Master Index of Archived Threads


Golf and Power

Edgy DC Aug 16 2011 12:25 PM

I don't golf. If you do, that's great. But something stupid bothers me. Why is every president not only a golfer, but must be seen to be a golfer? Why is the golf course one of the few place they are ever shown to be genial with their ideological opponents. It could just be a cart/horse thing: golf is largely composed of rich, powerful, boring, white guys, and so is politics. But it seems to be a carefully composed, if very small, part of all their images. But who rally gives a crap? If we had a president who more or less thought, "I more or less like the game, but I can take or leave it, and I don't think I'll be getting out to the links in the next four years," would the world shift on its axis? Is it about representing the American dream by getting acess to these excusive courses? Does the USGA just have this awesome lobbying arm that keeps this tradition alive --- that ensures that presidents cooperate in depicting golf as this great American (Scottish) game where powerful men of business and diplomacy can broker deals of substance?

Ceetar Aug 16 2011 12:38 PM Re: Golf and Power

do people broker deals at golf courses anymore? I wasn't aware there was some vast presidential connection. I don't golf. I'd like to.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 16 2011 01:01 PM Re: Golf and Power

I want a Whiffle-ball playing president myself

Edgy DC Aug 16 2011 01:10 PM Re: Golf and Power

"And in other news, President Van Rykoff sat down with Majority Leader Sweeney for a game of Strat-o-Matic Baseball. Little of the discord over last week's hotly contested ratification of the Pan-Pacific Trade Agreement was in evidence as the president pitted his 1970 Orioles against the senator's 1908 Cubs. Spokespersons for both leaders declined to say who won, with the president merely stating that 'good pitching beats good hitting, and vice versa' and the senator jokingly hinting about loaded dice. The political rivals said they planned on replaying the 1980 World Series at Camp David later this summer as they hammer out the final language on the re-authorization of the ESEA."

Vic Sage Aug 16 2011 02:08 PM Re: Golf and Power

as usual, George Carlin had something to say on the subject: golf and homelessness... at about the 2:40 mark, if you want to skip ahead http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbSRCjG-VLk "Did you ever watch golf on television... its like watching flies fuck." and Robin Williams had some things to say, too -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcnFbCCg ... re=related

Frayed Knot Aug 16 2011 03:27 PM Re: Golf and Power

Yeah, in general I think it's the middle-aged, rich-guy demographic that synchs it up with the office like it does with corporate offices. There was a book out on Presidential golf a couple of years ago. IIRC only Carter and I think it was Truman did not golf among those starting around Taft. Even Roosevelt played prior to his illness. The others played to varying degrees and proficiency. Eisenhower was the symbol of Presidential golfers. When running to succeed him Kennedy widely criticized Ike for playing too much - and then proceeded to play even more often (and considerably better) when he was in office although took great pains to hide it (with the usual cooperation from the press) lest his his characterization of the sport as an elitist Republican game sound hollow while letting his privileged youth roots shine through. Clinton, not surprisingly, cheated and/or fudged his score like a sumbitch.

Edgy DC Aug 16 2011 05:53 PM Re: Golf and Power

It just seems like some of these guys could take the game or leave it, and certainly could find better things to do with their small amount leisure time while running the free world, but it seems to be a requirement like the State of the Union --- that they have to invite the press on the ilnks at least once a year, and they have to golf with an opponent.

metirish Aug 16 2011 06:21 PM Re: Golf and Power

I'm trying to think if this is something European leaders do, and other world leader types? I'm coming up with no on the Euros anyway.

DocTee Aug 16 2011 06:26 PM Re: Golf and Power

I think it's because golf is played at a leisurely pace. In the span of 18 holes, they can still converse about matters of state, to the press or to their partners-- not easily done while running a marathon, playing racquetball, or racing automobiles. Bowling probably affords the same opportunity, and would probably resonate with Joe the Voter, too. You want to look relaxed without looking too relaxed I guess, and golf allows that.

metsmarathon Aug 16 2011 06:51 PM Re: Golf and Power

he's the commander in chief... of the military. he pretty much has to play golf.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Aug 16 2011 07:27 PM Re: Golf and Power

Then why not converse over a nice game of chess? Or Stratego? Or Battleship?

Fman99 Aug 16 2011 07:52 PM Re: Golf and Power

I'm more surprised that a former president would play golf with Rutger Hauer.

Frayed Knot Aug 16 2011 08:01 PM Re: Golf and Power

GHW Bush is a well-known speed golfer. Get out of the cart, whack the ball, speed off again and get the round in in under two hours. I like to play with him.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Aug 16 2011 08:04 PM Re: Golf and Power

Fman99 wrote: I'm more surprised that a former president would play golf with Rutger Hauer. /Clapping at my monitor

Edgy DC Aug 16 2011 08:28 PM Re: Golf and Power

Frayed Knot wrote: GHW Bush is a well-known speed golfer. Get out of the cart, whack the ball, speed off again and get the round in in under two hours. I like to play with him. Yeah, that's my kind of president --- at least in that regard. More or less liked the game, but could never wrap himself around the waste of time that it represented. I figured sooner or later somebody might say, you know, while representating the people, I probably shouldn't be spending my leisure time being seen doing something out of reach for most of them --- yachting, powerboating, golfing.* Like Kennedy, and certainly with Obama's critics, it's said it often enough about the guys across the aisle. Now he's got opinonmakers from his own party begging him not to go to Martha's Vineyard. * Maybe this was Jimmy Carter. Did he really not golf? The only shot I found of him on the links was clearly photoshopped.

sharpie Aug 16 2011 08:53 PM Re: Golf and Power

Jimmy Carter liked to play softball. He pitched if I recall.

Willets Point Aug 17 2011 07:22 AM Re: Golf and Power

Edgy DC wrote: Now he's got opinonmakers from his own party begging him not to go to Martha's Vineyard. Since my non-prosperous family took multiple summer vacations to Martha's Vineyard when I was growing up I would not chalk that up as someplace elite and out of touch. In fact, Oak Bluffs has a long history of being a summer vacation spot for African-American families so Obama could be said to be tapping in to the Black American experience.

Edgy DC Aug 17 2011 07:26 AM Re: Golf and Power

I'm not really trying to suggest it's a particularly fair or unfair criticism.

Willets Point Aug 17 2011 07:29 AM Re: Golf and Power

Edgy DC wrote: I'm not really trying to suggest it's a particularly fair or unfair criticism. I wasn't saying you were. I am saying it's unfair criticism.

Frayed Knot Aug 17 2011 08:05 AM Re: Golf and Power

Edgy DC wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: GHW Bush is a well-known speed golfer. Get out of the cart, whack the ball, speed off again and get the round in in under two hours. I like to play with him. Yeah, that's my kind of president --- at least in that regard. More or less liked the game, but could never wrap himself around the waste of time that it represented. I figured sooner or later somebody might say, you know, while representating the people, I probably shouldn't be spending my leisure time being seen doing something out of reach for most of them --- yachting, powerboating, golfing.* Like Kennedy, and certainly with Obama's critics, it's said it often enough about the guys across the aisle. Now he's got opinonmakers from his own party begging him not to go to Martha's Vineyard.] Candidate John Kerry had that wind-surfing photo-op that, to some, painted him as an elitist. Sometimes the minutia of what people pay attention to amazes me. And then there was the time when Clinton took a sort of 'eco-vacation' vacation out west, a "decision", it turned out, that was the result of a focus study which determined it would put him in good with the enviro-voter crowd. Problems came up when, coming off a photo-op, a long-distance camera/mike caught him berating an aide for making him go on this shitty trip and not even getting a bump in the polls from it.

Willets Point Aug 17 2011 08:20 AM Re: Golf and Power

Frayed Knot wrote: Sometimes the minutia of what people pay attention to amazes me. I don't remember that Clinton story but I totally agree with what FK says about minutia. Take the so-called "Dean Scream" that supposedly showed that Howard Dean was insane and completely unsuitable for the Democratic nomination. I heard a lot about it before I ever saw it and when I did it looked exactly like a typical political candidate trying to rally his followers and didn't get what the BFD was. Same goes for the John Kerry "clean suit" and Mike Dukakis tank photos. These things seem so insignificant to me (especially compared to things like say, policy and legislative initiatives) yet they're treated as "game changers."

Frayed Knot Aug 17 2011 08:48 AM Re: Golf and Power

There are still some in the press corps who treat the Dukakis/tank photo as THE singular no-dissent-permitted moment which changed the result of an election. Yes he looked stupid, but to believe that that one shot caused a 60/40 steamrolling in an election months down the road is a really sorry case of insular thinking.

HahnSolo Aug 17 2011 09:30 AM Re: Golf and Power

Nice pic of Nixon doing the Steve Urkel thing on the links.

metirish Aug 17 2011 09:39 AM Re: Golf and Power

The "Dean Scream" IIRC was doctored to make him sound so much louder than the background noise.I liked that guy a lot too, even now he's hardly heard from.

Edgy DC Aug 17 2011 09:53 AM Re: Golf and Power

A lot of people eager to get at Bush, got behind him early, when he was the first guy in the race. He showed a lot of foresight (and helped set up Obama's later victory) by building a base of volunteers and fundraising online. Tons of important folks endorsed him really early in the process. When the moneyed Kerry and the well-organized Edwards beat him in Iowa, it really confused a lot of folks about what to do. They've already backed this guy and he lost the first round. Him looking bad gave bandwagoners an excuse to jump ship. But let's talk golf. And power. What's the deal with that?

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Aug 17 2011 10:24 AM Re: Golf and Power

Well, it's a way of looking active/vital with minimal risk of looking like a fool with one's pants/hands/patoot on the ground (as with, say, softball, tennis, or skiing... or even bowling). It's tough enough to do so that being good at it is a nice demonstration of prowess, but being bad at it is something most golfin' folk (or golfin'-pic-lookin' folk) wouldn't necessarily disparage or disdain. A bad softball hitter looks like a shmuck; a bad skiier looks like a suicidal shmuck. But a bad golfer looks like us, frustrated and peeved and off by mere inches.

metirish Aug 17 2011 10:28 AM Re: Golf and Power

Edgy DC wrote: But let's talk golf. And power. What's the deal with that? Both are exclusive?

Frayed Knot Aug 17 2011 11:03 AM Re: Golf and Power

I guess one thing about Obama and golf that ticks off at least a few of his would-be supporters is that, being younger than most presidents and certainly blacker than all of them, his embrace of basketball was seen as 'cool' and 'youthful' while golf resides on the opposite end of the sports spectrum. It's like that by hitting the links he's shown himself too willing to embrace the "other" side, something which looks symbolic for those who believe he's too willing to embrace the other political side when convenient. Just a theory - and by 'theory' I mean something that just popped into my head.

Rockin' Doc Aug 17 2011 07:42 PM Re: Golf and Power

I believe that much of one's power in golf comes from a full shoulder turn and maintaining good width at the top of the backswing.