Rory McIlroy and Donald Trump by Sky Sports
Donald Trump and Golf are forever making headlines. Often for his business interest through the many golf courses under his brand Trump and of late about how many rounds he is playing since in the White House.
Either ways, there’s one thing you have got to give the guy – he has always loved the sport. There is no pretence in it. He has long desired to host Majors on his golf courses. But how did he start and how far has he come with the sport? What all has it meant for him, his corner office and now his Presidential office?
LOVE FOR THE SPORT
- He genuinely loves the sport
- He wasn’t born with a swing, he had not be introduced to the sport until he was late into college at Wharton. He was mainly into baseball and football. Trump’s first opportunity came when he made friends at Wharton School of Finance at University of Pennsylvania who loved golf. And that’s how it all began.
- His love for golf has been further linked to his love for growing his real estate empire
- And Trump’s real estate empire has a lot to thank golf. “I started off in Palm Beach. It’s complicated, but essentially I won that land in a lawsuit, 600 acres, and I said, What am I gonna do now? And I said, I’m gonna build a great golf course”
OTHER GAMES
- He played prep-school football, soccer and baseball at New York Military Academy, winning the Coaches and MVP awards while captaining the baseball team.
- For him golf is a game of instinct, not technique
- Trump plays to his strengths, swinging the club using his most natural motion. “I try to keep it simple,” reported an article in Golf.com
- According to Golfweek, Trump owns or manages about 18 golf courses
BECOMING PRESIDENT
- When he became President, he played golf on the 18th day of his office.
- An article in the Golf Digest global edition quoted Trump talking about learning from Ben Hogan
“For me, it’s all about the hips,” Trump said while walking down the fairway. “Just get them out of the way as fast and as hard as I can and let the arms really swing through. I read about the hips a long time ago in Ben Hogan’s book, and it became my simple key, and I’ve stayed with it. It might look a little crazy, but the more I clear, the straighter I hit it.”
PEOPLE HE HAS PLAYED WITH
- Among the prominent people Donald Trump has played with since taking office : Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Rory McIlroy — as confirmed by NoLayingUp.com — Clear Sports CEO Garry Singer, and former Yankee Paul O’Neill. It’s the third weekend he’s played golf in a row, according to Bloomberg.
- Trump in the past has made awkward comments about golf forcing the many tour bodies to distance themselves from his statements.
“I think I’m in a minority, but I feel differently about golf. I feel golf should be an aspirational game, something people aspire to. People should come to golf, golf shouldn’t come to them.” …
- Tiger Woods who has played golf with Donald Trump went on record to says his swing is pretty good for a 70-year old. “We both enjoyed the bantering, bickering and needling,” he wrote. “I also shared my vision for golf and what I’m trying to do.”
- He’s a good player, and, even without adjusting for his age, he’s probably the best of the many golfers who have been President of the United States – David Owen in the New Yorker
Share
