Harper Lin
Former US President Barack Obama has been criticized for his frequent golf outings during his presidency, with some arguing that it was inappropriate given the various national emergencies and challenges faced by the country during his tenure. Obama played an estimated 333 rounds of golf during his eight years in office, including during the announcement of the H1N1 pandemic and after delivering a statement on the death of American journalist James Foley. Obama's golfing habits were a target of criticism from conservative critics and his successor, Donald Trump, who himself faced backlash for his frequent golf outings during his presidency.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of rounds of golf played during his administration | 300+ |
| Number of rounds of golf played during the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion | 7 |
| Number of rounds of golf played during his vacation on Martha's Vineyard | 8 |
| Number of rounds of golf played during his presidency | 333 |
| Number of rounds of golf played during the announcement of H1N1 | Not clear |
| Number of rounds of golf played during the beheading of journalist James Foley | 1 |
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What You'll Learn
Obama played golf during the announcement of H1N1
Barack Obama played golf during his presidency, and his golfing habits have been criticised by many, including former President Donald Trump. Obama played golf during several national emergencies, including the announcement of H1N1.
Obama played golf with colleagues during the announcement of the H1N1 virus. At the time, the World Health Organization (WHO) had already declared it a pandemic, and a thousand Americans had died. However, Obama did not declare H1N1 a national emergency until four months later.
Obama's golfing during this time of crisis drew criticism from various quarters. Trump, a keen golfer himself, was a staunch critic of Obama's golfing habits, despite playing more golf in his first 100 days than Obama did during his entire presidency. Between 2011 and 2016, Trump tweeted at least 27 times criticising Obama for playing golf during serious national issues.
Obama's defenders, however, argued that golfing helped him clear his mind and ease the stress of his job. White House spokesman Eric Schultz said that "sports and leisure activities are a good way for release and clearing of the mind for a lot of us".
Obama played an estimated 333 rounds of golf during his eight years as president, which equates to once every 8.77 days. He played at least seven times after the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion in April 2010 and eight rounds during a two-week vacation on Martha's Vineyard in 2014.
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Obama played golf after the Deepwater Horizon explosion
Former US President Barack Obama has faced criticism for his frequent golf outings during his presidency. Obama played at least seven rounds of golf after the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion on April 20, according to media reports.
Obama's passion for golf has been a popular target of conservative critics, including his successor, Donald Trump, who frequently attacked him for golfing during times of tragedy and disaster from 2011 to 2016. Trump argued that Obama's golfing was inappropriate given the challenges facing the country, such as the beheading of journalist James Foley by Islamic State militants.
Despite the criticism, Obama continued to play golf regularly during his presidency, reportedly playing over 300 rounds in total. He has defended his golfing habits as a way to clear his mind and ease the stress of his job. Obama's aides have also defended him, stating that he continued to work and stay on top of world events even while taking time off.
Obama's golfing habits have sparked a debate about the work-life balance of the president and the importance of leisure activities for stress relief. While some critics argue that his golfing outings were inappropriate during times of national emergencies, others have noted that all presidents have engaged in golf and that Obama is far from the most frequent golfer among them.
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Obama played golf after James Foley's execution
Barack Obama faced criticism for playing golf after addressing the beheading of US journalist James Foley by Islamic State militants. Obama delivered a sombre statement on the death, and then proceeded directly to a golf course to play 18 holes. The New York Daily News criticised Obama for this, showing a picture of the smiling president in a golf cart, while Foley's parents grieved over their son. Obama later admitted that playing golf after Foley's death was a mistake, and that he should have anticipated the "optics".
Obama played around 333 rounds of golf during his eight years as president, which equates to once every 8.77 days. This has been a popular target of conservative critics, including Donald Trump, who himself played golf frequently during his presidency. Trump tweeted at least 27 times between 2011 and 2016, criticising Obama for playing golf during serious national issues.
Despite the criticism, defenders of Obama's golfing habits note that it is important for the president to have some time to relax during vacations, which are frequently interrupted by crises. Obama's defenders also point out that the issues facing the country capture the president's attention, even while on vacation.
Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, went even longer than Obama before playing golf as commander-in-chief. Obama's golfing has also been compared to that of former president Woodrow Wilson, who played more than 1,200 rounds from 1913 to 1921.
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Obama played golf while on vacation during his presidency
During his presidency, Barack Obama played approximately 333 rounds of golf, which equates to one round every 8.77 days and more than 1,100 hours in total. Obama played golf while on vacation during his presidency, including during a two-week break on Martha's Vineyard in August 2014, where he played eight rounds. This vacation came at a time when the US was facing several crises, including the advance of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, racial unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, the Ukraine crisis, and the Gaza crisis.
Obama's golfing habits during his presidency were a frequent target of criticism, particularly from conservative critics and his successor, Donald Trump. Trump, himself a keen golfer, criticised Obama at least 27 times on Twitter between 2011 and 2016 for playing golf during serious national issues. Trump also released a video on Instagram in 2015, splicing footage of the execution of American photojournalist James Foley by Islamic State militants with a picture of Obama smiling in a golf cart.
Despite the criticism he received, Obama defended his golfing as a way to clear his mind and ease the stress of his job. White House spokesman Eric Schultz supported Obama, stating that "sports and leisure activities are a good way for release and clearing of the mind for a lot of us". Obama's defenders also pointed out that he continued to work while on vacation, taking communications equipment and advisers with him and remaining in close contact with other world leaders.
Obama is not the only US president to have faced scrutiny for playing golf during his time in office. Trump, despite his criticisms of Obama, played almost as many times in a four-year term as Obama did in eight years and played six times in his first month in office during the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, former President George W. Bush faced backlash for his response to a suicide bombing in Israel in 2002, when he was on a golf course.
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Obama played more golf as president than George W. Bush
Barack Obama played golf more than 300 times during his eight years as president, which equates to roughly 333 rounds of golf. This means he played golf once every 8.77 days, with one source stating that he played 31 rounds in his first year as president. Obama played golf during many national emergencies, including at least seven times since the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion on April 20. He also played eight rounds of golf while on a two-week vacation on Martha's Vineyard.
Obama's golfing habits were a popular target of conservative critics, including Donald Trump, who tweeted at least 27 times between 2011 and 2016 criticizing Obama for playing golf during serious national issues. Trump stated that "Obama ought to get off the golf course" and that "he's played more golf than most people on the PGA tour". However, Trump played golf almost as many times in a four-year, pandemic-impacted term as Obama did in eight years. Trump has also played more golf than Obama during their first two years in office, with Trump playing 75 rounds in his first year and 63 in his second, compared to Obama's 31 in his first year.
While the number of times George W. Bush played golf during his presidency is unclear, he stopped playing in 2003 during the second Iraq War. Bush stated that he did not want to send the wrong signal to the families of fallen soldiers by playing golf during a time of war. Obama, on the other hand, waited four months into his presidency before his first golf outing as commander-in-chief. This indicates that Obama played golf more frequently than Bush, as Bush waited even longer than Obama to begin playing golf during his presidency.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Obama played golf during national emergencies.
Obama played golf at least seven times since the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion on April 20. He also played eight rounds of golf while on a two-week vacation.
Yes, Obama faced criticism from both sides of the political spectrum for golfing during national emergencies. He was attacked by former Vice President Dick Cheney and left-leaning blogger Ezra Klein, who said it was in bad taste.
Obama played an estimated 333 rounds of golf during his eight years as president, which equates to approximately one round every 8.77 days.
