Golfers in Chief: Politics on the Green

It is not news that much of the negotiations that determine the future of the nation start on a golf course. It is between holes that politicians from all sides feel more comfortable to express their ideas. Golfing seems to be the favorite pastime of presidents. Fifteen out of eighteen elected presidents were active golf players. It is such a remarkable presence that many have decided on an unofficial ranking of "Golfers in Chief". 

• Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) was the president that played the most rounds. He used to play around the White House with his good friend Dr. Cary T. Grayson practically everyday. Despite the regularity of his practice he was not a very good player, barely breaking 100.
• Richard Nixon (1969-1974) took up golfing mostly as a way to engage with President Eisenhower. Even taking a serious approach to the sport, almost as an obligation of his position, he was not a very talented golfer.
• Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) was a good athlete. However the demands of the time limited his practice to new year's eve in his private course in California.
• Barack Obama (2008-2016) even having basketball as he favorite sport, president Obama doesn't disappoint on the golf course. As a left handed player he is nothing more than an average player, playing primarily at public courses.
• George H.W.Bush (1989-1993) and George W. Bush (2001-2009) coming from a long lineage of players, the Walker descendents are proud to be connected to former president of the US Golf Association and founder of the Walker cup.
• Bill Clinton (1993-2001) with a solid game, the 42nd president is on the top 5 president players. His passion for the sport didn't translate in passion for the rules though.
• Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945) although he didn't play a single round while president, due to his paralysis, he was an avid player when younger. He was known to enjoy a tee often at his family's summer home in Maine.
• Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961) played more than 800 rounds in his eight years in office. during a time of prosperity and peace he help popularize the sport along with Arnold Palmer.
• Gerald Ford (1974-1977) is considered on of the best athletes to be president. His powerful game outdrove famous playing partners during rounds. His wild game made him also famous for hitting spectators.
• John F. Kennedy (1961-1963) was, undoubtedly the best player among presidents. Even with his physical limitations due to a bad back and Addison's Disease. Although a talented golfer he chose to play less often than his predecessor,Eisenhower,  whose love for the game as seen as a political liability.

Throughout periods of peace and war, internal crisis or international conflict, a good tee has kept our presidents at ease. So next time you invite someone for a round at Harbour Ridge, draw inspiration from the "golfers in chief" that enjoy the sport. 

Follow our Golfing Presidents Board on Pinterest for historical pictures of presidents playing golf.

The Great Arnold Palmer

In 1958 at the Augusta, Georgia Masters Tournament, Arnold Palmer became the youngest tournament champion of that time and ranked as the highest paid golfer for that year. Over the next five years Palmer rose to become the world’s best golfer, experiencing insurmountable levels of success. He gained 29 titles and over $400,000 in prize money. He continued blazing his trail for success and capturing four wins at the Masters Tournament in 1958,1960, 1962 and 1964. In 1968 he became the first golfer to surpass $1 million dollars in purse winnings. Palmer's early life was defined by great triumphs and great trials. Learn more about the early years of Arnold Palmer in this detailed biography.

Arnold Daniel Palmer was born on September 10, 1929, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. The son of a golf pro, Palmer picked up the sport as a toddler after his father, Milfred J. "Deacon" Palmer, shortened a set of regulation clubs so that his son could use them. The game came easily to Palmer, and by the time he was 17, he'd already captured two state interscholastic championships. He eventually earned a golf scholarship to Wake Forest University, where he won three Atlantic Coast Conference Championships. But Palmer's life took an unexpected and tragic turn in 1950, when his close friend and teammate, Bud Worsham, was killed in a car accident. His death so rattled Palmer that he quit college his senior year and joined the U.S. Coast Guard, embarking on a three-year hiatus from golf. By 1954, however, Palmer had returned to the game and quickly resumed his old form. That year, he won the second of two consecutive Ohio Amateur Championships as well as the U.S. Amateur title. By the fall of 1954, he'd turned pro.

— Arnold Palmer Bio

Palmer known throughout the world of golf for both his experience and wisdom, has shaped the career of many up and coming golfers. Read his wise words captured below by Golf Digest.

"How do we make the game of golf accessible again to regular people? That's a hell of a question. For one thing, the pros have to do a better job of connecting with the fans. I see players and I wonder sometimes when they ignore the press why they're not interested. It may be that the money just came too easy for them. ... It's something that I tried to create -- the money, the purses -- and it may be working a little in reverse. Players need to remember they didn't make golf. Golf made them."

— Arnold Palmer