Donald Trump doesn’t belong in golf, reader says
I am a lifelong Republican. As a retired science teacher, I believe in facts, evidence and peer-reviewed results. As a retired high school golf coach, I would like to take a more golf-centric look at why golf should divest itself of President Donald Trump (“Golf needs to take stand against Donald Trump,” Jan. 8).
I picked up golf at 14 when we moved and my new best friend’s father offered to teach me the game. Before he began any lessons on actually playing golf, he had me join him and his golfing buddies for 3-4 rounds of play. He wanted me to understand the nuances of the game’s spirit. He taught me to respect the game, to respect the course, and most importantly, respect your competitors. I saw the friendly banter of good friends; I saw fellows calling penalties on themselves; I saw them raking leftover footprints in a bunker, searching the green for unrepaired ball marks while waiting to putt and so many things that make the game great. That is how I play the game 53 years later, and those are the kinds of things I felt duty-bound to instill in the kids who played for me.
At our school’s annual sports banquet, I began each year’s golf presentation with some aspect of the following remark, “Many people think that golf builds one’s character. The truth is that golf reveals one’s character, and it is in the crucible of competition where that is most obvious.”
I recently finished reading “Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump,” by the noted sportswriter Rick Reilly. The book presents some pretty compelling evidence, much of it corroborated, which in no uncertain terms shows President Donald Trump to be a cheat, a bully and a liar. He is a disgrace to the game. What was more enlightening was the number of people who implicitly condoned his behavior: business moguls, sports celebrities, golf professionals. People who worked for him did so in fear for their jobs. Celebrities and such did so because they liked to be treated obsequiously by Trump, and it was just “Donald being Donald.” Nonsense.
In my group of golfing buddies, there are two folks who cheated. The serial cheater eventually left our group when it became obvious that no one wanted to play with him. The other fellow cheated once and was caught red-handed and never cheated again. However, when one of the guys wants to bust his hump, they repeat an epithet linked to the event, from more than 30 years ago, that cuts him like a knife.
The PGA of America did the right thing in pulling the 2022 PGA Championship from Trump National Golf Club Bedminster. Golf does not need Trump, the Trump family nor the Trump Organization. I agree with the call to boycott all of Trump’s courses (“From the Morning Read inbox,” Jan. 11). When the losses become untenable, he will sell, leaving golf behind.
Stephen Cooney
Pottstown, Pa.
Trump’s courses fall short of major-championship quality
I agree with Alex Miceli that the 2022 PGA Championship should be taken away from Trump National Golf Club Bedminster and that none of President Donald Trump’s U.S. courses should be included in the U.S. Open or PGA rotation (“Golf needs to take stand against Donald Trump,” Jan. 8).
But I agree with Miceli for a non-political reason: Trump’s courses are not major-championship quality.
Only the U.S. Open, PGA and possibly the FedEx Cup playoffs are played on different courses. There are dozens of venues in the U.S. that are better than Trump courses.
The PGA shouldn’t be applauded for taking it away. The PGA should be questioned for giving it to Trump in the first place.
But since Miceli and the readers want to inject politics and Trump into this discussion (“From the Morning Read inbox,” Jan. 11), I’ll add my opinion. Don’t blame Trump; blame Hillary Clinton for running the worst presidential campaign in the history of politics. Had she run even a below-average campaign, we’d be having a much different discussion right now.
Charlie Jurgonis
Fairfax, Va.
PGA and Miceli win, and Trump loses
Kudos to the PGA of America for pulling the 2022 PGA Championship from President Donald Trump’s course in New Jersey (“PGA of America pulls 2022 PGA from Donald Trump course,” Jan. 12).
For those who still support this president, let's break it down into the simplest terms in which Trump lives his life: wins and losses. PGA of America 1, Trump 0. And for the Miceli haters: Miceli 1, Trump 0. It’s time for Trump to take his clubs and go home. America will be much better for it.
Robert Fish
Sun Lakes, Ariz.
Morning Read invites reader comment. Write to editor Steve Harmon at steve@morningread.com. Please provide your name and city of residence. If your comment is selected for publication, Morning Read will contact you to verify the authenticity of the email and confirm your identity. We will not publish your email address. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and brevity.
Sign up to receive the Morning Read newsletter, along with Where To Golf Next and The Equipment Insider.