By Jim Nantz
For more than a quarter century, I was fortunate to visit and play golf with President George H.W. Bush dozens of times, usually while paying a visit to the Bush compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. With the passing of this great man and mentor, I feel at least one story can be told that pretty much encapsulates the man who carried the virtues of life—and golf—with every breath.

In 2005, President Bush served as co-chair with President Bill Clinton for tsunami- relief efforts in Southeast Asia. It was a partnership that raised $1.5 billion in aid. During this time a friendship developed between the former political rivals, and together they decided to secretly get together on a social basis that summer. Somehow, they chose me to be their “intermediary”—as they called it—for their two-day, two-night mini-vacation in Maine. Usually when I visited 41 it entailed not just golf but playing horseshoes, going out on his boat, cruising over to the little seaport of Ogunquit for lobster rolls and ice cream at Barnacle Billy’s, and long chats at the main house. Each stay was like going to summer camp. Every day was field day. But for this particular stay, President Bush explained that I’d make an easy companion for the two of them as they played their first round of golf together since the two of them, along with President Gerald Ford, teed it up at the Bob Hope Classic in 1995. Presidents Bush and Clinton played golf together three times after that, and I’m proud to say I was there for all of them.

RELATED: George H.W. Bush passes away at 94—golf loses one of its greatest advocates

The venue was Cape Arundel Golf Club, a storied Walter Travis course where President Bush had learned to play golf and where his father, Prescott Bush—a former USGA president—had won the club championship eight times. President Bush also was a Cape Arundel club champ, having beaten a postal worker named Chad Brown, 8 and 7, in the final in 1947.

The round between the two former leaders of the free world began nicely, both rooting each other on. President Clinton birdied two of the first three holes. On the par-4 fifth, which is only 315 yards, President Bush drove into trouble in a small hollow left of the fairway. He had just 125 yards to the green, but it was a tough shot. As he was contemplating how to play it, President Clinton rushed over to offer help. “No need to go at the green,” he said. “Just look at your lie. It’s too risky.” With that, President Clinton walked up the slope to the safe part of the fairway and waved his arms like a football official calling a timeout. “Aim right at me, George!” he hollered.

Stan Badz/PGA Tour Bush and Clinton pose with the Presidents Cup before the first day of the 2005 competition.

President Bush murmured to me, “What do you think I should do?” He clearly wanted to go for the green. I said, “Sir, how old were you the first time you played here?” President Bush said, “I was 10.” I said, “How many times do you figure you’ve played this hole? Fifty times a year on average? Maybe thousands all told? I’m just saying, President Clinton has never played here.”

President Bush reached for the iron that would get him home, but then hesitated. “Jimmy, he’s making such an effort,” he said. “Look at him up there, waving his arms. He’s my guest. I want him to be happy.” And with that, he pitched back into the fairway. He played his next shot—still 120 out—onto the green and faced a 20-footer for par.

Now, President Bush was a terrible putter. He’d battled the yips for a long time and eventually found some solace in an extra-long putter known as the Pole-Kat. I don’t think he ever saw a putt he liked. But this time he knocked it right into the center of the cup for his par. Everyone whooped. President Clinton came over, high-fived President Bush and said, “See, George? That was the right way to play it!” Forty-one agreed, and the two of them walked to the sixth tee arm in arm. Truly bonded like never before. American patriots, now friends forever. It was a beautiful moment.

George H.W. Bush had perhaps the greatest résumé in American history. Director of the CIA, ambassador to the U.N., envoy to China, vice president of the United States and then, of course, president. It’s staggering to contemplate one person achieving so much. But to me and many others, our lives were highlighted by having George H.W. Bush as a great and loyal friend. What I saw in President Bush’s behavior was respect, civility, deference and decency. These traits were central to who he was. And they melded perfectly with the game that he loved.

The post A farewell to 41, and a round to remember appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The former president often boasted that he held the course record at Cape Arundel Golf Club in Kennebunkport, Maine. What, a 66 or 67? “An hour and 20 minutes,” Ken Raynor, Cape Arundel’s professional, would explain.

Golf lost an important advocate on Friday, when Bush, the 41st president of the United States, died, his family said in a statement. He was 94.

His golf pedigree can be found in his name. George Herbert Walker was his maternal grandfather, a former president of the United States Golf Association, who was instrumental in the founding of the biennial amateur competition that bears his name, the Walker Cup. Bush’s father, Prescott Bush, was also a former USGA president and a scratch golfer who impressed upon his son the importance of playing golf at a fast pace.

Hunter Martin

“Speed may be the only thing I’m known for on the golf course,” Bush told the authors of My Best Day in Golf: Celebrity Stories of the Game They Love. “My father, Prescott Bush, was a fabulous golfer. … He was the one who instilled the value of fast play in me, and in my son as well. In fact, he once told George W., ‘Son, looking at your swing, you’re probably not going to be a great golfer, so make sure you play fast.’ ”

Bush 41 not only played quickly, he played well enough to have won the club championship at Cape Arundel in 1947. Late in 2011, the club announced that it was renaming the clubhouse, 41 House, in Bush’s honor.

“President Bush is and will always be one of the most memorable men in Cape Arundel Golf Club’s rich history, and this is a way to thank him for all that he has done for this great club,” club president J. Pierce O’Neil said at the time.

Both George Herbert Walker and Prescott Bush were members at Cape Arundel, the latter winning the club championship eight times. It was at Cape Arundel that Bush learned the game and played what likely was his most enjoyable golf, often with other luminaries, including Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman and Golf Digest’s Dan Jenkins, who had become a friend over the years.

Reed Saxon

But it was in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in 1995 that he played his most newsworthy round, the shots heard ’round the world. He was part of a fivesome that included Clinton, the sitting president, as well as former president Gerald Ford, Hope and Scott Hoch.

It was a round marked by persistent shouts of “fore,” though no one added “more years” in what was a Republican stronghold in the California desert. By one estimation, 20,000 spectators were on hand at Indian Wells Country Club that day, many of them ducking for cover at various points of the round. Bush tagged two spectators with errant shots, drawing blood from one when his ball caromed off a tree and struck a woman on the bridge of the nose.

Bush never appeared comfortable during that round, for two apparent reasons. He often spoke of “the humiliation factor,” which no doubt was amplified in front of a large crowd. And the pace at which he prefers to play, measured with a stop watch rather than a sundial, was not remotely attainable. The round took “an obscene six hours,” former Golf World editor Jaime Diaz, then with Sports Illustrated, wrote.

Charles Tasnadi

Bush’s best work in golf, at any rate, occurred off the course, in the service of others. Service was his calling, as he demonstrated in public life as a war hero, Congressman, Ambassador to the United Nations, CIA Director, Vice President and President. He similarly served the game of golf selflessly and did so with honor and distinction.

When The First Tee was founded in 1997, he accepted the position of honorary chairman. At a World Golf Hall of Fame news conference in 2011, former PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem noted “4.7 million young people in the United States have been touched by The First Tee program. But for President Bush, that would not have happened.

“He attended openings of facilities. He wrote letters to people who gave money,” Finchem continued. “He traveled, he spoke, he got on the telephone. He wasn’t a chairman in name only. He worked at it. But because of his lending his prestige and image and commitment and enthusiasm to what The First Tee is it’s the success it is today.”

The major golf organisations in the U.S. all recognized his contributions to the game. In 1997, he received the PGA of America’s Distinguished Service Award. The USGA presented him its highest honor, the Bob Jones Award, recognizing distinguished sportsmanship, in 2008, and the PGA Tour accorded him its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009. And the American Society of Golf Course Architects honoured him with its Donald Ross Award.

J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE

At his core, Bush simply loved the game, whether playing it or watching it. He attended several Presidents Cups and Ryder Cups and was a frequent visitor to the Shell Houston Open and other professional tournaments.

“His passion and love for the game is second to none,” Greg Norman said in a video played at Bush’s Hall of Fame induction. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re number one in the world or a 27-handicapper who loves the game, his commitment and dedication in seeing the game go from strength to strength, from one level to the next, has been phenomenal.”

It doesn’t matter, Norman might have said, so long as you play the game the way Bush and his family understood it should be played. Expeditiously.

“Your Bushes,” Jenkins wrote, “don’t throw a lot of grass up in the air when they play.”

The post George H.W. Bush, 1924-2018: Golf loses one of its greatest advocates appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

For a short piece, it’s striking how much is wrong, in fact and in spirit, in the excerpt from the new Tiger Woods biography, about Bill Clinton’s role in the opening of the Tiger Woods Learning Center in February 2006 in Southern California.

I played golf with Tiger and President Clinton that day. As Counsellor to President Clinton at the time, I oversaw everything having to do with the visit, and there is hardly an accurate or true word in the excerpt.

The whole notion that Tiger was disrespectful toward the President is completely false. The way the authors describe the round of golf (and the events surrounding it) is not only inaccurate, it’s mean-spirited. It was a casual, intimate round with a group of people who relished the chance to hear each other’s off-the-record stories and enjoy the day together away from the rest of the world. As best I could ascertain, they came to the game with respect for each other and left it with more.

The authors claim there was “much wrangling” to get President Clinton to accept an invitation to attend the opening of the Tiger Woods Learning Center, and that President Clinton’s acceptance came with “conditions.” I suggested to Tiger and his representative that Tiger call President Clinton directly, just to make the invitation more personal. I suggested that President Clinton would love to play golf with Tiger before the event, if it could be arranged. There’s a world of difference between a suggestion and a condition.

President Clinton was delighted to be asked to come to the opening of the Tiger Woods Learning Center. For one thing, the education of under served young people is one of the core values of his life. For another, the President is consumed with golf and was mesmerized by Tiger’s ability. Tiger, as you would expect from a Stanford-educated young man who was the son of an Army officer, spoke to the former leader of the free world only with appropriate deference and respect. 

The authors then claim Tiger spent the day “mostly riding alone in a golf cart.” Tiger and President Clinton shared a cart and were connected at the hip for most of the day. They also claim that Tiger was on his phone. Indeed, neither of which are true. I have dozens of pictures from that day and there is not one with Tiger on his phone or alone in his cart.

The authors claim that Tiger told a “series of off-color jokes.” How would Tiger have time to tell a series of off-color jokes if he was always on his phone and always running to the next tee, as the authors write? He did tell jokes. They were the kind of golf jokes that have been told on golf courses for a hundred years. His jokes, and the ones we all told, were part of the appealing camaraderie of the day.

The authors claim that when “the president hit a wayward drive, Woods snickered.” Woods didn’t snicker. He mocked him, as friends do on the golf course. Clinton often drops several balls for each shot, takes significant liberties in his scoring and is a very slow player, three well known aspects of his game. Tiger offered swing tips to everyone throughout the day which we all appreciated.

The authors include a remark from Tiger to the President, about his prodigous memory. (“How do you remember all that shit?”) They suggest he said this in a disrespectful way. It was said with a kind of awe and respect. Again, the authors completely missed the tone of the day.  

On the flight home, Clinton said to a few of us, “Let me tell you something about Tiger Woods. Most people wait until they are much older to make such significant philanthropic gifts and tackle a complicated issue like education. Tiger’s done more for education as a 30-year-old golfer than most people do in a life time.”

I spent thousands of days, often long ones, with President Clinton, all over the world. Not all of them were easy, to say the least. I can think of few days that were more of a pure pleasure for President Clinton than that day on the course.

The authors refer to an old story about Tiger refusing to attend a 1997 Jackie Robinson event. I was involved in the planning and execution of that event as a White House aide. It is simply not true. The quote the authors attribute to me on the initial call I had with Casey Wasserman regarding attending the Tiger event, “Did they tell you the story?”, a great anecdote for the narrative but it is entirely made up and never happened. Likewise, the Ryder Cup locker room story, never happened. The authors don’t say which Ryder Cup this so called snub occurred at because it never did. I was with President Clinton at the 2006 Ryder Cup at the K Club in Ireland. We never tried to go into the locker room nor ever did.

There are other parts of the excerpt I could cite for being wrong in either fact or tone. I spoke to one of the authors before the book was published but wasn’t asked about any of the specifics of that round or about any of the absurd allegations they made about Tiger’s behavior that day. I was only asked by the authors about Tiger’s comment about President Clinton’s memory. I confirmed that Tiger had made that remark, including the expletive.

The authors are accurate when they write that it took months for Tiger to finally send a photo from the round to President Clinton, and that Tiger had “scribbled” his name on the photo. To be fair, though, Tiger’s penmanship, like President Clinton’s, isn’t exactly at the same level of Arnold Palmer. Nonetheless, President Clinton has that photo on display in his office, a happy memory for him of a wonderful day.

In the end, President Clinton and Tiger Woods—two of the most famous and accomplished people in modern life—came together those two days in 2006 to do something good and to have a good time doing it. It was a positive experience in every possible way. The authors found an unnamed source to turn the day into something 180 degrees away from what it actually was. Maybe that sells. Maybe that take fits the narrative they wanted to tell. But it’s not truthful.

President Clinton spoke for eight minutes at the opening of the Tiger Woods Learning Center in Anaheim, Calif. He didn’t use any notes, of course, and he was very effusive. Tiger is sitting to his right, Maria Shriver sitting to his left and President Clinton is speaking to the students, donors, and dignitaries about the “connection between effort and result.” He praises Tiger for “giving back,” and doing it at such a young age. He repeats something Tiger had told him during our round of golf: “You want to play better, work harder!’” Everybody laughs. It wasn’t a stump speech. It was President Clinton expressing exactly what he was feeling about Tiger Woods as an iconic athlete, as a person, and philanthropist and—for one day, anyway—his golf partner.

The authors respond: “In reality, it’s Band’s letter that is inaccurate. Our sources for this account were three people with direct involvement in the events that transpired. Let us be clear: We stand by the accuracy of our reporting.”—Armen Keteyian and Jeff Benedict

The post Former presidential aide disputes book’s account of 2006 golf round between Bill Clinton and Tiger Woods appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we have the perfect solution for the Presidents Cup after the Americans’ latest lopsided victory. Make the foursome of U.S. Presidents who came to Liberty National actually play in the event next time. They wouldn’t have to pair with each other (that would be absurd), but imagine a lefty pairing of Phil Mickelson and Barack Obama? Or a Houston tandem of Patrick Reed and George W. Bush? Would Kevin Kisner do the Three Amigos dance with Donald Trump? And let’s see Dustin Johnson go a perfect 4-0 in foursomes and four-balls while carrying Bill Clinton around as a partner. Sounds fun, right?

Rob Carr

We can only hope. In the meantime, let’s discuss this “Romp By The Swamp.” Or was it the “Thump On A Dump”? Either way, it still gave us a lot to talk about.

WE’RE BUYING

Team USA: Tiger Woods called this the best collection of putters he’s ever seen. Johnny Miller pondered if this year’s U.S. squad was the best golf team of all time. Yeah, these guys are good. And the scary thing for the rest of the world is that this squad could get better with a young core and guys like Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau, Beau Hossler, and others waiting in the wings. Team Europe gets the next crack at next year’s Ryder Cup in France. Good luck to Thomas Bjorn’s squad.

Team USA’s winning press conference: As expected, this was a real laugher following The Laugher at Liberty National. It began with Matt Kuchar playing the role of moderator and ended with Dustin Johnson climbing on a chair and singing “Si-Woo shakin’ that ass.” If you think I’m kidding, here’s visual proof.

But wait. It gets even better. pic.twitter.com/9A0dB3zvpB

— Skratch (@Skratch) October 1, 2017

Paul Dunne: The British Masters wound up providing golf’s most drama over the weekend as Rory McIlroy stormed into contention by finishing 64-63. But Paul Dunne (Remember him? The amateur who played in the final group of the 2015 British Open?) answered with a 61, including this walk-off chip-in:

Unbelievable!@dunners11 chips-in at 18 to win the #BritishMasters! pic.twitter.com/branyPTHQN

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) October 1, 2017

As if golf fans needed more evidence that 2017 was not Rory’s year.

This “foot” wedge: Check out the humorous club a pro-am partner of Greg Chalmers used:

Pro am partner uses a foot wedge. Absolute gold. pic.twitter.com/AXcjadE0wR

— Greg Chalmers (@GregChalmersPGA) October 2, 2017

We’re not sure if that’s on the USGA’s conforming list, but that’s great. Side note: Paul Dunne does NOT need one of these.

WE’RE SELLING

Matt Harmon’s finish: The saddest golf tale of the week involved this 32-year-old journeyman. Harmon was on the cusp of earning his PGA Tour card for the first time at two under with two holes to play at the Web.com Tour Championship before missing a three-footer for birdie and then three-putting the final hole for bogey. As a result, Harmon will be back on the Web.com Tour this season. And he’ll have a new putter in his bag after that rough finish.

"This game will drive you nuts."

Matt Harmon missed a @PGATOUR card by just two shots @WebTourChamp. pic.twitter.com/39c0S0Zq74

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) October 3, 2017

Hole-in-one prize loopholes: Belen Mozo was the latest victim to one of these in New Zealand. After Mozo aced the 13th hole at the Mckayson New Zealand’s Women’s Open on Friday she ran up to the car she thought she had won in celebration, but was eventually told it was only for players who made an ace on the hole over the weekend. Ouch.

Perfection ?? Watch @BelenMozo make an ace (the 5th of her career!) at @NZWomensOpen: https://t.co/OQRHamW3hv pic.twitter.com/74AIfd2diK

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) September 29, 2017

Still, speaking as someone who has never had a hole-in-one, just making one seems like enough of a prize.

Dangerous playing conditions: More from Mozo, who found herself avoiding flying signs and debris while trying to putt through gale-forced winds. Not surprisingly, she wasn’t happy, yelling in this crazy video, “We are like sheeps” before play was finally suspended.

https://t.co/hzW2l0jgOV @LPGA is a tour where players DONT have a say or a voice. Like I say we are "like sheeps". ??

— Belén Mozo (@BelenMozo) October 1, 2017

But it wasn’t all bad news for Belen. Despite losing the 54-hole lead, she finished T-5 at the new LPGA event — her best performance of 2017. And she took home plenty of prize money to buy a new car. Maybe even that sweet Infiniti Q60. If she goes easy on the amenities.

ON TAP

And just like that, a new PGA Tour season starts again with the Safeway Open, AKA that event that Tiger almost played in last year. Why are they already playing again on the PGA Tour? Because THERE’S NO OFF-SEASON IN GOLF! These guys are too tough for that!

Random tournament fact: Forty-seven-year-old Phil Mickelson is cutting his Presidents Cup celebrating short and teeing it up in the event. Amy must really want to spend a few days in Napa Valley.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

— This week’s winner’s press conference will be as fun as last week’s: 1 MILLION-to-1 odds

— Si-Woo Kim will win his next tournament: 100-to-1 odds

— Si-Woo Kim will be asked to sing “Si-Woo shakin’ that ass” at his next tournament: LOCK

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (NOT INVOLVING “SI WOO SHAKIN’ THAT ASS”)

This brief interaction between a rules official and Tiger Woods was fantastic.

He said WHAAAAAAAT to ??
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? pic.twitter.com/5rAZv8cwGn

— Skratch (@Skratch) September 30, 2017

OK, so it wasn’t much. But we had so little to get excited about at the “Bore By The (Jersey) Shore.”

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Phil Mickelson took a selfie with three U.S. Presidents. Pretty cool.

When you can take a selfie with three US Presidents, you do it!! pic.twitter.com/E3pNlZ07gs

— Tim Mickelson (@goodwalkspoiled) September 28, 2017

Although, apparently Phil needs to work on his selfie skills.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I’m the worst selfie taker, I’m the worst Three Amigos dancer, but I can putt.” – Phil Mickelson. No arguments here.

SAD QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Yeah, definitely. I don’t know what my future holds for me. As I’ve told you guys, I’m hitting 60-yard shots.” — Tiger Woods when asked if he could see a scenario in which he doesn’t return to competitive golf. Let’s all pretend we didn’t hear that.

THIS WEEK IN DUSTIN JOHNSON-PAULINA GRETZKY AND THE REST OF TEAM USA PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION

The 2017 Presidents Cup will go down as “The Pity In Jersey City” to NBC executives, but it delivered as promised on the WAGs front. There were on-course selfies:

Icon Sportswire

Off-the-course activities:

And, of course, plenty of PDA:

Oh yeah, there was even a bit of breaking news as Tiger Woods showed up with Erica Herman.

Rob Carr

And if there was any doubt the two are a couple, that disappeared when Erica joined in for the official winning WAGs photo:

Chris Condon

Welcome to the WAGs club, Erica! And for more of the WAGs’ big week, read Jena Sims’ (Brooks Koepka’s girlfriend) photo diary from the event.

THIS WEEK IN JOHN DALY BEING JOHN DALY

It was a huge week for JD, who opened up a steakhouse in Arkansas on Wednesday:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZhqziPAexi/

And then took a trip to Paris:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZrDMRfgLjQ/

Please let us find out that Jim Furyk has already named Daly a vice captain for next year’s Ryder Cup and that this was a scouting trip. Please!

THIS AND THAT

After a disappointing regular season on the Web.com Tour, Jonathan Byrd recaptured his PGA Tour card with a four-shot win at the Web.com Tour Championship. Good to see the man who once had a walk-off ace still has his good sense of timing. . . . Congrats to Sam Saunders, who used a first-round 59 to lock up his card again with a T-2 finish. The 59 also happened to come almost exactly one year after the death of his grandfather, Arnold Palmer. Talk about a fitting tribute. . . . I never saw Tom Petty in person, but I heard him warming up once while playing a round of golf in Saratoga, and I’ve worn out my Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Greatest Hits CD driving on golf trips. I especially love the line “Even the losers get lucky sometimes,” because it gives me hope that one day I’ll get that elusive hole-in-one. Thanks, Tom. You’ll be missed. . . . And finally, this chocolate milkshake I got at a rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike might be the best milkshake I’ve ever had.

Considering how many milkshakes I’ve consumed, that’s high praise.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Will Tiger Woods play on the PGA Tour this season?

Will Tiger Woods play in the 2018 Ryder Cup?

Is there a better car song than “American Girl”?

The post An epic Presidents Cup (press conference), Tiger Woods’ new girlfriend, and Team USA PDA on full display appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.