Bernhard Langer: A Friend Told Me A Story, I Told My Friend Who Told His Friend, The President Of The United States!

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The following is a statement issued by the PGA TOUR on behalf of Champions Tour member Bernhard Langer, currently to blame for an impending voter fraud investigation demanded by President Donald Trump.

"Unfortunately, the report in the New York Times and other news outlets was a mischaracterization by the media. The voting situation reported was not conveyed from me to President Trump, but rather was told to me by a friend. I then relayed the story in conversation with another friend, who shared it with a person with ties to the White House. From there, this was misconstrued. I am not a citizen of the United States, and cannot vote. It’s a privilege to live in the United States, and I am blessed to call America my home. I will have no further comment at this time."

So to recap, Bernhard Langer heard a story about shady goings on at the polls, who told his friend, who told Donald Trump.

Downing Street Eyeing Trump Golf Round In Front Of The Queen

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The Telegraph's Christopher Hope and Ben Riley-Smith report on summer plans being made by Downing Street and the White House that will include a Balmoral visit. The story says there is a nine-hole course on the castle property, though I couldn't find it in aerials.

It sounds like it'll be quite the first visit:

Discussions are underway about the president playing a round of golf on the private nine-hole course at Balmoral while the Queen looks on.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are also set to be involved as the royal family rolls out the red carpet for the US President and his First Lady.

Mr Trump’s team want to create a photograph opportunity to rival the famous images of President Ronald Reagan horse riding with the Queen at Windsor Castle when he visited in the 1982.

As if we weren't already excited enough about summer!

David Owen On Lessons Learned Playing Golf With Trump

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Longtime New Yorker staff writer and former Golf Digest contributor David Owen writes about his time playing golf with Donald Trump long before the developer became president-elect.

Given that only one Trump course made the recent Golf Digest top 200 courses (no Bedminster or Doral!), this might explain why panelists do not rate his courses highly:

Golf publications periodically rate golf courses—the hundred best in the world, the hundred best in the country, the dozen best in each state—and Trump’s relationship with such ratings is complex. He complained to me that golf publications never rank his courses high enough, because the people who do the rating hold a grudge against him, but he also said that he never allows raters to play his courses, because they would just get in the way of the members. “I think we’d have a revolt with our membership,” he explained. “Because, unlike other clubs, every one of my membership lists is perfect. And when you start adding hundreds of raters who want to play golf . . .” Nevertheless, when someone from a golf publication does write something positive, after somehow having managed to slip past the perimeter, Trump quotes it endlessly (and, inevitably, magnifies it).

Owen also shares some of the feedback he got from an "upset" Trump after his story appeared.

He called the editor of Golf Digest to complain, and then he called me, on my cell phone. I was in the city on a reporting assignment unrelated to golf, and had the surreal experience of being chewed out by a future President of the United States while standing among the gravestones in the burial ground next to Trinity Church. He wasn’t upset that one of the article’s illustrations had been of a golf ball wearing a turf toupee that looked a lot like his deeply mysterious hair, or that I’d mentioned his asking two little girls at Mar-a-Lago if they wanted to be supermodels when they grew up, or that I’d described nearly tipping him five dollars after momentarily mistaking him for his club’s parking-lot attendant, or that I’d written that he’d introduced one of his club’s members to me not by name but as “the richest guy in Germany.” He was upset that I hadn’t written that he’d shot 71—a very good golf score, one stroke under par.

I hadn’t written that because he hadn’t shot 71. We hadn’t been playing for score, and we had given each other putts and taken other friendly liberties—as golfers inevitably do when they’re just fooling around. I said something to that effect in the politest way I could think of, but he wasn’t mollified. He was also angry that I’d described his wedge game as “poor.” (On several occasions, he’d had trouble with shots inside a hundred yards, both during our round and on the practice range beforehand.) I reminded him that I had mainly written very flattering things about his golf game, and that I’d mentioned his victories in three club championships and had quoted praise from his caddie and his pro (“You have a very nice bicycle, Donald, even if it’s not as nice as your friend’s”). But none of that made any difference. He wanted the number, and the fact that I hadn’t published the number proved that I was just like all the other biased reporters, who, because we’re all part of the anti-Trump media conspiracy, never give him as much credit as he deserves for being awesome. Such is his now familiar habit of acting like a sore loser even when he’s won.

Did Writer Trump-Up Account Of Trump Encounter?

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Politico's Kenneth Vogel does a nice job trying to figure out if President-elect Donald Trump had a former unauthorized biographer (understandable) and Koch brother/club member (not so understandable) removed from Trump International in West Palm Beach before they could tee off.

It seems writer Harry Hurt III, who took to Facebook to post details--in the third person--and gave the impression Trump had one of his members, David Koch, escorted off the property, actually did no such thing. That notion seemed unbelievable given Koch's status as a Trump club member and as an influential figure in American business and politics, albeit one that Trump has neutralized.

Here is the initial post:

 

 

Here is what Vogel concluded about the Koch portion of the story, which is the most incredible. If it had been true:

Another member of the Hurt-Koch foursome, fellow GOP donor John M. Damgard, told POLITICO that neither he nor Koch were privy to Hurt’s exchange with Trump, and that Hurt didn’t recount it to them in any detail.

“Harry just said he had been asked to leave,” said Damgard, a former president of the Futures Industry Association who has a house in Palm Beach. “I thought he was kidding. And then I learned that there had been some previous bad blood between them from back in the ‘90s apparently,” Damgard said, adding, “Unbeknownst to us, he had written a book or an article that was critical of Trump.”

So, Damgard continued, “rather than exacerbate something that wasn’t going to go very well, we just decided to get into the car and leave.”

They're Back! Trump Can't Let Go Of Scottish Wind Farm Views

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It was last December that Donald Trump, then just a presidential candidate, lost his court battle to stop unsightly wind farms from being erected off the coast of Trump International in Aberdeen.

The loss prompted a real, live manspat between Trump and his one-time good buddy, former first minister Alex Salmond.

But the Trump Organisation hit back at Salmond in a pointed and characteristically colourful statement: “Does anyone care what this man thinks? He’s a hasbeen and totally irrelevant. The fact that he doesn’t even know what’s going on in his own constituency says it all ... He should go back to doing what he does best: unveiling pompous portraits of himself that pander to his already overinflated ego.”

Fast forward almost a year and president-elect Trump is holding meetings with a wide range of possible cabinet members and world leaders at Trump Tower. Including a meeting where he just couldn't pass up multiple chances to bend the ear of a British politician about...the wind farms. Caroline Wheeler reports for The Express.

Andy Whigmore, who was present at the meeting with Mr Trump, said: “We covered a lot of ground during the hour-long meeting we had.

“But one thing Mr Trump kept returning to was the issue of wind farms. He is a complete Anglophile and also absolutely adores Scotland which he thinks is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. But he is dismayed that his beloved Scotland has become over-run with ugly wind farms which he believes are a blight on the stunning landscape.”

EU’s communication’s chief added: “It is clear that it is an issue he is very passionate about and not because he is against renewable energy or green technology but because he genuinely thinks wind farms are damaging Scotland’s bountiful natural beauty.”

At issue should be the proximity of the farms to the coasts, as Trump is correct in lamenting their placement.  Check out this depiction, accompanying this Herald story. I'm not sure about the 1 mile from the coast claim (11-12 is the number I recall, but correct me if I'm wrong please).

Either way, as Danny Hakim and Eric Lipton of the New York Times note, the greater issue involves using his president-elect status to possibly improve business conditions for the Trump Organization.

Mr. Trump and his family’s blending of business and political interests and appearances have received increasing scrutiny during the transition. Since the election, he has met with Indian business partners and his new Washington hotel has become a destination for diplomats. His daughter Ivanka, an executive in the Trump Organization, sat in on a meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, and her jewelry company promoted a $10,800 bracelet she wore during a postelection appearance with her father on “60 Minutes.”

Separately, one of Argentina’s most influential television programs reported on Sunday that during a congratulations call from President Mauricio Macri of Argentina after the election, Mr. Trump asked for Mr. Macri’s support for a project to build an office tower in Buenos Aires.

President-elect Trump responded to the news on Twitter.

Tour Operator Offering All-Trump Golf Trip Including White House Meeting With President Trump

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Thanks to reader Mike for sending the link to a too-good-to-be-true golf trip that includes golf at all Trump Organization golf properties and President Trump welcoming "you personally during the 'Trump Presidential Challenge.'"

21 Days, 12 Rounds of Golf, 20 Nights, a tour of the White House and a drinks session with the president, all for $16,275!

Join us at this unique world class event and play all 12 Trump National and International Championship Courses in the United States. Endorsed by the US President-elect himself you will play golf in California, Florida, North Carolina, Washington D.C., New Jersey and New York. You will stay at Trump's most prestigious properties along the way. You will also enjoy the final round of the US PGA Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass and visit the World Golf Hall of Fame. US President Donald Trump will welcome you personally during the "Trump Presidential Challenge".

• 1 round at Trump International Golf Club, Palos, Verde (California)
• 1 round at Trump National Doral Blue Monster Course (Florida)
• 1 round at Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach (Florida)
• 1 round at Trump National Jupiter Golf Club, West Palm Beach (Florida)
• 1 round at Trump National Charlotte Golf Club (North Carolina)
• 1 round at Trump National Golf Club (Washington D.C.)
• 1 round at Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point (New York)
• 1 round at Trump National Philadelphia Golf Club (New Jersey)
• 1 round at Trump National Hudson Valley (New York)
• 1 round at Trump Bedminister International Golf Club (New Jersey)
• 1 round at Trump National Colts Neck Golf Club (New Jersey)
• 1 round at Trump National Westchester Golf Club (New York)
• Ticket for the final round of the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass
• Visit to the World Golf Hall of Fame
• All rounds in carts

Heaven forbid we'd make you walk!

• Use of all practice facilities including range balls
• Lunch at all golf days

Other Inclusions: 
• 20 nights 4 and 5-star Accommodation
• Daily Breakfast
• Welcome Cocktail at the Portofino Yacht Club Hotel, Palos Verde (California)
• Welcome Dinner at the Portofino Club Hotel, Palos Verde (California)
• Tour of The White House (Washington D.C.)
• Drinks with US President Donald Trump

Uh huh.

I've forwarded this to the Trump Organization for confirmation of the trip's validity. Given that they're working on a Secretary of State pick right now, it's hard to imagine they've locked the president in for a cocktail party in May. But stranger things have happened.

Transition Meetings: Mr. Trump Goes To Bedminster!

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Perhaps realizing he'd like to not have every New Yorker mad at him for clogging up Fifth Avenue, or maybe Melania was just really sick of all the retreads kissing up to the president-elect (Kissinger!)?

Either way, Donald Trump is moving his Friday transition team meetings to Trump National Bedminster, home of the 2017 U.S. Women's Open and the 2022 PGA Championship.

S.A. Miller, reporting for the Washington Times, says no reason was given.

The transition team did not provide details of who Mr. Trump will meet with at the exclusive private golf club about 35 miles west of Manhattan.

Oy Vey Alert: Great White Shark Sensed Donald Trump Would Win, Tells Newsweek (!?) Readers All About His Wisdom

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Maybe the testosterone boost of linking Australia's prime minister Malcolm Turnbull with president-elect Trump went to the Shark's head--no, wait, that luxury-yacht left port long ago.

So we'll just assume this matchmaker role, detailed by the Daily Telegraph, prompted non-American citizen and one-time Fox Sports analyst Greg Norman from wondering if he should write this excessively first-person Newsweek piece celebrating Donald Trump's victory.

(BTW, I'd hate to think who said no before some editor announced triumphantly, "I got The Shark!")

Anyway, strap yourself in for so much "I saw this coming" talk that perhaps Norman is prepping us for the day he hangs up his chainsaw and becomes greater Jupiter's leading psychic.

I personally had a sense of this and told Donald, when President Barack Obama was campaigning for Hillary Clinton 10 days before the election, that he was going to win. Obama’s messaging was wrong and just reinforced that those wanting change would get it with Clinton. In other words, the problem was not the problem—the attitude to the problem was the problem.

How fortunate we are to share a planet with people who hear their ghost writer read sentences like that and say, BOOM! That makes perfect sense!

Let the humblebragging continue...

I have spoken to Donald on numerous occasions since the election and I think he will surprise many with what he will do with the presidency, but not himself. He has a clear vision. I believe he will fill a cabinet with quality, experienced, doers that are like-minded yet strong enough to redirect him if they so believe.

Hey, Greg maybe you should nominate yourself in the next phone call?

But go on, woo us with more deep thoughts...

A Trump presidency obviously not only affects the United States, but the rest of the world.

Deeeeeep!

Foreign policy will be a tricky one for Trump. I can only imagine that there are so many grandfathered agreements in place from previous administrations in the U.S. and abroad.

Easy there Greg, you count yourself a friend to the presidents who supported and enhanced many of thsoe agreements. I know those Bushes and Clintons are so last year to you, but they do still read.

Until he gets in there to understand those, from NATO to NAFTA to TPT to Middle East agreements to the Asia Pacific rim and many others, it is difficult to speculate.

I'm fairly certain those agreements are readable outside of the White House. Maybe Shark could read up on those grandfathered agreements and present a white paper that also includes how you'd fix Doonbeg. That's better than a cabinet post!

Will A Donald Trump Presidency Be Good For Golf?

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It's a trivial question given what's at stake. But now that the world can focus again following another Bernhard Langer win in the Schwab Cup, the complex question of Donald Trump's presidency-to-be turns to the entirely inconsequential question of what having a president-elect golfer means.

His direct ties to the game are more significant than any president before him, including Presidents Bush 41 and 43, whose ties to the Walker Cup were obviously strong. Yet having a family tie to an important amateur event pales given Trump's ownership of marquee properties hosting major tournaments.

He told Lesley Stahl on 60 Minutes Sunday night that he doesn't care about his businesses compared to governing America, yet project-related conflicts will inevitably arise. Besides his curiosity with projects he was very closely involved in, matters will get inevitably awkward when trying to gauge his positions. The most obvious: his campaign position on climate change conflicting with his company stance regarding a changing shoreline at Doonbeg.

With Trump's view that golf is aspirational, it's pretty safe to assume a WPA-style project to restore municipal courses won't be on the agenda to grow the game and salvage deteriorating properties. And given his criticism of Barack Obama using his time to play golf instead of helping Louisiana flood victims, we probably won't see him working the House and Senate on the golf course...oh wait, maybe we will.

There is also the likelihood of his golf properties gaining prominence from presidential visits, as this Maggie Haberman/Ashley Parker NY Times story suggests he will be spending a great deal of time outside of Washington.

Jaime Diaz of GolfDigest.com attempts to consider how Trump will perform "through the prism of golf" and besides reporting that golf has hardly been on his mind for a few months now, the ties will continue to be inescapable.

On the negative side, Trump is polarizing. He has deeply offended many with his comments (even in golf, in land use conflicts while building Trump Aberdeen), and probably will again. Also, he sees the game as “aspirational” (to some a dog whistle word that means keep the riff-raff out), reflected in an average green fee of about $250 on his public courses. Some who have played with Trump have claimed he cheats. In short, he can be seen as an easy caricature of the entitled, vulgar American golfer, a version of Judge Smails from “Caddyshack.”

Here is where things will get interesting: it's pretty well known that Presidents rarely turn into nicer, healthier or saner individuals after living in the White House. Golf has long been the primary go-to sport for presidents seeking rest, relaxation and camaraderie. Trump certainly has shown a love for the game and presumably will need days off. Will he play?

The stakes for golf in that situation are significant for the sport, insignificant compared to most other presidential matters. Because if Trump continues to avoid using golf because the imagery plays poorly with the working-class voters who helped elect him, then sterotypes mentioned by Diaz are reinforced.

Yet if Trump does use the golf course to socialize, relax or make deals, does that negatively reinforce the view of golf as merely an aspirational game for the rich and powerful?

Golf probably can't win no matter what happens, but given the badgering the sport has taken in recent years, I'm not sure golfers will be affected either way.