It’s too bad that the modern political season is longer than ski and golf seasons combined. Since we’re stuck in it for a while and we've got 9 days till the BOYNE courses open, you might want to check out:

First Off The Tee. Presidential Hackers, Duffers and Cheaters from Taft to Bush by Don Van Natta Jr.
It’s a few years old, but it chronicles America’s golfing presidents.  Their approaches to golf gave very telling insights into the underpinnings of their administrations. Some of the read is a snooze, but the high points more than make up for it. Gerald Ford was a good friend of BOYNE and the book shows how he used golf to steady himself as he worked to heal a wounded nation. Bill Clinton, on the other hand was the inspiration for the book and a new golf term- The Billigan.

This year’s crop of candidates is lean on golfers. Still, their relationships to the game give some insight.
Barack Obama is the only golfer of record. He started golfing and playing poker in the mid 90’s so he could bond with his congressional colleagues. Reports list him as a 16 handicap, otherwise his golf persona is vague and ill-defined. 

John McCain is quoted as hating golf, preferring “real sports like football” instead. I bet he ripped that stance right out of his “What Would Teddy Roosevelt Do?” playbook. BULLY!

Hillary Clinton doesn’t appear to have any affinity for the game.  Can you blame her? Why would you want to get into another arena where your husband is a legendary cheater?

Read the book and you’ll have plenty of conversation fodder for cocktail parties and between-shot banter this summer.

-JJ