Today’s question of the day concerns Trump and golf. Specifically, does the president cheat at golf, a sport played by some of the most ethical people around? I don’t have any empirical evidence on this one way or the other, but that won’t stop me from speculating about the answer.
I gave up playing golf decades ago due to an incurable slice and permanent incarceration in every sand trap my shots landed in. However, I have friends who play serious golf, some with single-digit handicaps. They might embellish their accounts of their greatest rounds, but none of them cheat.
You won’t find cheaters among professional golfers either. The game’s integrity depends on players being honest, and its code demands that pros self-report even possible rule violations.
Unless you write down bogus scores on your scorecard or take a mulligan whenever you think you could have hit a better shot, it’s not that easy to cheat at golf. I can only think of two ways: moving your ball to a better lie and not putting out a “gimme” putt. Undoubtedly there are more, but most would be hard to get away with in a game that’s usually played with others.
President Trump owns a golf course (actually several) and plays there often. Is that a point in favor of automatically downgrading his golf ethics? I don’t think so, and the opposite might be true. Would you be more inclined to cheat just because you were playing on your own checkerboard or pool table or tennis court (assuming you could afford one)?
So does Trump break any of the rules I named or others you can think of when he’s on the links? He is a shameless self-promoter with a narcissistic personality. One of his biggest fears is being seen as a loser (like in the 2020 election). He also tends to surround himself with sycophants. Much of the content of his speeches is exaggerated, misleading, or flat-out wrong. Why would his behavior on a golf course be any different? I mean, who is going to challenge the commander-in-chief’s version of events, even if they played in the same foursome?
If you assume that Trump does cheat at golf, the irony here is that he has a handicap of less than 3, by far the lowest of any president. Golfers with 3 handicaps don’t need to cheat, and I would argue that they don’t. They are that good at the game. All they need to do is to play (and practice) a lot. We know from the close reporting of the president’s schedule that he does both.
I did a quick Internet search looking for details about President Trump + cheating at golf. At least one reporter says he does, writing about Trump demanding a “gimme” chip-in and also declaring himself club champion without playing a competitive round. Interesting.
I’m not convinced though. There’s something about golf that brings out the honesty gene in people. For one thing, how could you enjoy playing a game that continually humbles even the greatest of players unless you battle it on its terms? I think President Trump plays so often that golf’s sacred rules are ingrained in his psyche no matter how he behaves during his political life. On the other hand, it is tempting at times to want to nudge your ball out of an unrepaired divot or not to bother with an 18-inch putt.
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