Donald Trump, 80, recently declared himself the winner of both the super senior and senior divisions at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey. A video posted on August 2 showed Trump receiving a trophy for his claimed victory, where he reportedly shot a 70, two strokes under the club's par of 72 for its two courses.
Following the event, Trump took to social media to celebrate his win, attaching the video and stating, "The Winning Shot in the Bedminster Club Championship! Thank you very much to all of those who participated. I won with a score of 70, and am so honored in that, unlike the rest of the field, I’m given very little time to practice, because I’m focused on many other things. It’s called TALENT, and I have it, and they don’t!" During the trophy presentation, a fan could be heard exclaiming, "The president of the United States. The super senior and the senior, he won both. He won both. That's amazing. Best president of my lifetime."
This latest victory adds to Trump's claim of having won at least 40 club championships, a figure that has often been met with skepticism given his long-standing reputation for alleged cheating on the golf course. Claims of alleged cheating have been extensively documented, including in the 2019 book "Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump."
The book details various alleged infractions, stating, "Trump doesn’t just cheat at golf. He throws it, boots it, and moves it. He lies about his lies. He fudges and foozles and fluffs." It was also recounted that caddies at Winged Foot, where Trump is a member, reportedly nicknamed him 'Pele' due to his alleged habit of kicking his ball back onto the fairway.
A notable incident occurred in 2023 at Trump International West Palm Beach, where members arriving for the final round of their Senior Club Championship were surprised to find Trump's name atop the leaderboard, despite him not having played the first round. Trump had reportedly played a round earlier that week, claimed a good score, and decided to apply it to the first round of the championship. He later called the tournament win a "great honor" on social media, adding that "he was hitting the ball long and straight." The claim of 40+ championships has been contrasted with knowledge of the best players at that level, who reportedly had won eight.
It was further revealed that Trump allegedly stated he plays the first club championship by himself whenever he opens a new golf course, declares himself the champion, and then places his name on the wall. "But it’s usually just him and Melania in the cart and nobody else," it was stated, adding, "He just makes it up."
Despite these allegations, Trump has been a frequent presence on the golf course. Estimates from multiple trackers suggest he golfed approximately 22% of his second presidency. According to Trump Golf Track, he played 124 days in his second term, with other days visiting properties where his golfing status was unconfirmed. Another website, "Did Trump Golf Today," using his public schedule, calculated his golfing days at 125.
Regarding his skill, Trump claimed last fall to have a "very low handicap." Hall of Famer Ernie Els witnessed a hole-in-one by Trump in 2022 at West Palm Beach. Els, when previously asked to assess Trump's game, stated, "He can really strike the ball. He makes good contact. He's got a good swing. Like any amateur, you got to do the short game practice. I keep talking to him about his chipping. He's a pretty good putter. Back in his day, he had to be a 4- or 5-handicap. Today, he's probably a 10, 12." Trump has played with many top golfers, including Jack Nicklaus, Els, Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka.
Jack Nicklaus commented in 2020 that "President Trump plays pretty well, not bad at all." Brooks Koepka also noted, "I think he's actually a pretty good putter. He had a lot of good putts today that just didn't go in." During a Pro-Am at Doral, Trump paused between holes to ask, "Where are the golf writers? What do you think? Trump is pretty good, isn't he?" Later, when asked about his own game, Trump asserted, "I hit it straight, I hit good drives, I hit good irons."
Trump has allegedly won at least 40 club championships. Reilly once said the best player at that level he knows had won eight.
Tom D'Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.
