Leaders' Drives: Ronald Reagan

While most US presidents viewed the demands of being the most powerful man in the world as somewhat secondary to the demands of fine-tuning their short game, Ronald Reagan found managing the two pursuits more difficult than most of his predecessors.

During his eight years in power, Reagan managed to play just 12 rounds of golf (about the same as Bill Clinton managed in a fortnight). That said, he still found time to practice his putting, most notably aboard his Air Force One presidential jet and in the Oval Office (where he once received lessons from Ray Floyd). But as his political career prospered, Reagan’s game went to pieces and his handicap, which once stood at 12, dropped so dramatically, that his press office refused to reveal his scores on the rare occasions he did play. He even had a stock reply to whenever he was asked what his handicap was –“Congress”.