Political fallout could put Donald Trump’s course-design brand at risk

Donald Trump, shown at Trump National Doral ( Tracy Wilcox )To an extraordinary degree, Donald Trump has created a distinct golf design brand. It’s a stature that a golf course architect would strive for – and then would hold on desperately to preserve. In Trump’s case, he has built it with a wide array of properties. And now that he, as a candidate for the Republican nomination for president, is doubling down on his recent incendiary comments about Mexican illegal immigration rather than backing off or apologizing, that brand – or at least its perceived value – incurs some risk.

That brand is now two-fold: in the form of marketing and of a recognizable aesthetic. By putting his name on each…