Nina Caldwell
Former US President Barack Obama has been criticised for his frequent golfing trips, with some accusing him of prioritising golf over governing. While on a summer vacation in Martha's Vineyard in 2016, Obama played his 300th round of golf as president, a milestone that attracted media attention. Obama has been described as a competitive and leisurely golfer, spending four to five hours on the golf course per outing. He has also been criticised for golfing minutes after condemning the murder of journalist James Foley in 2014. Despite the criticism, Obama played significantly less golf than former President Trump, who spent 138% more time on the golf course during the same period in their respective terms.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of times Obama went golfing | 300 |
| Year when Obama played his 300th round of golf | 2016 |
| Number of rounds of golf played by Obama during his presidency | 98 |
| Number of rounds of golf played by Obama during his first year in office | 31 |
| Number of rounds of golf played by Obama during his second year in office | 63 |
| Number of times Obama went golfing in Hawaii | 49 |
| Number of times Obama went golfing in Martha's Vineyard | 2 |
| Number of times Obama went golfing in Kailua's Mid Pacific Country Club | 1 |
| Average time spent by Obama on the golf course | 4-5 hours |
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What You'll Learn
Obama's 300th round of golf as president
On August 7, 2016, Barack Obama played his 300th round of golf as president. He played at Farm Neck Golf Club in Oak Bluffs, on Martha's Vineyard, where the first family was vacationing. Obama's golf partners for the day included Chris Paul of the L.A. Clippers, Cy Walker, and Joe Paulsen.
Obama's love of golf is well-known, and he has been criticised for it. He has been vilified for his passion for the game, and no president has done more to keep his game a secret. Obama rarely invites women to play golf with him. On only three occasions to date, women have joined him on the links: then-White House Domestic Policy Advisor Melody Barnes, then-HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and a journalist, Thomas Friedman.
Obama is a leisurely player, spending four to five hours at the golf course during most outings. He jokes around on the links but also "understands the pressure" of the game. He is a competitive player and a serious scorekeeper. "Every shot counts," says an occasional golf partner. Obama's handicap is an "honest 13". He describes his game as follows:
> "I think my irons are good, my drive is straight but unimpressive in length, and my putting’s decent, chipping is OK."
Obama's most frequent golf partners are current and former White House aides. Trip Director Marvin Nicholson has played with him 186 times. Obama also likes to play with friends from Hawaii and Chicago, as well as sports figures like retired NBA star Alonzo Mourning, who has played with him 14 times. He rarely plays with other politicians, although he has played seven times with Vice President Biden.
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Obama's passion for golf
Barack Obama's passion for golf has been well-documented, with the former president often facing criticism for his frequent golfing outings. Obama took up the game in his mid-30s while serving as a state senator in Springfield, Illinois, at the encouragement of his wife, Michelle. She hoped that golf would offer a more gentle form of exercise compared to Obama's beloved basketball, which he had to give up as he got older.
Obama's love for the game has only grown since then, with the president averaging four to five hours on the golf course per outing. He is known to be a competitive player who takes the game seriously, keeping a meticulous score and not taking mulligans. He views golf as a sanctuary, a chance to unwind and wander around, and it also provides him with the unique opportunity to drive a motor vehicle, albeit a golf cart.
Despite some criticism, Obama has continued to indulge in his passion, playing his 100th round as president in 2012 and reaching the 300th milestone in 2016. He has been described as the most avid golfer of any president since Dwight Eisenhower, who played 800 rounds in office and installed a putting green on the White House South Lawn.
While Obama has faced scrutiny for his golfing habits, it is important to note that he is not the only president with a passion for the game. In fact, fifteen out of the past eighteen presidents have played golf, with Eisenhower, Ford, and Clinton being the most enthusiastic players. Despite keeping his golf games relatively low-key, inviting only White House staffers, Obama has still been vilified for his love of the game, perhaps due to the perception that golfing indicates a lack of dedication to presidential duties.
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Obama's golfing compared to other presidents
Barack Obama has been criticised for his frequent golfing trips, with Donald Trump claiming in 2016 that Obama played "so much golf" that he didn't have enough time to pass legislation. However, Obama's number of golfing outings pales in comparison to Trump's. During his presidency, Obama played 333 rounds of golf, or 100 rounds as of 2012, according to Mark Knoller, a White House correspondent for CBS News. By contrast, Trump had spent all or part of 248 days at a golf course by the same point in his term.
Obama's golfing habits have also been contrasted with those of George W. Bush, who played 24 times during his first three years in office and quit after launching the Iraq War. However, Bush was known to be a speed golfer, completing 18 holes in as little as 90 minutes.
Obama is said to be a competitive golfer and a serious scorekeeper, taking the game more seriously than basketball, his first love among sports. He typically spends four to five hours on the golf course, playing 18 holes. He also rarely invites women to play golf with him, with only three occasions on which women have joined him on the links.
Obama's golfing has been compared to that of former president Dwight Eisenhower, who played 800 rounds in office and installed a putting green on the South Lawn of the White House. Eisenhower played every Wednesday afternoon and Saturday morning, earning him the reputation of being a more avid golfer than Obama.
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Obama's golfing during re-election
Barack Obama has been criticised for his love of golf, and it is a sport he has played both before and during his presidency. Obama's golfing habit has been compared to that of other presidents, including Trump, who has spent more time on the golf course than Obama had at the same point in his presidency.
In 2016, Obama played his 300th round of golf as president. He is described as a "leisurely player", spending four to five hours on the golf course most outings. He is a competitive player and a serious scorekeeper, and golf is his only opportunity to drive a motor vehicle, as he drives a golf cart. Obama's golfing habit has been a source of criticism from political opponents, particularly during his re-election campaign.
Obama's golfing has been a topic of discussion and scrutiny during his re-election campaign. White House and senior campaign officials declined to discuss Obama's golf habits during this period. Obama also rejected requests to golf with wealthy contributors to raise money for the Democratic National Committee, a tactic used by Bill Clinton. Obama has kept his golfing habits relatively private, rarely playing with journalists or writers.
Obama's golfing has been the subject of criticism from political opponents, including Trump, who attacked Obama's golfing habits during his own campaign trail. Despite the criticism, Obama's passion for golf is well-known, and he has been described as the most avid golfer of any president since Dwight Eisenhower. Obama's wife, Michelle, encouraged him to take up the game, hoping it would be a more gentle activity than his previous favourite, basketball.
Obama's golfing habits during his re-election campaign were a topic of discussion and scrutiny, with some criticising his time spent on the golf course. However, compared to other presidents, Obama's golfing habits were relatively moderate, and he worked a full day in office, arriving before 10 am.
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Trump's criticism of Obama's golfing
Former US President Barack Obama has been criticised for his frequent golfing trips by none other than former US President Donald Trump. Obama, who took up golf in his mid-30s, was dubbed the "Duffer-In-Chief" by the Republican National Committee when he played his 100th round as president. Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, played 24 times during his first three years in office and gave up the game after launching the Iraq war. Bush stated, "I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf".
Obama's love for golf was well-known, and he played 300 rounds of golf during his presidency. He was often joined by old friends from Chicago and occasionally played with journalists. Obama's golfing trips were a favourite target of Trump's criticism, who, as a private citizen, tweeted about Obama's golfing habits multiple times in October 2014. Trump criticised Obama for golfing during the Ebola crisis, tweeting, "President Obama has a major meeting on the N.Y.C. Ebola outbreak, with people flying in from all over the country, but decided to play golf!". In another tweet, Trump wrote, "Can you believe that, with all of the problems and difficulties facing the U.S., President Obama spent the day playing golf. Worse than Carter".
Trump also mocked Obama for using Air Force One to campaign and for taking vacations at taxpayer expense. He claimed that Obama's struggles to pass legislation were due to excessive golfing, stating, "Everything's executive order because he doesn't have enough time because he's playing so much golf. He doesn't have enough time to convince Congress to do it. This guy plays more golf than people on the PGA Tour".
Ironically, Trump has spent significantly more time on the golf course than Obama. Through this point in his term, Obama had played 98 rounds of golf, while Trump had spent all or part of 248 days at a golf course, with 30 trips to Palm Beach, Florida, alone. Trump's golf-related carbon footprint has also been larger than Obama's, with his trips to Mar-a-Lago racking up 51,540 miles compared to Obama's 29,978 miles for his Hawaii vacations. Despite his criticisms of Obama, Trump has continued to prioritise golfing and has shown no signs of giving it up.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Obama was a keen golfer, playing 300 rounds of golf during his presidency. He was the most avid golfer of any president since Dwight Eisenhower.
Yes, Obama often played golf while on vacation. He played his 100th round as president during a summer vacation in Martha's Vineyard.
No, Obama didn't take up golf until his mid-30s, when he was a state senator in Springfield, Illinois.
Only once. He played with Thomas Friedman, an op-ed columnist for The New York Times, while on vacation in Hawaii in 2008.
No, Obama rejected requests by senior party officials to golf with wealthy contributors to raise money for the Democratic National Committee.
