President Trump recently spent $50,000 of his own money to upgrade the golf simulator inside the personal quarters at the White House.
Trump, like many presidents before and since, plays golf and has left an impact on the game.
Here is a look golf and the presidency. Rather than ranking the skill levels of our Commander in Chiefs, we decided to come up with a few stories and fun facts that describe the relationship between the presidents and the game of golf.
From Dwight Eisenhower playing 800 rounds in eight years to John F. Kennedy nearly making a hole-in-one at Cypress Point, to Donald Trump’s frequent outings at Mar-a-Lago and his family’s golf business, here are some of the best presidential golf tidbits:
William Howard Taft
Trump is the 18th president since William McKinley “made the first presidential putt in 1897.” Since, only a few presidents declined to play the game: including Teddy Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman, and Jimmy Carter.
Taft played a lot of golf and did not play it well. Still, Taft became “addicted to golf.” Roosevelt, urged him to cool it because he was playing so much during the 1908 campaign.
Calvin Coolidge
Coolidge played golf, but not very well. In fact, it is said that the only thing Coolidge left behind in the White House after his presidency ended was his bag of golf clubs.
Gerald Ford
Ford was a much better golfer than most people have been led to believe. He regularly broke 90. Ford was the first president to join the U.S. Golf Association and was honorary chairman of the first Presidents Cup, in 1994. One cool Ford golf story: After he pardoned Richard Nixon, the first thing he did was go to the opening of the World Golf Hall of Fame and play a round with Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player.
John F. Kennedy
Like Eisenhower, Kennedy played most of his golf at Burning Tree Cub in the Washington D.C. area. And despite criticizing Ike for his frequent golf, calling him the “Duffer in Chief,” Kennedy played enough to be a single-digit handicap. He was also a member of the Harvard golf team. Before JFK became president, he once nearly aced the 16th hole at Cypress Point, his 5-iron shot hitting the flagstick and ended up inches from the hole.
Ronald Reagan
Reagan wasn’t an avid golfer, though some say he had a good swing and could break triple-digits. During a Reagan round at Augusta National in October 1983, an armed gunman drove his truck through an entrance gate and took five hostages in the club’s pro shop, demanding to speak to Reagan. Two hours later, the man was arrested. No one was hurt and the man ended up serving three years in prison.
Warren Harding
Harding was a high-handicapper, but TPC Harding Park in Lake Merced, Calif., near San Francisco, was named after him.
Lyndon B. Johnson
According to his biographies, LBJ was no stickler for the rules. One historian said that Johnson would take up to 400 swings during an 18-hole round – if he didn’t like a shot, he’d hit another until he was satisfied. Also, it has been said that LBJ used golf rounds to sway senators into voting for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Dwight Eisenhower
Ike was named Golfweek’s Golfer of the Century in 2000 and was a member of Augusta National Golf Club. As president, Eisenhower installed a putting green on the White House lawn and during his eight years in office played some 800 rounds. While his handicap never reached single-digits, he did team with Arnold Palmer, a frequent playing partner of his, to win a charity event in 1964.
Richard Nixon
Nixon took up the game while serving as Eisenhower’s vice president and is believed to have played to a 12-handicap, even breaking 80 on an occasion. However, he is also known for removing the putting green from the White House lawn.
George H.W. Bush
Once an 11-handicap, Bush is known for being a fast player. His maternal grandfather George Herbert Walker was president of the U.S. Golf Association and founded the Walker Cup. Bush was also inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011.
Read much more about Bush’s life and golf legacy here.
Bill Clinton
Clinton is known for being long off the tee and a huge golf nut. One time as president, he played by himself in the pouring rain at the Army Navy Country Club.
His foundation also hosted the CareerBuilder Challenge on the PGA Tour.
George W. Bush
Though he called his golf game “mediocre” in 2015, Bush is a decent stick, and like his father, is a quick player. He said he once shot 77 at Augusta National. He annually hosts the Warrior Open, a golf event benefiting wounded servicemen.
Barack Obama
Obama was the eighth lefthander to serve as president but the first to play golf. He was criticized for playing too much golf, but he is no different than other avid golfing presidents, including the current commander in chief.
Donald Trump
Trump’s relationship with golf is unlike any that of any other president. Not only does Trump play it well (he is a single-digit handicap), he plays a lot, and his company also owns many golf courses, including in the U.S., Scotland, Ireland and the United Arab Emirates. Trump has played more than 150 rounds since becoming president 22 months ago, receiving plenty of criticism for it. He often spends his weekends at Mar-a-Lago in South Florida. Since his election two years ago, Trump has played rounds with Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Lexi Thompson and Jack Nicklaus. He most recently played with Nicklaus and Woods on Feb. 2. This week, it was learned he replaced the golf simulator Barack Obama had installed in the White House, spending $50,000 of his own money to do so. His course in Bedminster, N.J., played host to the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open.
