President Obama has set aside time to play 81 rounds of golf and attend 75 different political fundraising events since his re-election in 2012 — just over 600 days ago — a media analysis found.
The New York Post reported that if Mr. Obama keeps up the pace, he’ll double the 104 days that he spent on the golf course during his first presidential term.
The president has been dubbed by some as the golfer-in-chief, not only for his seeming frequent trips to the course, but also for his penchant for golfing at times of domestic and international chaos and crises — during the tanking of the U.S. economy, for instance, or the escalating violence in Iraq due to Islamic terror at the hands of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Critics also expressed outrage when Malaysia Flight MH17 was shot down by Russia separatists over Ukraine, and Mr. Obama right after attended two fundraisers in New York — making a few remarks about the tragedy to the crowd — and then hit the golf course three days later.
But not all see Mr. Obama’s golfing getaways as problematic.
“They criticize him for going and playing golf with people who he’s got to deal with,” said former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in the New York Post. “He should be doing that every weekend. You always can work better with somebody that you have a chance to build a social relationship with.”
At the same time, the New York Post pointed that Mr. Obama has played several rounds with those outside the political world — like pro Tiger Woods — and that he rarely includes women in his games.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.