唐纳德·特朗普：让高尔夫服务于富裕精英

    许多评论人士都说高尔夫已经跟年轻人脱节，需要重新赢得他们的青睐。年轻人的高尔夫运动参与度正在下降，高尔夫用具的销售也在减少。

    嗯，首先，我觉得美国高尔夫基金会公布的参与度数据很不对。这一点我已经说过。实际上我觉得这些数据绝对是不完整的，他们的信息有误，不利于这项运动。

    另一个问题是TaylorMade等高尔夫用具制造商每隔六个月就会推出新产品。这几乎是在有计划地淘汰原有产品，人们已经不胜其烦。他们不会每过半年就去买新球杆。这些厂商却抱怨说：“噢，不，瞧瞧这些打高尔夫的。”问题不在高尔夫，而在这些生产商。

    我觉得在较高层次，高尔夫运动情况良好。10年来我一直在收购的东西，现在人们可能绝买不到。我喜欢在这些球场倒闭后买下它们，而且价格非常低。现在人们绝对没办法按我当时的收购价买下Doral球场。我收购它时市场处于最低点，整个经济一团糟，迈阿密的状况也不好。现在迈阿密也许是国内最热门的地区。我把这项收购作为长期投资，为我自己，最终也是为我的家人，而且我已经告诉他们永远也不要卖掉这个球场。我只买最好的。我对9洞球场不感兴趣，只喜欢18洞。

    对于让高尔夫年轻化和大众化的努力你怎么看？

    我想我是少数派，我对高尔夫的感觉和别人不同。我觉得高尔夫应该是一种高端运动，应该是人们“心向往之”的。他们应该去追捧高尔夫，而不是让高尔夫来迎合他们。

    五年来他们做了许多本不应该做的事。我觉得让球洞变大的主意实在是糟透了。高尔夫是商务运动。

    现在还是吗？

    我在高尔夫球场上跟别人谈成了一些生意，要是换做吃午餐，就绝对做不到这一点。我真的建议过沃顿商学院开高尔夫课。这项运动容易建议建立感情，能让你更好地了解别人，让他们成为你的伙伴。提到奥巴马时我总是说我不介意他打高尔夫，但他应该找那些他想与之达成协议的人打高尔夫。

    我要再说一次，出于这个原因，我讨厌看到这项运动沦为足球高尔夫或者脚踢高尔夫，不管他们怎么叫[笔者注：他所说的是足式高尔夫，即用足球来代替高尔夫球，用脚代替球杆，或者是指“Hack Golf“的公开实验，采用直径15英寸的球洞，目的是让高尔夫运动低龄化。]许多商务人士打高尔夫的次数远远超过他们希望别人知道的。我认识的许多商界人士都对我说：“别告诉别人我高尔夫打得很好。”他们不想让自己有那种形象，这是肯定的。但我也要再说一次，他们在高尔夫球场上做了很多生意。这项运动应该走高端路线，而不是大众化。

    所有喜欢高尔夫的人在25岁时都还没打过高尔夫。我觉得要来的人总会来，不必过分争取。推广力度过大是件坏事。那么，如果球场没人光顾会怎么样呢，情况就是找几个人去大量地割草，并且大量地浇水。

    也就是说你不支持高尔夫运动的一些创新之举，以及让它变得更开放的想法。

    我觉得这样做一点儿用也没有。高尔夫应该是美的、优雅的，人们争取参与其中的运动。

    这是精英论吗？

    可能是吧，但高尔夫或许就需要这个。让高尔夫成为精英运动。我说的“心向往之”是积极的意义。人们努力工作，争取到某一天能去打高尔夫，或者说负担得起这项运动。有些人永远也不会真的去打高尔夫，别人却要教他们打高尔夫，这就过分了。受参与这项运动的成本以及所需的土地影响，高尔夫永远也不会成为篮球那样只要有块场地就能玩的运动。

    你知道那些伟大的运动员退役后干什么？他们没干别的，都去打高尔夫了。那些篮球、冰球、橄榄球运动员，他们退役后都想打高尔夫。

    让高尔夫成为高端运动，不要降低它的层次、让15岁还在学其他的运动项目的人去打高尔夫。我觉得这样做对高尔夫运动贻害无穷。（财富中文网）

    译者：Charlie

    校对：詹妮

    Many pundits say the sport has lost touch with young people and needs to win them back. Youth participation is down, equipment sales are down.

    Well, first of all, I think the [participation] data that’s been out there from the National Golf Foundation is bad. I’ve said that. I actually think they’re absolutely incompetent. I think their information is faulty and they’re bad for the game.

    One of the other things that happens is these equipment makers, like TaylorMade, they keep coming out with new stuff every six months. It’s almost like planned obsolescence. People are tired of it. They’re not going to buy drivers every six months. And the industry complains and says, “Oh no, look at these golf numbers.” It’s not golf, it’s them.

    I think the game is doing well at the high levels, and the things that I’ve been buying over the last 10 years, you could never buy today. I like to buy ‘em when they close, and I get a great price. Doral, you could never buy that today for what I paid. That was bought at the bottom of a market when the world had collapsed, and Miami was not doing well. And now Miami is probably the hottest place in the country. I bought it as a long-term deal for myself and ultimately for my family, and I’ve instructed them never to sell. I only buy jewels. I’m not interested in 9s. Only the 10s.

    What do you think of the efforts to make the game younger and more accessible?

    I think I’m in a minority, but I feel differently about golf. I feel golf should be an aspirational game, something people aspire to. People should come to golf, golf shouldn’t come to them.

    They shouldn’t do many of the things that have been done over the last five years. I think the bigger hole idea is just terrible.

    Golf is the sport of business—

    Is it, still?

    I’ve made deals on a golf course that I would have never, ever made over a lunch. I actually told the people at Wharton, “You should give a course in golf.” There’s something about the camaraderie. You get to know people better, they’re your partner. I’ve always said about Obama that I don’t mind that he plays golf, but he should play golf with people he wants to make agreements with.

    And again, that’s why I hate to see it cheapened with soccer golf or kick-golf, whatever it is they call it. [Note: He’s referring to either FootGolf, where people play soccer on a golf course, or to Hack Golf, an open experiment to make golf younger that resulted in trying 15-inch holes.] A lot of businesspeople play a lot more golf than they want you to think they play. I know many businesspeople who say to me, “Don’t tell people I’m a good golfer.” They don’t want that image, necessarily. But again, so much business is transacted on golf courses. And it should be aspirational as opposed to widespread.

    All the people who love it now, they didn’t play when they were 25. I say whoever comes comes, don’t fight too hard. You try to sell it too hard, it’s a bad thing. Now, when you have a course and no one is going there, I’ll tell you what, that’s a lot of lawn-mowing for a few people. And a lot of watering.

    So you’re not a fan of the new innovations and ideas to change the game, open it up a little.

    I don’t think it’s going to help anything. Golf should be something beautiful, elegant, something people aspire to play eventually.

    Is that elitist?

    It may be elitist, and perhaps that’s what golf needs. Let golf be elitist. When I say “aspire,” that’s a positive word. Let people work hard and aspire to some day be able to play golf. To afford to play it. They’re trying to teach golf to people who will never be able to really play it. They’re trying too hard. Because of the expense of playing, and the land needed, golf is never going to be basketball, where all you need is a court.

    All these great athletes, you know what they do when they retire? They do nothing but play golf. Basketball players, hockey players, football players, all they want to do is golf.

    Let it be aspirational instead of bringing it down by trying to get players to do it when they’re 15 years old and they’re also learning other sports. I think it’s very damaging to the game.