'Trump Links' golf course sign in the Bronx changed to 'Bally's Links'

Former President Donald Trump's name was officially removed from a Bronx golf course Thursday, after the site was taken over last year by Bally's, the gaming and entertainment giant hoping to build a $2.5 billion casino by the course on the 192-acre property alongside the East River.

Bally's Links, the new name for the Ferry Point golf course, replaces Trump Links — a name that was widely visible to motorists driving on the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge in recent years.

Mayor Eric Adams said Thursday's event was about revitalizing the Bronx and maximizing its economic opportunities, and not just changing the name on a sign.

“How many times have we crossed this bridge and looked down and seen the greatness of what this golf course can be if someone just had the eyes and the vision to do so,” Adams said before a ribbon cutting at the renamed site.

Bally's chairman Soo Kim called the golf course a “hidden gem” that his team plans to transform into a “community asset.”

But the long-term future of the 18-hole golf course remains in question because Bally's must still secure one of three coveted downstate licenses from the state for the casino it plans to build on the same site.

Among their competition is Las Vegas Sands, which wants to build a $4 billion casino and hotel at the 72-acre Nassau Coliseum property in Uniondale.

Other bidders include Hard Rock International and Mets owner Steve Cohen, who want to build a casino at Willets Point in Queens; Caesars Entertainment, which is vying to construct a casino in Times Square and Wynn Resorts and Related Companies, which have proposed building a gambling site at Hudson Yards.

Adams on Thursday declined to comment on Bally's casino bid.

“We want a casino in the city. I want to be clear on that,” the mayor told reporters. “But today is about golf.”

A spokeswoman for the mayor's office told Newsday on Thursday that Adams has not endorsed the Bally's casino bid.

In the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, then-New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio moved to sever all ties to the Trump Organization, including two ice skating rinks, the Central Park Carousel and the city-owned Bronx golf course.

The Trump Organization, which signed a 20-year lease to operate the course in 2015, sold the contract for an undisclosed sum to Bally's last September.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.