George W. Bush On Wounded Warriors, Presidents Who Play Golf

As part of Golf Digest's "Golfers Who Give Back" issue, Jerry Tarde interviews the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush.

Talking about Wounded Warrior Chad Pfeiffer, who played in the Tahoe celebrity event after qualifying in a Wounded Warrior event...

GWB: He's a really good player. It's remarkable. One of the most fun things I did was at the Presidents Cup. Tim Finchem asked me to come to the cup. Or maybe I invited myself, I'm not sure.

No one invites themselves to a Presidents Cup, Mr. President! We'll put you down for, returned Finchem's fourth phone call.

Anyway, I went. And I asked him if I could bring the winner of the Warrior Open. And he said sure. So Pfeiffer and I fly up to Columbus, Ohio. And at the opening ceremony, there are two captains, the commissioner, myself and Pfeiffer introduced to the crowd as a winner of the Warrior Open. And it was just awesome. I mean awesome to see this kid, you know.

Tarde asks about golf's impact via Monday charity events and golfers giving.

GWB: It's interesting. First of all, golf is a game of integrity. And golf is a game of forgiveness. I think the high standards of golf remind people of how lucky they are, or how fortunate they are, to be able to play the game. And many people, when they have this sense of good luck or good draw of the cards, know they have an obligation to give back. And plus they're doing good leadership with golf.

As for Presidents playing golf, the answer isn't any different than past answers he's given on the topic.

And I chose not to play because during my presidency after a period of time, a short period of time. I chose not to play because my view was I could find other ways to be by myself, like mountain biking. And I didn't want to send a signal to mothers whose sons were in combat that while they were sacrificing, I was on the golf course. And as much as I missed it, I didn't view it as a sacrifice at all to give up golf. And the reason you have to do that when you are president, or at least I did, is because [the media is] on the first tee and the 18th green. And there's no way you escape the press, and I didn't want to try. And so I chose not to do it. But I agree with the sense that, as the president, you're pretty much in a bubble. And golf is a good way to get out of the bubble. And as I said, in my case, it was mountain biking. And our presidents have used golf, our current president uses golf, Bill Clinton used golf, Eisenhower used golf, Dad used golf to a certain extent, but he also loved to fish. So there are multiple ways to escape. It's important to clear your head as best as you can. So Eisenhower's advice is good advice.