Page 177 - Trump Never Give Up: How I Turned My Biggest Challenges into Success

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T R UM P: N E V E R G I V E U P

to the tees and fairways. I wanted crushed granite for the
bunkers. The costs were enormous, and I was hoping the
rewards would be too. I was enjoying myself, but would this
work and expense pay off? Would this be just a great experi-
ment—great expectations that don’t manage to deliver?
I have to stop here to say that there are no guarantees in
anything. People see my successes and really think it’s a breeze
to get it all done. It’s not, and I spend plenty of time assessing,
reassessing, analyzing, and scrutinizing. People just don’t see me
doing that. Another important thing to consider is experience—
I’ve been a developer for a long time, so a lot of decisions are
second nature to me and not a terrific demand on my brain-
power to figure out. I can move quickly once I’ve done the
groundwork in my mind. However, the plans have to be in place.
Be sure you have a foundation of expertise and experience in
whatever you do, and then you can act decisively and creatively.
There were a lot of details to consider along with the recon-
struction of the golf course itself. The 40,000-square-foot club-
house, for one thing, which has a restaurant that has won the
Golden Scepter Award (Best New Restaurant) and the Golden
Bacchus Award (for its wine list). The course itself has become
the number one golf course in California, and the Michael Dou-
glas & Friends Pro-Celebrity takes place there every April.
Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles has become a spectacu-
lar success on all levels. You might even call it a landslide. But
my never give up moment came when, after knowing the poten-
tial of the property for years, I saw that landslide disaster and
wanted to do something spectacular about it. Thinking big?
What a great idea. . . .

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