(Thanks, USA Today.)

By the way, I’m back from Jackson Hole where I enjoyed some golf myself at Jackson Hole G&TC. I wouldn’t put it on a top ten list, but it was fun and it’s nice to play golf in warm air with snow capped mountains in the background.

• Golf Courses in Jacksonville, Destin, Daytona, Pensacola, Northeast FL
• Golf Courses in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Southeastern Texas
• Golf Courses in Eastern Rockies, Denver, Colorado Springs, Boulder
• Golf Courses in Hawaiian Islands of Maui, Molokai and Lanai
• Golf Courses in San Francisco Bay Area, Carmel, Napa Valley, CA
• Golf Courses in Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, SC, Atlanta, Savannah, GA
• Golf Courses in Hilo, Kona, Waikoloa, Kohala on the Big Island of Hawaii
• Maybe Vegas isn’t for everyone…

Resort Overview

The beautifully appointed rooms and suites at The Regent Palms feature a hand-tufted king bedding for ulitmate luxury and comfort. In addition suites include a complete wet bar, safe, high-speed cable internet and cable television. Daily Butler service is available at an additional charge.

The Regent Palms signature dining experience at Parallel23 features Tropical Fusion cuisine in a setting of casual elegance and features an extensive wine list of boutique wines from around the world.

At the Regent Palms, we strive daily to make our guests feel at ease. As part of that commitment, we offer a range of amenities to make your .stay as comfortable as possible. The Palms Spa provides full-treatments in private cabanas, or relax on the beach or at the pool restaurant and bar.

Whether your meeting is for 15 or 150 people, The Regent Palms staff will coordinate every detail, from business services and entertainment, to set-up and catering making it an event to remember. Rest assured if it is a wedding or special ocassion you are planning, The Regent Palms will provide the details and services to please and delight you and your guests.

The Regent Palms Hotel is located at the center of world-renowned Grace Bay Beach. The property is ideally situated for access to Providenciales Airport, an 18-hole golf course, marina and several shopping areas.

Weddings and/or Honeymoons

Sugar-sand beaches, exquisite architecture, manicured gardens and unique water features create the perfect backdrop for a romantic and elegant wedding you will remember forever. The Regent Palms Turks and Caicos provides exceptional gourmet dining, undeniably gorgeous locations and customized details to make your wedding a dream come true. Say your vows barefoot on the white sand of Grace Bay Beach or indoors in the dramatic Messel Ballroom. Working alongside with you or your dedicated wedding coordinator, we will ensure every detail is polished and flawless, from setup and catering to floral design and decoration. Our professional staff, superior catering options and breathtaking backdrops invite you to experience the wedding you've always imagined.

Whether it's a memorable meal on our beachside wooden deck, beside the legendary infinity pool overlooking Grace Bay Beach, a leisurely Caribbean-inspired dinner under the stars or an impressive reception in our elegant Barbadian Coral Stone Ballroom, The Regent Palms is the perfect venue for those seeking a seamless wedding event.

The Regent Palms serves a delectable tropical fusion of fresh ingredients for the most discerning of tastes. We can tailor-make personalized menu choices for your special day. Alternatively, our Executive Chef is more than happy to create a unique dining experience for you and your guests.

• Ceremony Locations
• Reception Locations
• Linens and Furniture
• Music and Entertainment
• The Spa Services
• Marriage Officiate
• Weather Calls
• Room Delivery Charges
• Location Fees
• Miscellaneous Charges
• Service Standards
• For further information FriendsTravel@earthlink.net
  

• Experience the essence of the Caribbean and say your vows on the sugar-sand shores with a Beach Ceremony.
• Avoid sandy feet but be just a few steps away from the beach! Our Lower Pool Deck is the perfect location for a 'beach-feeling' ceremony.
• Another option is the Croquet Lawn, enabling guests to say " I do" beside our Spa building.
• Indoor ceremonies can be held in the Messel Ballroom, our Barbadian Coral Stone Ballroom.

Reception Locations

Depending on the size of your wedding we have different options to accommodate your wedding reception.

The elegant Messel Ballroom can accommodate up to 100 guests and can be divided into two rooms to host smaller wedding parties of up to 50 persons.

A unique feature of the Messel Ballroom is its outdoor balcony, which wraps around the Ballroom area and has views over the beautifully landscaped courtyard. The balcony is a popular spot for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres or for a private dinner for up to 60 persons.

Experience your reception dinner under the stars on our beachside wooden deck, beside the legendary infinity pool at The Regent Palms, where groups of 30 to 100 can be accommodated.

Our Croquet Lawn is an ideal location for sunset cocktails as well as wedding ceremonies.

Linens and Furniture

The Regent Palms offers a selection of complimentary linens. For guests requesting specialty linens, your Catering & Events Manager will be happy to assist you, however, there may be an additional charge.

For larger parties, we offer banqueting rounds that accommodate up to 10 guests comfortably with chiavari chairs and banqueting chairs with ivory colored chair covers.

Music and Entertainment

The Regent Palms has a wide selection of music available. Please ask your wedding coordinator for a list of recommended musicians.

The Spa Services

The Spa at The Palms offers Salon Services including Bridal Hair, Wedding Make-up, Manicures and Pedicures. We offer over 75 different treatments and advise that you schedule your appointments before arrival.

Marriage Officiate

A non-denominational pastor can be arranged through The Regent Palms to perform the ceremony.

Pastor's fees, processing of the Legal Documentation and mailing of Marriage License will be an additional charge of $650.

If you wish to be married by a clergy, you may write directly to the denomination of your choice. We cannot make arrangements for churches.

Weather Calls

For outdoor functions, forecasted weather conditions are always considered before the set-up of your event. If it is determined that the weather conditions will require the event to be moved indoors, the Resort Management will contact you in advance, at least 4 hours before schedule starting time. Possible alternate locations on the resort property will be discussed with you in the planning stages of your function.

Room Delivery Charges

Room gift deliveries for non-food items are $3.00 per room, food and beverage amenity deliveries are $3.00 per room plus 18% service charge.

Location Fees

Miscellaneous Charges

• Bartender $175.00 per bartender first 2 hours
• $75.00 every hour thereafter
• Dance Floor $150.00 set up and rental fee

Service Standards

• One server per 10 guests for dinner
• One bartender per 75 guests for hosted bars
• One bartender and one cashier per 100 guests for cash bars

JESS Kalinowsky will handle every detail of your travel reservations. First Class, Business Class, or Coach airfares from your home city to/from the Island. Resort accommodations reservations. And if you require Wedding and/or Honeymoon arrangements, we will see to that as well. ]]> http://localvideosdotnet.wordpress.com/2008/06/20/all-inclusive-majestic-world-vacations-saint-charles-il/ Fri, 20 Jun 2008 23:37:41 +0000 localvideosdotnet http://localvideosdotnet.wordpress.com/2008/06/20/all-inclusive-majestic-world-vacations-saint-charles-il/ Call Majestic World Vacations in Saint Charles, IL at (866) 239-3058.

Stay in any of Palace Resorts 5 star all-inclusive vacations resorts and be treated like royalty! If you're looking for fun and excitement or just want to get out of town, Palace Resorts is for you!

This week, he is branching out a bit farther – putting forth his list of the 10 Best Golf Resorts in the World. The fact that he has spent time at all of them just underscores that fact that he deserves the title, The Traveling Golfer.

Here are Jim’s selections:
Top 10 Golf Resorts in the World

1. Casa de Campo – La Romana, Dominican Republic
2. PGA West – Palm Springs, California
3. Pebble Beach – Carmel, California
4. Four Seasons Resort Hawaii – Lanai at Manele Bay, Hawaii
5. The Homestead – Hot Springs, Virginia
6. Pinehurst Resort – Pinehurst, North Carolina
7. Reynolds Plantation – Lake Oconee, Georgia
8. McKenna Resort – Maui, Hawaii
9. Sea Pines Plantation – Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
10. Innisbrook Resort -- Tarpon Springs, Florida

As always, your comments are welcome. Let us know, what is your favorite golf resort.

Yet, consider staying at Texas golf resorts when you come and visit. These resorts allow you to gain many benefits including the ability to truly enjoy the best golfing but also to take advantage of some of the very best dining, entertainment and lodging available as well.

Throughout this state, you'll find some of the highest quality golf resorts that are world class in what they provide to the golf lover that you are.

Read further about "How You Will Choose The Texas Golf Resorts"

Inside here you will find everything you need to know about Golf. This included Golf Cart & Accessories, Golf Clubs, Courses, Balls, Golf Shoes, Trips & vacations, Resorts, Tournaments, Rules, Training, and Golf Swing.

Read further about "Welcome To One Golf Courses!"

Not all fun. It's work...

South African golf legend Gary Player may not have designed The Pezula Championship Course at the Pezula Resort Hotel in Knysna, but he would have to delight in the resort's sweeping views of the Indian Ocean and Knysna Lagoon.  Bounded by the sea and indigenous forests, Pezula Resort Hotel & Spa offers a private haven for the golf enthusiast.  Imagine the cascading shot from the 13th tee falling 207 feet to the green below.  No need to take a mulligan on that swing.

It must be the latter. So many of my not wealthy friends have taken op Golf. And they love it. They are not very old so the thing about it's only ich retired people playing, isn't true. But why do they play? Is it to smell how the sweet life smells or do they really enjoy it?

They LOVE it! They are absolutely crazy about running around on a great big lawn with all their equipment, their never-before-used gloves and their shiny clubs. They say they like the fresh air and the accuracy of the game. "It's a lot harder than it looks"! Gee, really??? If it wasn't hard I suppose the PGA and Masters prizes would be a lot smaller...

I want to try it now and if I start golfing around, I'm sure everybody can/will. I'll buy the right socks, a cap and a V-neck shirt and I'll make sure to keep out of the sand traps.....Or stay there and have a picnic if I land in one....

The thing is that golf to me always will be a bit posh. But is that a bad thing? Isn't it okay that we mortals feel posh now and then?!

I've looked through the internet and I can strongly recommend this site for golf equipment and common golf knowledge.

http://www.Online-golf-shops.com

Trump the Golfer

Trump plays to a 5 handicap and has been a member of Winged Foot since he was in his 20s. As a student at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School in the late 1960s, he began playing at public courses such as Cobb's Creek in Philadelphia. His recent building boom has given him more of a taste for developing world-class courses than playing them.

"I've made a lot of money on the golf course, not from playing golf but from being on the course with people I made deals with," he says. "Golf is an amazing business tool. You can learn a lot about a person's personality."

Trump is all business when it comes to his real estate, casino or beauty pageant holdings.

But golf is "a labor of love," says Carolyn Kepcher, his former co-star on The Apprentice who split with her ex-boss in August after, among other things, helping to operate three of his courses, including Bedminster.

Money talks in pro sports. Trump ranked 94th in the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans last year, with an estimated net worth of $2.9 billion. (He disputes the magazine's figure, saying he's worth "much more than twice that number.")

Trump is also eying the British Open or Ryder Cup for his planned Trump International Golf Links in Scotland. The 36-hole resort is scheduled to open in 2008 on more than 1,000 acres of prime dunes land along the North Sea coast.

The History of the Trump Organization

Statistics:
http://www.trump.com/
http://www.trumpgolf.com/
Private Company
Founded: 1974
Employees: 15,000
Sales: $8.5 billion (2003)
NAIC: 531110 Lessors of Residential Buildings and Dwellings; 531120 Lessors of Nonresidential Buildings (Except Mini-warehouses); 53139 Other Activities Related to Real Estate; 23311 Land Subdivision and Land Development; 721110 Hotels (Except Casino Hotels) and Motels; 721120 Casino Hotels; 713210 Casinos (Except Casino Hotels); 713910 Golf Courses and Country Clubs; 713990 All Other Amusement and Recreation Industries

Company Perspectives:
Donald J. Trump established The Trump Organization in 1980 as the umbrella company for all of his real estate operations and corporate affiliates. In addition to the numerous luxury residential real estate developments in New York City, Mr. Trump's holdings include superior office buildings, hotels, casinos, golf courses, recreational facilities, a modeling and talent agency and an international beauty pageant organization. The quintessential businessman, Mr. Trump has always been committed to taking a personal and direct involvement in all aspects of his projects.

Key Dates:
1934: Fred Trump revives the Brooklyn housing business.
1947: Fred Trump begins work on the huge Shore Haven complex in Brooklyn.
1968: Donald Trump joins the family business.
1974: Donald becomes president of The Trump Organization.
1983: Trump Tower is completed in Manhattan.
1988: The Organization buys Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.
1990: The Trump empire temporarily collapses under $2 billion debt.
1995: The Trump casino business goes public.
2000: The Trump National Golf Course opens.
2003: Donald Trump inspires the creation of the 1st international golf club rental company:
International Golf Rental & Sales
2004: Donald Trump stars in the hit reality television show, "The Apprentice."

Company History:
The Trump Organization presides over the assets of the Trump family and serves as the umbrella for the many business interests of the flamboyant realtor Donald Trump. These assets consist of prime residential and commercial properties in New York City, including Trump Tower; the Trump International Hotel and Tower; the office building at 40 Wall Street in Manhattan; Trump World Tower, near the United Nations in New York; and other luxury residential real estate. Other Trump Organization assets include interests in a Florida resort, a skyscraper in Seoul, South Korea, a string of golf courses, and the Miss Universe Organization, which runs the Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss Universe beauty pageants. The Trump Organization also owns a 56 percent interest in the publicly traded company Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts, Inc. This company owns and manages three casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey, as well as several other gaming establishments. Donald Trump established a high-profile business empire in the 1980s that almost collapsed under a mountain of debt during the 1990-91 recession. Although forced to divest himself of some properties, he remained an important presence in Manhattan real estate development. The star of a popular television reality show, "The Apprentice," in 2004, and author of hit business books, including The Art of the Deal and How to Get Rich, Donald Trump's public persona was a key element of his business empire. Even his critics agreed that having his name on a property added significantly to its value. His successful marketing earned him the nickname "the human logo."

Father Fred Trump's Career: 1927-74
Fred Trump represented his life as a climb from poverty to riches, but in his muckraking biography of Donald Trump, Wayne Barrett reported that the elder Trump's father also was engaged in the real estate business, and left a comfortable estate to his widow and children on his death in 1918. Fred Trump built about 300 houses in the New York City borough of Queens from 1927 to 1932, when the market dried up in the depths of the Great Depression. His career revived in 1934, when he was able to acquire a list of serviceable mortgages from a bankrupt Brooklyn realtor. Financing from the newly created Federal Housing Administration enabled Trump to build many more Brooklyn homes, typically selling for $6,000 apiece. During World War II he built FHA-backed housing for naval personnel and shipyard workers near Virginia and Pennsylvania shipyards.

Between 1947 and 1949 Trump completed Shore Haven, a 1,314-unit apartment complex of six-story apartment buildings on a 14-acre site in southern Brooklyn. An even larger development, 2,000-unit Beach Haven, followed. His biggest project was Trump Village in Coney Island. Consisting of 4,600 Brooklyn apartments in seven 23-story buildings--five of them cooperatives, two rental--it was completed in 1965. This one was constructed with state, rather than federal, funding and essentially ended Fred Trump's career as a builder. Previously said to have padded his costs to obtain excessive FHA mortgage money, he was now accused in public testimony of having fraudulently lined his pockets with state funds. Trump ultimately returned $1.2 million and, his reputation under a cloud, was unable to obtain funding for further large residential projects he had planned on the sites of former Coney Island amusement parks.

Donald Trump joined the family business in 1968 upon graduation from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. By 1974 he was president (with his father as chairman of the board) of an assortment of Trump entities, laying claim to the management of 48 privately held corporations and 15 family partnerships. His principal job was managing the apartments, whose number varied between 10,000 and 22,000, according to different estimates. The value of the Trump empire was estimated in the early 1970s at $200 million by Fred Trump and between $40 million and $100 million by other sources.

Acquiring Manhattan Real Estate: 1974-88
Donald Trump was determined to take the enterprise into Manhattan. As head of the Trump Organization--which at the time had no legal existence--he took out, in 1974, an option (with no money down) to purchase railyards along the Hudson River north and south of Midtown, which were owned by the bankrupt Penn Central Transportation Co. Trump planned to build a huge residential complex on the 76-acre northern segment, but opposition by West Side resident groups made the plan unfeasible until the 1990s. He persuaded the city to build a new convention center on the 44-acre southern segment. Although unable to win the construction contract, he collected a $500,000 broker's commission.
Trump also was interested in Penn Central's decaying Commodore Hotel, on East 42nd Street just east of Grand Central Station. Eventually a deal was reached in 1976 whereby a state agency received the property and leased it for 99 years to a Trump entity, which would share in the profits with the city. Trump, who obtained an unprecedented 40-year tax abatement from the city--the first ever granted for a commercial property--then lined up a construction loan guaranteed by his father and the Hyatt Corporation, which became the joint partner. The shell of the hotel was enclosed in a chrome-and-mirrored-glass facade. Completed in 1980, the rehabilitated structure opened as the 1,400-room Grand Hyatt Hotel.
Trump's signature building was the Trump Tower, built on the northeast corner of 56th Street and Fifth Avenue. Assembling lots, purchasing air rights, and securing rezoning enabled him to put up a 58-story office, retail, and residential complex with a six-story atrium shopping mall and a sawtooth exterior shape of 28 different surfaces, cascading in a bronze-and-dark-glass sheath. The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States, which owned the land and helped obtain financing from Chase Manhattan Bank, was Trump's joint partner. Completed in 1983 at a cost of $201 million, the building was a hit. By 1986, 251 of the 268 condominium apartments had been sold for a total of $277 million. The partnership retained ownership of the retail and office space and won a ten-year tax abatement in court. Trump installed his family in a penthouse double triplex and bought out Equitable in 1986.

Following on Trump Tower's heels, the 36-story, Y-shaped Trump Plaza residential cooperative at Third Avenue and 61st Street was completed in 1984 at a cost of $125 million. More of a problem was 106 Central Park South, a 15-story apartment building Trump bought in 1981 along with the neighboring, 38-story Barbizon Plaza Hotel (for which he paid only $13 million but received a $65 million mortgage loan). He envisioned a huge condo on the combined sites, but was unable to oust the rent-regulated tenants, who were protected against eviction. When Trump offered to house homeless people in vacated apartments, he was slapped with a tenant harassment suit. In the end the tenants stayed, their building's facade harmonized next to that of the refurbished Barbizon, which became Trump Parc, with 340 condominium units advertised in 1986 at between $180,000 and $4 million. In 1985 Trump paid $72 million for the St. Moritz, the aging hotel across the street from Trump Parc that also faced Central Park.

Trump's last Manhattan hotel purchase was the Plaza, the French Renaissance landmark at the southeastern corner of Central Park, one block east of Trump Parc. He purchased it from the Bass Group in 1988 for a staggering $393 million, or $500,000 per room, making it the most expensive hotel purchase in history. Trump received a $409 million loan from Citibank, and personally guaranteed the $125 million equity portion. Simultaneously, he sold the St. Moritz to Australian magnate Alan Bond, reportedly for $100 million more than he had paid for it.
Trump's option on the northern segment of the Penn Yards had expired in 1979, but after other developers failed to build on the site, he purchased it in 1985 for $115 million. Trump's "Television City" plan for the site included an agglomeration of five buildings extending to a height of 150 stories and a landscaped platform supporting a collection of 8,000 apartments, two office buildings, open space, and parkland above television and film studios, a retail mall, and a massive parking garage. It died in 1987, when NBC decided to renew its quarters in Rockefeller Center. The successor, the 14 million-square-foot "Trump City" development project, did not win the needed city approval.

Atlantic City and Other Ventures: 1980-90
Trump's first investment in Atlantic City came in 1980, when he (with his father) purchased 98-year leases on properties bordering the Boardwalk. After the projected casino was licensed in 1982, Holiday Inns Inc.'s Harrah subsidiary agreed to invest $50 million in a partnership. Trump was responsible for the construction of Harrah's at Trump Plaza (soon shortened to simply Trump Plaza), a 39-story casino-hotel that opened in 1984. Harrah's originally managed it, but in 1986 Trump borrowed $250 million to buy out the company's interest. He had bought the Hilton Corp.'s casino-hotel for $320 million in 1985, which opened as Trump's Castle Casino Resort. An addition to the Castle, a 14-story Crystal Tower of luxury suites, was completed in 1990.
Even these deals paled beside his plan to take over Resorts International, the troubled casino company that was the largest landowner in Atlantic City, and its unfinished Taj Mahal, the world's largest casino. Outbid for voting control of the company in 1988 by television talk show host Merv Griffin, Trump nevertheless obtained his objective--the Taj--for $280 million. He issued $675 million in junk bonds to pay for the acquisition and completion of the casino, which opened in 1990. He spent another $115 million in 1989 to buy two more properties flanking Trump Plaza. One of these was the Atlantis, a 500-room hotel-casino without a gaming license. He renamed it the Trump Regency. The other consisted of the Penthouse, a half-built hotel-casino, and its parking garage site.

Trump indulged his lavish lifestyle by purchasing Mar-A-Lago, a 118-room Palm Beach mansion in 1984, and in 1988 acquiring the world's second largest yacht, a 282-foot-long craft that he renamed the Trump Princess. He docked the craft next to Trump's Castle to entertain high rollers. In partnership with Lee Iacocca, he also paid $41 million for a 32-story residential condominium, which he named Trump Plaza of the Palm Beaches, in West Palm Beach. In 1983 he purchased the New Jersey Generals, of the struggling U.S. Football League, as the opening gambit in a scheme to move the team into an indoor, publicly financed stadium in New York City to be called the "Trumpdome." The league and the stadium proposal folded in 1987. By his own estimates in court papers, Trump lost about $22 million on the venture.

Trump's interest in another glamour business--aircraft--resulted in his purchase of bankrupt Eastern Airlines' Boston-New York-Washington shuttle in 1989 for $365 million. He paid for this with a Citibank loan that accepted as collateral the airline's aging jets and $135 million in equity (backed only by Trump's personal guarantee). Renamed the Trump Shuttle, this venture required $85 million in capital and operating costs in its first year alone. By then he had also paid $23 million for a fleet of helicopters he dubbed Trump Air. Trump also moved ahead with the construction of the Trump Palace, a 55-story residential condominium building on a site at Third Avenue and 69th Street that he had bought in 1985.

Restructuring: 1990-92
When the U.S. economy fell into recession in 1990, Trump's highly leveraged business empire threatened to collapse. Entities of the Trump Organization, or Donald Trump personally, had incurred more than $5 billion in debt--$8.8 billion, according to one source--of which almost $1 billion had been drawn solely on Trump's personal guarantee. Big New York banks had financed $3.75 billion worth of debt. They reduced their risk and collected fees by syndicating the loans to some 70 other banks, including British, French, German, and Japanese institutions. Most of this money was recovered after subsequent restructurings, but some $600 million to $800 million may have been lost. Forbes magazine had estimated Trump's worth at $1.7 billion in 1989, making him the nation's 19th richest man. But two years later it assessed his worth at minus $900 million, making him a heavy contender in the world's poorest man category.

An August 1990 bailout pact allowed Trump to defer almost $1 billion in bank debt, but required him to make certain payments on more than $1 billion in additional bank debt. It also gave the banks second and third mortgages on nearly all of Trump's properties. In return for being released from his personal guarantee on about $960 million of debt, Trump gave up ownership of the Trump Shuttle and all but a small stake in the Plaza. Also lost was the West Palm Beach building and the Trump Princess. Trump Air was dissolved and its helicopters sold to pay debts. The Mar-A-Lago was turned into a club. Even Trump's Boeing 727 jet was repossessed (but later repurchased).

Temporarily unaffected was $1.3 billion in casino bonds, but in December 1990 the casinos and property group of the Trump Organization defaulted on a $50 million loan used to fund the Taj Mahal. Trump subsequently agreed to cede half of the casino to bondholders as part of a 1991 restructuring, known as a prepackaged bankruptcy, in which new credit agreements were legally authorized.

During the first part of 1991 the Trump Organization negotiated with creditors of the other casino holdings concerning a revision of the debt. A crucial, mysterious $3.3 million payment on the Trump's Castle debt was traced by a reporter to Fred Trump, who apparently auctioned some of his Brooklyn and Queens apartments to raise the funds. Otherwise, however, Trump could count for help in this quarter only on his own stake in his father's estate, which bankers estimated at a maximum of $150 million. Fred Trump had, according to a biography of Donald Trump by Harry Hurt, turned over the management of his estate to Donald's younger brother, Robert.

Like the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort, the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino and Trump's Castle Casino Resort underwent prepackaged bankruptcies in 1992 to restructure their huge bond debts. Trump Plaza bonds and debt were converted to lower-interest bonds and four million shares of preferred stock for the creditors. In exchange for a reduction in the interest rate on the Trump's Castle bonds, the creditors received half the equity in the property.

Resurgence: 1994-97
Trump also lost the Penthouse and Trump Regency to banks but leased them with options to buy. He reopened the Penthouse--renamed the East Tower--in 1995. He also won a gambling license for the Regency, which was renamed Trump World's Fair. He then exercised his options and bought both properties back for in excess of $200 million. The Trump World's Fair and Plaza East (in the East Tower) casinos opened in 1997.

Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino went public in 1995 as Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts, Inc., selling ten million shares of common stock at $14 a share. A secondary stock offering in April 1996 sold 13.25 million shares at $32.50 a share. This company also included a subsidiary that opened, in 1996, a gambling riverboat, named Trump Indiana, on Lake Michigan at Gary, Indiana.

In April 1996 Trump Hotels & Casino acquired the Taj Mahal for $40.5 million, plus assumption of its debts. The company, through Trump Atlantic City Associates, issued more than $1.1 billion in new mortgage notes to redeem the Taj Mahal's $780 million in mortgage bonds due 1999 and the Trump Plaza's $340 million in mortgage notes due 2001. Five months later, Trump Hotels & Casino acquired the money-losing Trump's Castle (renamed Trump Marina in 1997) for about $490 million in stock, a transaction that included the assumption of about $314 million of the hotel-casino's debt. The acquisition raised Trump's stake in the public company to about 40 percent. Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts grew to six casinos with the integration of the World's Fair and East Tower properties into Trump Plaza in 1997.

Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts was now an awesome agglomeration of Atlantic City properties. Revenues reached $976 million in 1996, but the company lost $65.7 million, mostly because of an extraordinary $59.1 million charge for redemption of notes and the writeoff of deferred financing costs. The company's underlying weakness--a long-term debt that reached $1.7 billion in mid-1997--caused the stock to fall below $10 a share by the end of the year.

Trump's plan for the northern segment of the old Penn Central railyards received approval in 1992 in scaled-down form. The proposed development, renamed Riverside South, now was to consist of 5,700 apartments, 1.8 million square feet of office space, 350,000 square feet of retail space, and parking for 3,500 cars. Trump did not have the financing to develop the property, but in 1994 he signed a joint venture agreement with a consortium of Asian investors, led by two of Hong Kong's biggest developers. He was said to have received a 30 percent stake in the project, with responsibility for constructing and managing the 18 buildings and seeking regulatory approvals, while putting up no cash. According to one source, however, he had no actual equity in the project and would begin to get a share of the profits only after the developer syndicate recovered its investment, plus interest. The first two Riverside South buildings began to rise in 1997, and by 2004 eight of the projected sixteen buildings had been completed.

Again in 1994, Trump's relish for high-profile deals was evident when he formed a joint venture with two foreign investors who had paid $42 million for the Empire State Building. Trump became general partner, but his stake in the venture was unclear. In any case, other realtors had 81 years remaining on a lease of the landmark building that gave them almost complete independence from the owners, who would receive only an annual rental of under $2 million during the life of the lease. In 1995 Trump bought 40 Wall Street, a 72-story office building. He paid less than $8 million for the property, but it was 89 percent vacant, and the remodeling he envisioned would cost at least $100 million.

The Trump International Hotel & Tower, a slender 52-story structure at the north end of Columbus Circle that was formerly the Gulf & Western office building, was converted to luxury residential condominiums, with a Trumpian bronze-and-dark-glass outer skin. Trump Organization units were in charge of construction, sales, and management but provided little or no cash. Aside from fees for these services and the use of his name, Trump received a penthouse in the building and a stake in the hotel's restaurant and garage. Work began in 1995 and was completed in 1997.

In 1996 Trump bought the Miss USA, Miss Universe, and Miss Teen USA pageants from ITT Corp. and then sold half of the property to CBS, which was broadcasting the pageants. He said he wanted to create marketing tie-ins to raise their visibility, possibly including an agreement for a top modeling agency to hire the winners and a new line of Miss Universe cosmetics backed by a major beauty company. Trump sold his half-share in the Grand Hyatt Hotel to the Hyatt Corp. in 1996 for $142 million. This enabled him to extinguish the remainder of his personal indebtedness. Forbes estimated his worth at $1.4 billion in October 1997--up from $450 million the previous year.

On to New Heights: The 2000s
Through the late 1990s and early 2000s, Trump projects were rising in New York, sometimes despite protests. The Trump World Tower, on First Avenue in Manhattan between 47th and 48th Streets, was touted as the world's tallest residential structure. The 861-foot tall building dwarfed other residences in the neighborhood, to the dismay of some longtime area denizens. Trump prevailed in a lawsuit brought by the neighborhood association, and the $400 million structure went up. Trump World Tower consisted of 372 luxury apartments priced between $1 million and $11 million, though one sold for $38 million, a record for a New York apartment. Another Trump structure caused neighborhood ire, in a case that went all the way to the New York State Supreme Court. The 31-story sixth tower of Trump's Riverside South project was built only inches away from the historic Chatsworth, a landmarked 13-story apartment house on West 72nd Street. Residents of the Chatsworth tried to stop the sixth tower from going up, and in 2003 appealed the state supreme court's decision against them.

The attacks of September 11, 2001 that brought down the World Trade Center did not stop Trump and others from erecting conspicuous structures in New York. The terrorism issue did, however, force the Trump Organization to reconsider plans for a massive project in Chicago. The Trump Organization had thought of building the world's tallest building in the city, but instead planned Trump Tower Chicago as a more modest skyscraper, which would be the city's fourth tallest. Terrorism insurance also became a big issue after September 2001, complicating financing for high-profile buildings. In 2001, the Trump Organization hoped to swing a $950 million mortgage from Deutsche Banc Mortgage Capital in order to buy the 50 percent portion of the General Motors Building in Manhattan it did not already own. (Trump and Conseco, Inc. jointly bought the building in 1998, with Conseco putting up $211 million and Trump only $11 million.) The deal cooled over the issue of insurance risk in the wake of the attacks. A dispute with Conseco over profits from the General Motors Building led a court in 2003 to order Trump to sell his interest.

In the 2000s, the Trump Organization also moved in altogether new directions. Donald Trump was an avid golfer, and he became a golf mogul as well, building the spectacular Trump National Golf Course in Westchester County, New York, in 2000 (http://www.trumpnationalwestchester.com/html/welcome.asp). Membership in the Trump National club cost $300,000, and the course was studded with lavish features, including a giant waterfall on the 13th hole. Trump also built luxury golf villas adjoining the course. Trump went on to build golf courses in:

West Palm Beach, Florida (http://trumpinternationalpalmbeaches.com/public/welcome/welcome.asp)
Bedminster, New Jersey (http://trumpnationalbedminster.com/public/home.asp)
Los Angeles, CA (http://trumpnationallosangeles.com/html/home.asp)
Canouan Island, The Grenadines (http://www.canouan.com/)
Aberdeen, Scotland (http://trumpgolfscotland.com/default.asp)

The Bedminster course, built on farmland formerly owned by automobile magnate John DeLorean, also accommodated 11 cottages and an equestrian center. The golf courses were a new approach to luxury housing, as well as recreation. A fourth course, Trump National Golf Course Los Angeles, was in the works in 2004. International Golf Rental & Sales, Inc. works with great golf resorts like these. When large golf outings put a strain a golf course like Mr. Trump's rental inventory , http://www.golfrentalandsales.com/ helps to supplement their rental supply by bringing in extra sets of clubs the day before the outing and picking them up after the outing is through. High quality golf course's are able to maintain the same premium quality they demand when they use golf club rentals from IGRS.

Because the Trump Organization was a private company with no obligation to post financial information, and because many factors made the health of a real estate portfolio hard to evaluate, it was difficult to pin down concretely how well Trump's empire was doing in the early 2000s. Trump had clearly put behind him his missteps of the early 1990s. He had buildings named after him all over Manhattan, and he claimed in 2004 to own at least 50 percent of all the New York buildings with the Trump moniker. His net worth was estimated at between $2 billion and $6 billion, though this was unverified, and some real estate rivals put their own estimates of his worth much lower. Clearly, the Trump name had enormous strength. Sources quoted by Time magazine (April 12, 2004) acknowledged that the Trump logo added some $100 per square foot to the value of a building. Trump claimed that his name on his Westchester golf course brought him $300,000, while without the Trump stamp, membership would go for only $25,000. Donald Trump had long been known in the press as simply "The Donald," but by the early 2000s he had acquired another nickname, "the human logo." Akin to Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey, Trump was able to extend the cachet of his name into a far-reaching realm. He came out with a Trump Visa card in 2004, as well as his own brand of bottled water, Trump Ice. His biggest publicity coup was his starring role in the 2004 NBC reality show, "The Apprentice." Trump gave a gaggle of contestants business challenges, firing the worst performer every week, until the final contestant won a coveted job with the Trump Organization. This gave Trump huge media exposure, and helped earn him an estimated $5 million advance on his 2004 book, How to Get Rich.

Trump's wide exposure seemed like it could only help his branded real estate projects. On the other hand, Trump's publicly held casino and gaming company struggled all through the early 2000s. The company lost money year after year, and its stock sank to $2.50 in mid-2004, compared with a one-time high of more than $35 shortly after the company went public. The casinos were loaded with debt, and hampered by well-heeled competitors. Both Harrah's Entertainment and Park Place Entertainment Corp. owned Atlantic City casinos, and these companies spent lavishly to refurbish their properties, while some slot machines at Trump's casinos did not even have stools. Trump managed to restructure some debt on the casinos in 2001 to get more favorable terms. But by 2004, Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts had a market value of only $41 million, down from more than $500 million in 1996, and it was possible that angry creditors would force the company into bankruptcy. Trump promised to pay more attention to the casino business once his television stint was over. If he managed to save the business, it would not be the first time he had emerged from a seemingly impossible situation. Meanwhile, he churned out real estate development projects. In 2004 these included the Trump Tower at City Center, in White Plains, New York, and a mixed hotel and condominium project in Toronto, the Trump International Hotel & Tower.

Principal Subsidiaries: Trump Sales & Leasing Residential Real Estate; Trump International Hotel & Tower; Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts, Inc. (56%); Trump Golf; Miss Universe Organization (50%).

Principal Competitors: The Lefrak Organization; Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.; Tishman Realty & Construction Co. Inc.; Caesar's Entertainment Inc.

Note that there are adverse articles of the Trump organization's pursuits:
http://seekingalpha.com/article/32728-trump-entertainment-board-needs-to-boot-the-donald#comment-105813/

History:
https://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/The-Trump-Organization-Company-History.html

 Copyright Karen Schaler All Rights Reserved

I’ve just played 27 holes at the famed 27-hole Palmilla Golf Club in Cabo and there’s one BIG problem…I want to play MORE!!!!

One of the great things this course is when Jack Nicklaus designed it he went with a kinder, gentler setup that would be conducive to “resort golf” friendly. He knew on this course he would have everything from your vacation casual golfer that only gets to golf several times a year and likes sipping down a margarita while they do it to your club pro who demanded a challenge. Nicklaus designed the first hole on the Mountain, Ocean and Arroyo Course to play fairly easy so you can get started off strong and build your confidence… which you’ll need for some of the more difficult holes coming up. The result for this TRAVEL THERAPY is genius because....

at Palmilla you’ll find gorgeous, generous fairways where you can see the water on EVERY hole and challenging greens and how hard the course plays can depend on which of the five tee-boxes you choose to play off of. The conditions at this golf club are superb. This is one of the best maintained golf courses I’ve ever played on. The soft and spongy velvety emerald green Bermuda grass is so perfect is almost looks fake and there wasn’t one bad hole of the 27.

This course has won so many awards it’s hard to list but they range from the best course in Mexico to one of the top golf clubs in the world.

Before we started out we got several great tips from the Troon folks that run this place this place. Apparently most people who visit always insist on playing the Ocean Course and “one of the others”, but many believe the best combination is the original 18 holes, playing the Arroyo ( in the photograph) and Mountain course. Ideally you play all three but if only have time for 18 trust me, don’t miss the Arroyo course where holes 6,7,8 are true standouts!

We started our morning playing the Mountain Course where hole five is one of the most amazing on the entire course and then we worked are way thru the Ocean Course, the nine holes that were added in 1997. You’ll want to have your camera handy because the view from some of these tee-boxes is breathtaking!

The authentic clubhouse serves up a delicious lunch including my favorite… warm homemade chocolate chip cookies and a killer Margarita. After lunch we headed over to play the famed Arroyo Course and you didn’t even mind playing in the afternoon because now all the golf carts have new air-conditioning units on them…Palmilla has the exclusive on these beauties for the next year so this is absolutely the place you want to play when it’s hot and humid out!

The experience of playing Palmilla is truly a unique golf experience, the highlight of my trip. It’s something you won’t forget and even after 27-holes you’ll find yourself wanting to play more. If only you could try #5 on the Mountain Course one more time…or #8 on Arroyo…and the best part is you can…

DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT MISSING

*Making Tee-times BEFORE you come

*Playing the Arroyo Course

*Having lunch at the clubhouse

*The chocolate chip cookies!!!

*Taking a few pictures

*Celebrating with a signature Margarita

 Now it's off to the celebrated spa at the One&Only for some yoga, a massage, and a special pedicure that's a celebrity favorite! Stay tuned... 

Copyright Karen Schaler All Rights Reserved

THIS is why it's worth it going to Mexico tomorrow even with Tropical Storm KIKO lurking around...

I have a tee-time on this legedary, world-class course, the Palmilla Golf Club, on Monday morning!

TRAVEL THERAPY  here I come...

FORE!

 

Copyright Karen Schaler All Rights Reserved 

You can't let the "threat" of a little storm get in the way of fabulous golf...I'm going to Mexico tomorrow despite reports that Kiko "could" be headed staight for our resort. Kiko needs to chill! ( see last post) 

Here's why it's worth it. Right now Mexico is in the spotlight as the new "Green Paradise"! The PGA is even taking notice.  Last February the PGA Tour chose a new course in the Riviera Maya to hold its first official golf event in Mexico. It was a huge success so now the Tour is coming back again February 2008. The ideal TRAVEL THERAPY destination!

 I actually beat the Tour to the greens when I had a chance to play this new golf course in January, right before the PGA came, and I can completely see why this course was on its radar. Designed by Greg Norman, El Camaleon is about 35 miles south of Cancun and is part of the new Fairmont Mayakoba resort. “Mayakoba is truly a special place,” says Norman.The resort is...equally impressive. No cars are allowed on the property and you can actually take small boats through the resort's man-made canal system to get around between the different restaurants, beautiful swimming pools and secluded beach.

A little closer to Cancun you’ll find another fantastic Greg Norman course, the new Troon managed Playa Mujeres is a beauty to play as well featuring tight fairways, picturesque ocean front holes and tricky trade winds. I love the funky clubhouse at this course that dishes up great meals and a cool drink and the practice range is the perfect start to any day! 

Check out the just opened Playa Mujeres Resort for a place to “stay and play” or head into Cancun and try the JW Marriott, Le Meridien or The Ritz.

I loved playing golf at both these courses and that’s why I can’t wait to head to Los Cabos tomorrow to try out the 27-hole Jack Nicklaus course and stay at the legendary first-class One & Only Palmilla! Of course I'm keeping an eye on Kiko but it's all about positive thinking...I'm sure I'll make it to Mexico tomorrow morning…getting home could be another story! But again, if you have to get “stranded” somewhere I can’t think of a better place than the One & Only. I hear they have a new Yacht for guests...I’ll keep you posted!

MEXICO GOLF COURSES INFO:

EL CAMALEON COURSE    

 Par 72
Yardage 7,218
Slope 139
Rating 74.5 Men & 69.5 Women

Green Fees $135-$230

PALMILLA GOLF CLUB

Par 72

 Yardage

Arroyo/Mountain 6939

Mountain/Ocean 7036

Ocean/Arroyo     6771

 Slope

Arroyo/Mountain 138

Ocean/Arroyo     137

Mountain/Ocean 140

 Rating

Arroyo/Mountain Men 73.7 & Women 69.2

Mountain/Ocean Men 74.2 & Women 71.3

Ocean/Arroyo Men 72.9 & Women  69.3

 Green Fees: $225