President Donald Trump will be the 16th of the past 19 American presidents to play golf. And immediately upon entering office he will be the best player of the group, thanks to his current 2.8 Handicap Index and his 19 club championship victories. According to our Jaime Diaz, who twice played golf with Trump in recent years, the best part of his game is his ball-striking, although Trump himself says it's his putting.
Trump knocks John F. Kennedy from the No. 1 spot in our previous ranking of the best golf presidents. Here's how our ranking shakes out, with an assist from Don Van Natta Jr., author of the book, First Off the Tee: Presidential Hackers, Duffers, and Cheaters from Taft to Bush.
1.Donald Trump Known for his bombastic statements, his boast of winning 19 club championships isn't one of them
2.John F. Kennedy Despite chronic back pain, averaged 80
3.Dwight D. Eisenhower Installed a green outside the Oval Office; member at Augusta National
4.Gerald R. Ford Despite a clumsy image, a legitimate 80s-shooter
5.Franklin D. Roosevelt At 39, polio robbed him of a powerful golf swing
6.George W. Bush His handicap dipped under 10, post-presidency
7.George H.W. Bush Once got his handicap down to 11
8.Bill Clinton Can break 90, especially using his "Billigans"
9.Barack Obama The lefty plays hoops and golf, more than 330 rounds during his two terms.
10.Ronald Reagan Didn't play often or well (best was low 90s)
11.Warren G. Harding Struggled to break 95
12.William Howard Taft As hapless a golfer as he was a chief executive
13.Woodrow Wilson Played more than Ike but almost never broke 100
14.Richard M. Nixon He shot 79 once and quit the game
15.Lyndon B. Johnson Played with senators to secure votes for the Civil Rights Act of 1964
16.Calvin Coolidge When he vacated the White House, he left his clubs behind
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