Harper Lin
Bill Clinton is a well-known golf enthusiast, but his reputation on the green is not entirely positive. The former president has been accused of cheating at golf, with sportswriter Rick Reilly claiming that Clinton took a Mulligan on putts, chips. Clinton himself has even joked about his tendency to cheat, saying that Trump cheats when he plays, even if he doesn't need to. Despite the accusations, Clinton has received the PGA Distinguished Service Award, an award presented to outstanding individuals who display leadership and humanitarian qualities, including integrity, sportsmanship and enthusiasm for the game of golf.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Bill Clinton's reputation for cheating at golf | Widely known to be cavalier about the rules, including taking mulligans or uncounted strokes if he was displeased with his initial effort |
| Examples of cheating | In 2006, Tiger Woods described a game where Clinton "rolled one in the bushes" and then "scooped the ball up" to walk off the green, claiming a score of 3 when it should have been 4 |
| Response to the PGA of America awarding Clinton the Distinguished Service Award | Conservative talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh commented, "The guy cheats on the golf course, for one thing…I mean, of all the people." |
| Clinton's golfing ability | Clinton was believed to be a good golfer, but with a casual interpretation of the rules. |
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What You'll Learn
Bill Clinton's reputation for cheating at golf
Bill Clinton is a well-known golf enthusiast, and he has even received the PGA Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to the sport. However, he has also gained a reputation for cheating at the game. Clinton has been accused of taking "Mulligans", or do-over shots, when he is unhappy with his original stroke. This practice is frowned upon in the golfing world and has led to Clinton being accused of cheating.
Sportswriter Rick Reilly, for example, has been vocal in his criticism of Clinton's golfing ethics. In a book about presidential golfing habits, Reilly claimed that Clinton would frequently take Mulligans, even when playing with other dignitaries. He wrote that Clinton "took a Mulligan on putts, chips... I don't think Bill Clinton could've broken 100".
Clinton's cheating reputation was also alluded to by Tiger Woods, who played a round with him in 2006. Woods described how Clinton would hit several balls and then select the best one to continue with, saying: "President Clinton rolls one in the bushes, then hits another one off the tee right in the middle of the fairway... All of a sudden, he does one of these", gesturing as if scooping up a ball.
Despite the accusations, Clinton has maintained a close relationship with the golfing world. In 2003, Donald Trump welcomed Clinton to his golf club, saying, "I'm proud to have him... He's a great gentleman, a good golfer, and a wonderful guy". Clinton also played a historic round in the Coachella Valley in 1995, becoming the first sitting president to play on the PGA Tour.
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Clinton's casual interpretation of the rules
Bill Clinton is a well-known golf enthusiast, and his love for the game is well documented. However, his interpretation of the rules has been described as "casual" and has drawn criticism.
Clinton has been accused of taking liberties with the rules to gain an advantage during play. This includes taking "mulligans", or do-over shots, if he was unhappy with his first attempt. This practice is frowned upon in the golf world and considered cheating. Sportswriter Rick Reilly and Tiger Woods have both supported these claims, with Woods recounting a game where Clinton took a mulligan after a poor shot, and then walked off the green, leaving Woods sitting in the cart.
Clinton's reputation for rule-bending preceded him, and it caused issues when he was looking for a golf club to join after leaving office. Private country clubs were reluctant to accept him as a member, not only because of the security considerations but also because his reputation for rule-bending was off-putting to other members.
Despite the controversy, Clinton's love for golf continued, and he even received the PGA Distinguished Service Award, although this was not without criticism.
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Clinton's cheating compared to Trump's
Bill Clinton has been accused of cheating at golf by sportswriter Rick Reilly, who claimed that Clinton "took a Mulligan on putts, chips". Another source, Tiger Woods, recounts a game of golf with Clinton in 2006, where Clinton appeared to cheat by scooping his ball up and walking off the green, scoring himself a lower number of shots than Woods. Clinton has also been accused of cheating in his marriage, with his impeachment being the result of an extramarital affair with Monica Lewinsky.
Donald Trump has also been accused of cheating at golf, with James Patterson taking less than a second to confirm this in an interview. Trump has spent roughly 25% of his second term as president golfing. Trump has also been accused of cheating in his marriages, with allegations of affairs with pornographic actors, including Stormy Daniels, and a former Playboy model, Karen McDougal. Trump has also been accused of making false claims about his political opponents, including conspiracy theories tying the Clintons to several deaths.
While both Clinton and Trump have been accused of cheating in golf and in their marriages, the impact of these scandals appears to have been felt differently by the public. Clinton's impeachment suggests that his scandal was taken more seriously, at least in an official capacity, whereas Trump seems to have been more immune to similar allegations, perhaps due to increased political tribalism and the sheer number of scandals associated with him.
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Clinton's cheating compared to other presidents
Bill Clinton has a reputation for cheating at golf. Sportswriter Rick Reilly, who played with Clinton, claimed that Clinton "took a Mulligan on putts, chips". Clinton has also been accused of cheating by Tiger Woods, who claimed that Clinton scooped up his ball and walked off the green, claiming a score of three when the actual number of strokes was four.
Clinton's alleged cheating at golf is not the only type of cheating the former president has been accused of. Clinton is well known for his affair with Monica Lewinsky, who was a 22-year-old intern at the White House at the time. Clinton was 49 at the time, and there was a significant power imbalance between the two. Clinton was also rumoured to be in a decade-long affair with Gennifer Flowers, although he claimed it was a one-time occurrence in 1977.
Clinton is not the only US president to have been accused of cheating in golf or in their personal lives. Donald Trump has also been accused of cheating at golf by James Patterson, who claimed that Trump "cheats at the highest level". Trump has also allegedly had an affair, as have Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Gerald Ford, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Grover Cleveland.
While some presidents, like Clinton, have been vilified for their cheating scandals, others, like John F. Kennedy, have been beloved and respected by the American public despite their affairs. This discrepancy has been attributed to the fact that Kennedy was assassinated, as well as the different cultural context of the time, in which it was considered manly to cheat.
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Instances of Clinton cheating at golf
Bill Clinton was an avid golfer, but he had a reputation for playing fast and loose with the rules. One of the most notable instances of Clinton cheating at golf came from Tiger Woods, who played a round with him in 2006. According to Woods, Clinton took a mulligan after hitting his first ball into the bushes, and then scooped up his second ball with his hand when it was just a few feet from the hole, pretending to have holed out. This resulted in Clinton scoring a three on the hole, while Woods scored a four, despite Clinton's wayward shots.
Sportswriter Rick Reilly also claimed that Clinton took mulligans on putts and chips when they played together. Clinton was also accused of taking uncounted strokes if he was displeased with his initial effort. This reputation for taking mulligans was so well-known that New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman even asked Clinton about it in an interview for Golf Digest in 2000.
Clinton's cheating was not limited to taking mulligans, however. He was also known to give himself generous lies, improving his lie when it suited him. This cavalier attitude towards the rules may have been why he was criticised for receiving the PGA Distinguished Service Award, which recognises outstanding individuals who display leadership and humanitarian qualities, including integrity, sportsmanship, and enthusiasm for the game of golf.
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Frequently asked questions
Bill Clinton was known to be cavalier about the rules of golf and took uncounted strokes, or mulligans, if he was displeased with his initial effort.
A mulligan is an informal rule in golf that allows a player to replay a stroke, usually their first stroke, without counting the first stroke.
Yes, according to sportswriter Rick Reilly, Bill Clinton took mulligans on putts and chips when playing with Donald Trump.
Although Trump himself is known to cheat at golf, he remained quiet when asked about Clinton's cheating, only joking that the answer is "one yes, and one 'no comment'".
