WASHINGTON — It may not be the statistic he was looking for, but President Obama has surpassed George W. Bush — on the number of days spent on the golf course.
On Sunday, a cool, sunny day in DC, Obama played a round of golf for the 24th time in his presidency — hitting a mark it took his predecessor almost three years to reach.
At a four-hour per game average, that adds up to almost 100 hours on the links for Obama, who has been polishing his chipping and putting even while confronting a financial meltdown, an auto-industry bailout, two wars and health-care reform.
In doing so, he has rejected the stance of his predecessor, who eventually stopped playing during his presidency, concluding, “I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal.”
Obama took up the sport in the late ’90s while serving in the Illinois state legislature, partly at the urging of wife, Michelle, who was concerned about the toll Obama’s basketball regimen was taking on his body.
Since he entered the White House, Obama has regularly headed off to Fort Belvoir, Va., and Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, assembling golf foursomes to play on warm weekends.
After a July trip to Russia, when he arrived home after midnight, Obama was on the links by 1 p.m.
Obama’s golf outings were tabulated by CBS’s Mark Knoller.
Back in Illinois, former state aide Dan Shomon said Obama was bold about pursuing “bonus golf,” even during the workday.
“When the weather was nice, there was no stopping him. He was burning to play,” Shomon told Golf Digest.
As for his golfing skills, Obama usually shoots in the mid-90s, aide and frequent golfing partner Marvin Nicholson told the magazine.
“He’d be better if he could play more . . . He’s pretty long off the tee . . . very good around the greens, a real good short game.”
Vacationing this summer, Obama golfed three times in four days on Martha’s Vineyard.
He usually includes aides but has brought in a few big shots, including UBS Bank President Robert Wolf.