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Presidential Golf – A Longstanding Tradition Gets an Update

By Elizabeth Bethel

Jan 25, 2015; La Quinta, CA, USA; Former president Bill Clinton (right) presents Bill Haas with the Humana Challenge trophy at PGA West - Arnold Palmer Private Course. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 25, 2015; La Quinta, CA, USA; Former president Bill Clinton (right) presents Bill Haas with the Humana Challenge trophy at PGA West - Arnold Palmer Private Course. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /
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Presidential Golf
Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower (L) and Japanese Premier Nobusuke Kishi (2L) playing golf. (Photo by Ed Clark/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images) /

Presidential golf is deeply embedded in American political culture but now there’s a new twist.

Presidential golf is a known and accepted component of American political leadership. American Presidents like to play golf. It’s that simple.

Americans can’t point to a long and glorious relationship between the game and our leaders that the Scots enjoy, but it does seem to be a game that engages and distracts those who are burdened by the responsibilities of leadership.

FDR played golf. Richard Nixon played golf. George HW Bush played golf, and so did Barak Obama.  That short list covers a fairly broad range on the political spectrum. Given the mental and physical health benefits of the game, I think it’s probably a good thing. Presidents need stress relief and if they can get that relief playing golf we should be happy for them.

We Know They’re Playing Golf

Ronald Reagan famously played one round a year but Dwight Eisenhower played regularly, about 3 rounds a week over the 8 years he was in office. Maybe Ike wasn’t quite as good as he thought he was – a problem many golfers seem to endure.

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Ike kept hitting into that loblolly pine on the 17th fairway at Augusta National that was finally named in his honor. The tree lasted longer than Ike. It came down in 2014 after being damaged by one of those weird Southern ice storms, but Augusta National has commemorated the Eisenhower Tree with a plaque.

Bill Clinton and Gerald Ford were both golfers. Gerry played like an ex-football player, with lots of power but not much finesse. Clinton was and is a better than average golfer. He got his handicap down to around 10 after he left office.

Presidential Golf: A New Twist?

Americans don’t seem to have any problems with their Presidents playing golf. So why is Donald Trump apparently trying to cloak his rounds? The Huffington Post’s Nick Baumann reports that “administration officials made AP reporter Jill Colvin wait in a room with black plastic over the windows while the president played golf.”

That’s fairly curious. But it gets even more curious. Last weekend White House press aide Sarah Huckabee Sanders reported that the President had “played a couple of holes” Saturday and Sunday. Apparently is was 18 holes, according to a member of the President’s foursome, Rory McIlroy.

Garry Singer even documented the foursome’s apparently quite congenial round with a Tweet!

So what’s all this secrecy surrounding the newest edition of Presidential Golf? This President actually owns golf courses – many golf courses – and we all know what he’s doing when he runs down to Mar-a-Lago. That’s what we’d be doing. There’s no shame to slipping in a round of golf every time you get the opportunity.

Next: Dustin Johnson - What Was In His Bag When He Won the Genesis Open?

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