement to the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy. The same year, the course was scheduled to host the PGA Grand Slam of Golf. However, the tournament was cancelled by the PGA supposedly based on Trump's comments about illegal immigrants. A few sport teams and charities sought to move their charity-golf tournaments to other venues based on politics.

Media

• The Trump National Los Angeles was the setting for the filming of Golf Channel's The Big Break VI: Trump National.
• In the 2008 film Step Brothers, the course was used for the "Catalina Wine Mixer" scenes, doubling as Catalina Island.
• In the 2014 film Horrible Bosses 2, the 'cancel the order' scene was filmed at the golf course.
• The Modern Family 2014 episode "The Wedding (Part 2)" was filmed at the golf course.
• In 2016, it was the filming location for and the subject of the Adult Swim special The Adult Swim Golf Classic which depicted Trump National Los Angeles hosting a golf tournament in 1966 sponsored by the fictional cigarette company Portnoy 100s.

Scorecard

References

References

1. "33rd PGA Grand Slam of Golf to be Hosted by Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles". PGA of America.
2. (September 3, 2015). "PGA can't find replacement course, cancels Grand Slam of Golf". ESPN.
3. (2019-04-05). "Trump dinner comes at a pivotal time for Rancho Palos Verdes golf club".
4. "Horrible Bosses 2 Filming Locations | filming.90210locations.info".
5. ""Modern Family" the Wedding, Part 2 (TV Episode 2014)".
6. [https://www.adultswim.com/videos/specials/the-adult-swim-golf-classic The Adult Swim Golf Classic] (Retrieved from the adultswim.com website on 09 June)
7. "Ocean Trails Landslides - Peer Review Panel for Landslide Mitigation at the Ocean Trails Golf Course - Rancho Palos Verdes, California". Earth Consultants International.
8. Pipkin, Bernard W.. (August 2012). "Geology and the Environment". Cengage Learning.
9. Sack, Rich. (2005). "Golfing atop a landslide. A signature hole is born at Trump National Golf". GFR Magazine, Volume 23, No. 6, reprinted by permission of Industrial Fabrics Association International.
10. "Trump National Golf Club, Los Angeles". Golf.com.
11. (2024-09-13). "Rancho Palos Verdes is known for landslides. It’s also home to Trump’s golf course". Los Angeles Times.
12. Wallace, John. (2005). "The Ocean Trails Landslide: Defining safe zones along high coastal bluffs, Rancho Palos Verdes, California". Geological Society of America.
13. Foley, Stephen. (December 22, 2008). "Another round of trouble as Trump sues for $100m". The Independent UK.
14. Kim, Victoria. (December 20, 2008). "Trump sues city for $100 million". LA Times.
15. "Destination: Santa Monica". PGA Tour.
16. "Trump National Los Angeles FAQ".
17. Holland, David R., Senior Writer. (April 29, 2010). "Brash, bold and built by a billionaire: Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles". NBC.
18. (2008). "Trump Never Give Up: How I Turned My Biggest Challenges Into Success". John Wiley & Sons.
19. Sailer, Steve. (June 12, 2001). "A Golf Course 30 Years in the Making: Golf, the Environment, and Politics". UPI International.
20. "Trump National Golf Club". worldgolf.com.
21. (2017-09-06). "Rancho Palos Verdes, Trump settle differences, including $100M lawsuit". Daily Breeze.
22. Maddaus, Gene. (June 9, 2016). "Donald Trump's California Golf Course Valued Far Lower Than He Said". [[Variety (magazine).