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 (From left) George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Bob Hope and Gerald Ford teed it up at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in 1995. Southern California is a few thousand miles from the Beltway, but that hasn’t stopped a number of United States presidents from seeking out our fairways. Since William Howard Taft was in the White House, 14 of the 17 men who have held this country’s highest office have been golfers, or at least hacked it around a bit. Some grew up playing, such as the Bushes and Franklin Roosevelt. Some used the game to lobby, socialize and hone their skills, such as Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton. Some were obsessed with their swings and scores, with Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon at the head of that list. And some presidents used the game to blow off steam, such as Gerald Ford, who played a round two days after taking over the office from Richard Nixon in 1974, and Clinton, who played every Monday during his impeachment proceedings. Though the first reported visit of a president to a Southern California golf course was in 1936, when Herbert Hoover stayed with a friend at the Desert Inn in Palm Springs, the region’s connection with the Oval Office really began with Eisenhower. Ike visited the Coachella Valley several times during his presidency, including an eight-day vacation in 1959 when he used El Dorado Country Club as his headquarters. The next year he purchased a home overlooking the club.  Nixon (right) picked up the game out of necessity when he was Eisenhower’s vice president, but he played the game with great zeal and became a serious golfer who reportedly whittled his handicap index to a 12 during his time in the White House. In 1961, Nixon aced a hole at Bel-Air Country Club and, during his presidency, some local businessmen banded together to build a three-hole course at the Western White House in San Clemente. The short course proved to be Nixon’s self-proclaimed “life saver” during the dark days after his resignation. Nixon’s first public appearance after he resigned was at La Costa Resort and Spa in October 1975 for a charity fund-raiser. He also played at Pendleton Marine Memorial Golf Course during his post-presidency years and finally quit the game after breaking 80 at a course in San Clemente. Ford was an avid golfer who bought a home near Rancho Mirage’s Thunderbird Country Club in 1978, and he frequently was sighted hacking away on the desert layout during his later years. Ronald Reagan only played a few rounds of golf as president, but the former California governor played frequently before that time. As an actor, Reagan belonged to Lakeside and Hillcrest country clubs, and during his presidency, he and his wife Nancy spent the late holiday season at the Walter Annenberg estate in Rancho Mirage, where they often snuck in a round.  After his eight years in office, Reagan (right) was made an honorary member at Los Angeles Country Club and also played at Sherwood Country Club. But all those years of presidential stays, visits and rounds pale in comparison to a single day of golf in the desert in January 1995. That’s when three presidents — Ford, Clinton and George H.W. Bush — joined Bob Hope and defending champion Scott Hoch at Indian Wells Country Club during the first round of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Dave Cearley, a media consultant for the tournament since 1990, remembers the day as “pure pandemonium.” “Indian Wells isn’t built for that large of a crowd, and I don’t think the course had ever been more packed, even when the final day of the tournament has been played there,” Cearley said. Ford always played the tournament, and he and Hope asked Bush to play with them. Bush accepted three weeks before the event, but it wasn’t until Clinton — the sitting president —accepted a request a week before the event that planning and security went into high gear. “We had to erect a media center at Indian Wells just to accommodate the White House press corps,” Cearley said. “No one was allowed to park on the course, so they had to take buses in and walk a quarter mile and then go through metal detectors. There were Secret Service squads on every fairway and tons of police cars everywhere.” Cearley recalls that none of the presidents had good rounds. “Bill Clinton’s first drive went 250 yards toward the green, but about 250 yards to the right. I’ve never seen anyone hit it that far right. And I’m pretty sure President Bush hit someone.” Of the three presidents, Clinton was in full gregarious mode and “Ford always seemed to be pleasant on the course,” Cearley said. “Bush did seem a little cold … but the crowd loved it. It was just electric the whole day.” Richard Nixon photo courtesy of Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace Foundation. ALSO SEE: Which presidents were the biggest drinkers and gamblers, and who was the best golfer? |
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