A history of golfing presidents

Obama shows David Cameron his swing. Steve Parsons/PA Wire

With all but 3 of the last 18 presidents known to hit the fairways, and the debate over golfing presidents arriving once again through Trump’s slamming of Obama’s time on the course, we take a look at the longstanding link between golf and POTUS.

Trump vs Obama
A big debate kicked off recently as to who spends more time on the course – Trump or Obama. It started when Trump said he would be too busy to play as much golf as his predecessor, making decisions and attending meetings.

And he might have a point. Obama played well over 300 rounds of golf as president. This works out to around 38 rounds a year – above the US national average of 19.3 rounds per year.

But, on the other hand, Obama took his time to hit the course, playing only once in his first 100 days while he got settled into the White House. Trump, though, is reported to have played as many as 19 times so far. If he keeps up this pace, he’s on course for around 280 rounds in his first term – almost as much as Obama played over his full two terms.

When it comes down to who’s the best golfer of the two, it’s perhaps no surprise that the man who owns a number of golf courses worldwide is said to be the stronger player.

In fact, Golf Digest claims Trump may well be the best presidential golfer ever, thanks to his strong ball-striking, solid putting and (surprisingly?) level-headed approach to the game. He knocked JFK from the magazine’s number 1 spot.

Clinton lets it all out on the course. David Cheskin/PA Archive

Business decisions
Golf and business go hand in hand. And while presidents like Bill Clinton have used the game to get away from the pressure of being Commander-in-Chief, others have used it as a more scenic meeting room.

Trump has already played rounds with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Senator Rand Paul, claiming the game is conducive to deal-making.

President Nixon also liked a round of golf and even played with Attorney General John Mitchell in 1969. Just nine months later, Mitchell was sentenced to nine months in prison for his role in the Watergate break-in.

George W. Bush has become famous for foolishly making big announcements on the fight against terror on the course.

He said: “I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers. Thank you.” Sadly, he followed it with the now famous line: “Now watch this drive”.

But he learned his lesson and vowed not to return to the course while his country fought a war in the Middle East.

It’s not just on the course that golfing meetings can take place. Ronald Reagan famously used to practice his putting on Air Force One - once doing so while on the way to the Geneva Summit with Soviet Union's Gorbachev.

Trump is one of the best presidential golfers. Andrew Milligan/PA Archive

The big players
Even if Trump keeps up his current pace, he’ll only manage around 500 to 600 rounds over 2 terms, falling well short of Woodrow Wilson who played an estimated 1,200 rounds. He even could be seen driving his golf balls into the winter snow.

Trump would even sit behind Dwight Eisenhower who played 800 rounds as POTUS. He’d use his 8-iron to do his morning stretches in the White House bedroom, and even fire a few balls from the White House lawns. He was close friends with golfing legend Arnold Palmer and often played a round with him.

JFK wasn’t seen as a big golfing president at the time, but it’s been revealed since his death that he was an avid player. He kept his golfing under wraps as it wasn’t fitting for his image – golf, at the time, was connected with the Republican party.

Many people might remember Franklin D. Roosevelt as the president in the wheelchair, but before polio took away the use of his legs, he was also a keen golfer. The FDR museum in Hyde Park has his clubs on display.