How Good a Golfer is President Trump?

When asked by a reporter what his handicap was, President Trump responded, “very low.”    For a man whose use of superlatives is typically excessive, his reply could be viewed as both modest and vague.  The reporter did not know that handicaps vary by golf course and by the tee set selected. This means a player of moderate ability could have a low handicap (e.g., a player with a 10.0 Handicap Index would have a 5 Course Handicap from the red tees at Trump National, Jupiter).  So how good is the President?  There are three ways to evaluate his skill level: swing analysis, posted scores, and eyewitness testimony.

Swing Analysis - The President has posted a video of his swing on Truth Social.  To the casual observer, the swing looks like a before picture on a YouTube instructional video.  You can almost hear the YouTube analyst saying “the President takes his club too far inside which prevents the club from getting past shoulder high.  This can be fixed by purchasing and following my Five Steps to Winning Golf.”  Admittedly, there are some unorthodox swings (Jim Furyk, Lee Trevino, and Moe Norman) that have been very successful.  Maybe the President’s swing fall into that category, but that would take a leap of faith.

Posted Scores - The posted scores of a player can be found on United States Golf Association’s Golf Handicap Information Network (GHIN).   The President (or more correctly the Trump Organization) owns golf courses in New Jersey, New York, California, Washington D, C., Florida, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina.  The President does not maintain a Handicap Index in California, Pennsylvania, North Carolia, Washington D.C or Florida.  The absence of a Florida Handicap Index is curious since Eric, Ivanka, and Kai Trump have Index files at Trump National in Jupiter Florida.  It is all the more puzzling since the President has bragged of recently winning the Senior Club Championship at this course.

The President does maintain a handicap under the same GHIN number at Winged Foot in New York and the National Golf Club in New Jersey.  His Handicap Index is listed as 2.5.  This would be impressive except for the President not posting a score since 6/2021 and the fact that his eight best scores (i.e. those used in calculating his Handicap Index) were posted between 2011 and 2016.  

Eyewitness Testimony – There are many who have played golf with the President but have wisely remained mum or non-judgmental about his game.  John Daly said the President had a decent game but that could mean about anything.  A press pool reporter is assigned to follow the President when he plays golf.  That reporter is probably told to restrict coverage to assassination attempts and not include the President’s score.  The members at the Jupiter Club must have a good idea of the President’s prowess—especially those members he allegedly defeated on his way to the Senior Club Championship.  Perhaps because they value continued membership in the club, defeated members have also chosen to remain silent.   

Conclusion –. There are three conclusions that can be drawn: 1) The President’s failure to post scores makes his claim of a low handicap suspect and impossible to verify, 2) The President was an accomplished golfer ten years ago, and 3).  History will not judge the President on his Handicap Index, so his self-evaluation of his golfing ability is of little importance.