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George H.W. Bush and a legacy of golfing American Presidents

By Bill Felber

UNITED STATES - JULY 04: Former President George H.W. Bush hits the ceremonial first drive during the Opening Ceremony of the AT&T National at Congressional Country Club on July 4, 2007 in Bethesda, Maryland. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
UNITED STATES - JULY 04: Former President George H.W. Bush hits the ceremonial first drive during the Opening Ceremony of the AT&T National at Congressional Country Club on July 4, 2007 in Bethesda, Maryland. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /
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JERSEY CITY, NJ – SEPTEMBER 28: Captain’s assistant Tiger Woods of the U.S. Team speaks to former U.S. President Barack Obama on the first tee during Thursday foursome matches of the Presidents Cup at Liberty National Golf Club on September 28, 2017 in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
JERSEY CITY, NJ – SEPTEMBER 28: Captain’s assistant Tiger Woods of the U.S. Team speaks to former U.S. President Barack Obama on the first tee during Thursday foursome matches of the Presidents Cup at Liberty National Golf Club on September 28, 2017 in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

The modern presidency: Barack Obama and Donald Trump connecting with golf’s elite on the course

Barack Obama (2009-2017) was an avid, if low-key, player who could often be found on area military courses. His fondness for celebrity was very much on notice in 2012, when he invited Rory McIlroy – then the world’s top-ranked golfer, to a White House dinner.

If a presidential tournament were held, evidence suggests the current occupant of the White House, Donald Trump (2017-present), would win. In a book written more than a decade before Trump became president, famed sports author Rick Reilly played a round with the future president and saw him hit a 310-yard drive. “Mostly he hits it low and far and straight,” Reilly wrote, estimating him at a 6 or 7 handicap.

Tiger Woods, who has teed it up with Trump several times, offers confirmation. “People don’t realize he’s that old and can rip it as far as he does,” Woods reports.

Trump of course is more than a player; he’s a club owner, counting among his holdings Turnberry in Scotland and Doral in Miami. He is also the only president who has hosted a major. The 2017 Women’s United States Open, won by Sung-hyun Park, was played at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., with the president in attendance.

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