How Often Does Donald Trump Go Golfing?

How Often Does Donald Trump Go Golfing?

Virtually every U.S. president has been a fan of golfing. In fact, sometimes it seems that most presidents spend their leisure time golfing. President Donald J. Trump has not been any different. To the contrary, he has caused controversies over his ‘excessive’ indulgence in the sport.

A Long-Time Fan of Golf

Trump has been a fan of golfing for decades now. In fact, some of the most reputable golf causes in the U.S. belong to his real estate empire. He even has golf clubs in other countries including Dubai, Scotland, and Ireland. Trump has not visited any of his foreign golf clubs since he assumed office in January, but he has been a frequent visitor at his golf course that is close to his Mar-a-Lago Private Club located in Palm Beach, Florida. After all, the weather is always lovely there and every day is a good day for indulging in a round or two of the sport. 

Trump was a verbally bold critic of for U.S. President Barrack Obama’s golfing tendencies throughout his two terms in office. In one of his many tweets, Trump condemned Obama for spending a whole day playing golf in spite of the country facing many problems. However, his love for the game has already proven greater than Obama’s and many other presidents in the nation’s history. 

So, exactly how often does President Donald J. Trump indulge in a round or two of golf?

Setting a Pace

Trump had played golf over 21 times by mid-May since he assumed the office in January. Critics argue that were it not for his first trip abroad, this number would be slightly higher. This has been an average of two times every week. Many of these times have been during the weekend, but he also does it on weekdays. If he keeps up with this rate, he is expected to visit golf courses about 650 times throughout two terms of presidency.    

Trump, through his spokesman Sean Spencer, has responded to criticism of his over-indulgence in the sport with several reasons. For starters, Sean Spencer has repeatedly said that President Donald J. Trump sometimes conducts business over a game of golf. This has some truth to it considering that he once hosted the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to a game of golf while discussing on how their countries can achieve closer political and economic cooperation. Trump also hosted Kentucky Senator Rand Paul in a bid to convince him of the benefits of his proposed health care reforms. 

However, there is little doubt that most of his visits to golf courses have been for leisure. He often plays with business executives, friends, and political affiliates. For instance, his game with golf star Rory Mcllroy caused quite a stir online and on mainstream media. The two indulged in a whole game of golf for most of the day. The president and his team had kept the game under wraps, but Rory Mcllroy’s confession about it forced them to change their narrative. 

A Private Affair

President Donald J. Trump has faced great criticism over his indulgence in golf that his team has banned the White House Press pool from attending his golf games. To this end, no one knows exactly what Trump does when he is on the field, but everyone speculates that he is playing since he is a big fan of the sport. 

The White House communications team is very tight-lipped about the whole affair, but this has not stopped people from asking questions. Nevertheless, Trump is entitled to do whatever he wants with his leisure time; in fact, the criticism he receives would not be credible if he was not a vocal critic of former President Barrack Obama. However, his decision to ban the press from his games has worked against his favor as it has only caused more curiosity. 

Presidency – A Stressful Job

Being the president of the United States of America has its prestige, but it also comes with a great burden. This is all too apparent especially now that foreign policies are under threat. To this end, presidents are entitled to several hours of leisure time every week, and they are free to spend their leisure time as they please. 

In fact, some famous U.S. presidents were known to be huge fans of the sport, putting the likes of Barrack Obama and George Bush to shame. For instance, President Woodrow Wilson was an ardent player of the sport, and like Trump, he too would often discuss business over a game of golf. Other notable golf players in U.S.’s presidency history include President Dwight Eisenhower. However, only time will tell whether President Donald J. Trump will join the ranks of the likes of Eisenhower. 

So, under all the criticism, is it likely that President Donald J. Trump will tone down on his golf games? Political analysts and critics argue that it is highly unlikely, considering the president’s hard-line stance of even more controversial, and important, issues since he presumed office. In fact, they expect the number to rise as Trump goes further through his first term in office, and a likely second term.