Obama hits the links for the 78th time

August 21, 2011 | Filed under Barack Obama,Golf | Posted by

From the AP:

President Barack Obama played golf and enjoyed some beach time with his family Sunday on Martha’s Vineyard, though not before getting briefed on developments in Libya.

Under sunny skies, Obama, wife Michelle, and daughters Malia and Sasha spent the morning on a private beach in Edgartown. The outing came on the third full day of Obama’s 10-day summer vacation and was his first excursion with his full family in tow. The president then parted ways with his family to play a round of golf at the Vineyard Golf Club.

He had golfed within 24 hours of arriving at Martha’s Vineyard just a couple of days ago:

Less than 24 hours after landing on the shores of Martha’s Vineyard, President Obama is on one of its golf courses. Obama is out with his friend Eric Whitaker, White House trip director Miarvin Nicholson – one of his regular partners – and Michael Brush, who is in charge of advance work on trips.

It’s Obama’s 19th time on the links this year and the 77th outing of his presidency.

At 78 rounds of golf playing an average of 4 hours per round, the President has been on the golf course a total of 312 hours during his term.  That’s 13 twenty-four hour days.  That’s nearly two full weeks of time on the links.

How much is all this costing the American taxpayer?  Has Obama paid for all these rounds?  How much?  How much does the Security provided during each round cost?  What about support costs in terms of keeping him in touch with what’s going on in the world, or the logistics undertaken by his staff?  What about the costs incurred by the golf courses who presumably are having to shut down (or nearly shut down) in many respects to accommodate the President?  Are they being compensated for the lost rounds they have to give up to have the President play?

It’s all pretty interesting.

And then, what of the President’s game?  If practice makes perfect, what is his handicap now?  What was it before he became President?  How often did he play prior to becoming the leader of the free world?

Wouldn’t it be nice to have an enterprising journalist get to the bottom of all this?

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Posted by on August 21, 2011.
Filed under Barack Obama, Golf.
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  • Anonymous

    Rick, I’m sure The King, ooops! president is mulling over “new” ideas on how to strengthen the economy as he works his way into another hole…….er….ah….works he way to ANOTHER hole.  Just think of all the employees for the MSM he’s keeping on the books while they breathlessly cover his every move on the Vineyard.

    NEWSFLASH!!!!!  For Immediate Release!  The president took a dump this morning.  It was a good one.  He felt “refreshed”.  Hopefully the Dow will move upwards tomorrow!

    • retired.military

      “NEWSFLASH!!!!! For Immediate Release! The president took a dump this morning”

      Wait a minute.  I thought he was going to release his jobs plan in Sept.

      Another lie from the Obama administration.

      • http://twitter.com/authorcgross Charles Gross

        Precisely my thoughts. How on earth are they going to release a jobs plan when a vacation takes place at the end of August. When I’m swamped at work – I certainly can’t take vacations. While America is pulling their hair out, our President is playing games. That’s what the Obama administration is.. a bunch of games.

  • Dwayne Hendrickson

    I have only one question for the President: “When I am discussing your policies with friends of mine and I voice a disagreement towards your policies, what would be my best response when they call me a racist?”

    • https://plus.google.com/114041580398058374552/posts McGehee

      I’m always partial to, “I’m sorry, I thought I was talking to someone with a functioning brain.”

      • http://wizbangblog.com/author/rodney-graves/ Rodney G. Graves

        The set of “People with a Functioning Brain” and the set of “Obama Supporters ca 2011″ have no common subset.

  • jim_m

    obama playing golf comes in third, right after unemployment insurance and food stamps, as the most stimulatory thing the government can do for the economy.

    • http://wizbangblog.com/author/rodney-graves/ Rodney G. Graves

      @jim_m723:disqus ,

      I must beg to differ.  Obama on the Golf Course is Obama away from the Cameras and not signing EO’s and other disruptive regulation into effect and is thus the most stimulatory thing (being out of the way) he can do.

  • TexBob

    Focused like a laser on killing jobs for over 2.5 years

  • Anonymous

    But little Tommy Friedman says we shouldn’t judge Barry too soon.  Maybe we should give him 4 more years.  Then judge him.

    • Mr Kimber

      Nah, he ain’t gonna get any better no matter how much time he gets….besides Operation Gunrunner will get him  if Republicans take both houses.

  • jim_m

    Mark Stein offers a spot on (if typically cynical) critique of obama’s recent adventures:

    Did no one in the smartest administration in history think this might be
    the time for the president to share in some of the “bad luck” and forgo
    an ostentatious vacation in the exclusive playground of the rich? When
    you’re the presiding genius of the Brokest Nation in History, enjoying
    the lifestyle of the super-rich while allegedly in “public service”
    sends a strikingly Latin American message. Underlining the point, the
    president then decided to pass among his suffering people by touring
    small town Minnesota in an armored Canadian bus accompanied by a 40-car
    motorcade. In some of these one-stoplight burgs, the president’s escort
    had more vehicles than the municipality he was graciously blessing with
    his presence.

    obama doesn’t care about America. That is, he doesn’t care when he isn’t actively hating America or apologizing needlessly for it.
    http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/275101/imperial-presidency-mark-steyn#

    • Anonymous

      Jim, Barry only requires that others “share”.  See how selfless he is?

    • Anonymous

      Jim, Barry only requires that others “share”.  See how selfless he is?

  • Anonymous

    I just have one question. Is he any damned good at Golf?

    • Anonymous

      Have you seen his swing? It’s not pretty.

    • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/EU5DQWQTTHTPO4A4ZYSL3AAV2U Adjoran

      Ever notice that they never get to show him actually playing?  That should answer the question.

      If the most preening, prancing peacock of a President isn’t having at least a few pictures of himself released for every activity in his day, you know there’s a reason for it.  Apparently at least in one area he either does have a sense of embarrassment or is willing to listen to someone with better sense.

  • Anonymous

    Every time I hear about President Obama golfing it reminds me of how much I love golf and how I would love to be out there hitting the links.  But, I am also reminded I am a school teacher and I can’t even think about taking the time off to golf.  This guy is the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES and he has golfed 78 times in less than 3 years? If I said I have golfed 12 times in the last 3 years I would probably be exagerating, but 78!! Amazing!!  Also, Rick, you mention that his rounds of golf average 4 hours.  I would disagree, it would probably be closer to 5 hours or more since every time he golfs there are always pictures of him sitting around eating and drinking which will always add an hour+ to a round of golf, especially this guy… sorry for the rant

    • Anonymous

      Let’s face it–the guy is an empty golf shirt.

  • Anonymous

    I’ve seen Obama swing a golf club, and he could provide full time work for 10 golf pros. And even then he’d still have that wimpy, goofy, faggy golf swing. And I won’t even bring up the wimpy, faggy, girly way he throws a baseball.

    • Anonymous

      Or rides a bike.  Or prances down the stairs with his hands flopping.

      President limp wristed, light in his loafers is transparent indeed.

  • Anonymous

    That is right, it is his golf swing you really object to?  Obama took up golf rather late or are . you insinuating something else, iwogisdead? If you are , maybe  Dr. Marcus Bachmann, he seems to be  the tea party  authority on masculinity, could reform Obama  to throw his arms about,  more manly  like well  Marcus Bachmann.

    Fact is Obama, at this point in his presidency  has  enjoyed less vacation time than his last three Republican predecessors Ronald Reagan George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush had .Did you have any objections to them vacationing more than Obama?

    • jim_m

      It depends what you define as “vacation” doesn’t it?  He spends more time f’ing off, golfing or outright campaigning than actually trying to run the country.  I don’t know, maybe that’s a good thing.  He’d probably have things even
      more screwed up had he actually put more of a concerted effort toward
      it.

      It’s not that he takes vacation. The problem is that he’s taking a acation right in he middle of the biggest crisis of his presidency.  What better way to send the public the very clear message that he doesn’t give a rat’s ass about us, our families or our futures.

    • retired.military

      The days they count for bush include weekends at his Crawford ranch or to Camp david..  That is hardly a 10 day excursion to Hawaii and Martha’s vinyard. 

      But keep up the dem talking points there  Steve boy. 

    • Anonymous

      I object to just about everything in Obama’s presidency, thanks for asking. The golf swing is something funny to bring up. What’s not so funny is how he’s destroying the economy and the dollar, how he’s unconstitutionally negating valid legislation with his Executive Orders, and how he’s about to screw up the best healthcare system in the world.

      As to screed that Bush took more vacations, it fails to acknowledge that Bush usually worked during the time he spent at his Crawford ranch, spent a lot of time meeting with foreign heads of state there. When Obama’s out on the course, he’s doing nothing more than losing golf balls.

    • TexBob

      I love the lefts attempts to defend Barry’s opulent expensive vacations with time Bush & Reagan spent at their ranches.  You can’t compare Bush working at HIS ranch with the stuttering clusterf&ck of miserable failure’s time spent on beaches & islands while his wookie takes separate planes because of a 4 hour scheduling difference.

      I would like to compare the COST to the taxpayer of the 8 years of Reagan and 8 years of Bush combined to the JEF’s time spent lollygagging on our dime.  I would wager Jug Ears has spent hundreds of millions more due his inconsideration of the taxpayer.

  • http://proof-proofpositive.blogspot.com/ Proof

    I don’t think anyone would begrudge Obama an occasional game of golf if he hadn’t screwed up the economy so badly.

    • http://wizbangblog.com/author/rodney-graves/ Rodney G. Graves

      @proof_positive:disqus ,

      As I said before crampless gifted us with his latest mindless screed, I’d prefer that Obama stay on vacation / on the golf links until inauguration day 2013, it would be the most stimulative thing he could do for the economy.

      • http://proof-proofpositive.blogspot.com/ Proof

        When America is asked, “What’s your handicap?’ The answer is always “Obama”.

  • Anonymous

     It is a surprisng side of Obama. It is  relaxing, but I¨m  not sure if you learn very much. I used to caddy 36 holes a day  at Hillcrest Country Club in Century City and at  Riviera for the LA Open so I encountered a lot of celebrities who schmoozed the time away with this male bonding. None of them were particularly good golfers. I thought they would want to do  other things like go to  a bar, or chase women, but I suppose Obama can´t very well do that, and iwogsidead infers he wouldn´t be interested, so he settles for golf, and it is difficult to organize a leisurely pickup basketball game and the scenery of a gym is boring.

    • retired.military

      So Obama relaxees while playing golf but it wasnt considered that when Bush was playing it.

      Bush was relaxing at the Crawford ranch or Camp David (on weekends)  and those got counted as vacation days.
      Note the source there Stevo.

      http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/18/bush-spent-487-days-at-ca_n_158902.html

      Mr. Bush’s 149th visit to the presidential retreat. The planned three-day stay, during which the president is being joined by family and former and current aides, will bring his total time spent at Camp David to all or part of 487 days.

      notice the all or part there Steve.  That means he shows up at 10pm on a Friday and leaves at Noon on a  SUnday than that counts as 3 days of vacation time.

      Hell by that count that means that every one of Obama’s 78 golf trips should count as vacation days.

      Also Bush met with dignitaries and heads of state at Crawford and Camp David.  Who is at the Vinyard right now Stevo?

      Also Steve why is it that when Obama takes vacation libs say “Well the President is never really on vacation? ”  But they didnt say that ref Bush?

      In fact Steve Bush’s “vacation days” were almost exclusively at Camp David or Crawford ranch with just one stint at Kennebunkport.

      Both Camp david and the Crawford ranch were already hard targets and didnt need all the prep to go places like Obama does. 

      Please show me a break down of weekdays of Bush on vacation vs Obama.  I am sure it would be interesting.

      • Anonymous

        As well as the funemployment rate while Boosh golf opposed to Barry.

        • Anonymous

          Don’t forget to count the number of ‘parties’ Barry throws each week.  What is it?  One on hump day, the other on Saturday?

  • Anonymous

    I’ll give him a pass on the vacation and the golf outings this week, it’s the first three years that were squandered.  

  • Anonymous

    At last we see his jobs plan. Get everyone golfing and call it work.

  • Anonymous

    “Under sunny skies, Obama, wife Michelle, and daughters Malia and Sasha spent the morning on a private beach in Edgartown.” 

    Private beach?  I guess Barry  has epitomized Edwards  2 Americas. Divider non-uniter.

  • retired.military

    BTW Steve

    Why does the “very precise” jobs plan have to wait to be unveiled until after his golfing and the rest of his vacation?  THe 9-15% of eligible workers who have no job but want one would like to know.   The 15 % figure includes those who are no longer counted becuase they have been out of work for so long.

    • Anonymous

      retired………..

      It’s the “time lag”.  Barry only tasked his team with ‘getting NEW ideas’ as he walked out the door heading for his LUXURY vacation spot.  He’s given them a 10 day head start, followed by focus groups when he gets back.  Then there’s the obligatory “rehearsal” with the teleprompter.  All this takes time.

      The unemployed will just have to wait and ‘share the misery’.

      You can see how miserable Barry is, can’t you?

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/EU5DQWQTTHTPO4A4ZYSL3AAV2U Adjoran

    I don’t begrudge him his golf outings, but I do poke some fun just to get back at how Democrats mocked Republicans playing golf, going back to Ike.

    The problem I have is using Air Force One (instead of Marine One as every other President has for short hops) at a minimum $200,000 per hour operating costs, not to mention the extra security and convoy costs, to go to an event in Tidewater Virginia, and taking His and Her jets to Martha’s Vineyard just so Michelle and the girls could start their vacation four hours earlier.  That’s a complete waste of taxpayer money, and those amounts he should be reimbursing the Treasury.

  • herddog505

    Proof – I don’t think anyone would begrudge Obama an occasional game of golf if he hadn’t screwed up the economy so badly.

    Even if we absolve him of all blame for the state of the economy, this is still an excellent point. 

    Basically, this just looks terrible.  Here President Pathetic yaps about “corporate jets”… while he and the family take TWO to get to their vacation.  He promises (another) “jobs program”… just as soon as he gets back from vacation.  He demands Congressional action… but not only doesn’t call Congress back from recess but also leaves town himself.  He promises to “focus like a laser beam” and “not rest” until the employment problem is whipped, but the only ”focus” he seems to have is on his golf game and the only employment he’s working on is caddies, hotel maids, and wait staff at swank restaurants on Martha’s Vineyard.  He rails against “the rich”, but takes vacations the likes of which only a tiny, tiny fraction of the American people can afford even in the best of times.

    Is he a liar?  A hypocrite?  Totally clueless?  All of the above?

    Nobody denies that the president should be able to take a vacation or relax; most people understand that the president is ALWAYS on the job.  However, President Pathetic has made his vacations look so ostentatious and such a contrast to the way that the rest of the country is living that it just p*sses people off.

  • herddog505

    Proof – I don’t think anyone would begrudge Obama an occasional game of golf if he hadn’t screwed up the economy so badly.

    Even if we absolve him of all blame for the state of the economy, this is still an excellent point. 

    Basically, this just looks terrible.  Here President Pathetic yaps about “corporate jets”… while he and the family take TWO to get to their vacation.  He promises (another) “jobs program”… just as soon as he gets back from vacation.  He demands Congressional action… but not only doesn’t call Congress back from recess but also leaves town himself.  He promises to “focus like a laser beam” and “not rest” until the employment problem is whipped, but the only ”focus” he seems to have is on his golf game and the only employment he’s working on is caddies, hotel maids, and wait staff at swank restaurants on Martha’s Vineyard.  He rails against “the rich”, but takes vacations the likes of which only a tiny, tiny fraction of the American people can afford even in the best of times.

    Is he a liar?  A hypocrite?  Totally clueless?  All of the above?

    Nobody denies that the president should be able to take a vacation or relax; most people understand that the president is ALWAYS on the job.  However, President Pathetic has made his vacations look so ostentatious and such a contrast to the way that the rest of the country is living that it just p*sses people off.

  • Anonymous

    Obama acts no differently or better that any other American  politician, (which I admit is dissappointing). Get used to it, Obama is. The USA will face a jobs crunch for a number of years. Congress is taking the whole month of August off. The Chinese are the only ones who don´t take holidays. Chinatown is 24/7 and Obama  is practically homeless compared to Romney . I suppose there is a lot of stress  to his job and Obama does have a family, he wants to give a break to..

  • http://www.rustedsky.net Anonymous

     As far as I’m concerned, he can play golf 24 hours a day for the rest of his tenure in the White House. 

    If he’s out there, he’s not screwing us over with more of his community organizing.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_RVIS42ZJEXB6TWZQHYCZF247II Willis Forster

    Yes, he can walk, play golf, and destroy the worlds political equilibrium and economy at the same time.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_CD2A6TUEQLYYRN2OR344CYQSFA OP

    With 21 rounds under my belt so far this year, so I’ve played more than Obama. He’s been in office approximately 32 months. Divide that by 78 and we get 2.4 rounds a month—which, frankly, is fairly standard for avid golfers like Obama. (Despite Rick’s hyperbole addled stats.) And like me here in Seattle where the courses and conditions are lousy, he probably can’t really play golf during DC winters (maybe he can play when he’s traveling) so that confines his play to spring and summer and maybe some in fall. Depending on the weather and other “bad luck” (as Obama might call it) things like weather, Afghanistan, collapsing world markets, etc., he might play slightly less this year.

    Here’s my take on it, and maybe I’m bias because I’m an avid/rabid golfer too: I don’t begrudge Obama or any president who takes time off to play golf or other sport of his choosing. I also can’t fault him for taking a vacation, either—if I’m not mistaken, most presidents traditionally go on vacation in the month of August when Congress is on break, too.

    The golfing makes for good low-hanging fruit jokes, etc. (Hey, I’m not “above” doing it too. I’ll take my shots*) And I get that it seems like his shirking his duties when so many people are out of work, the markets are sputtering, the Middle East is on fire, etc. But let’s try and remember that whatever differences we have with him (and mine are many and great) he’s got the toughest job in the world; and if golf is his mental break, stress reliever, release, whatever, be the bigger people and let him have it. We can fry this fish other and more interesting and less petty ways.

    –Peter F.

    *Get it? We’re talking golf and I said “shots”. It’s a talent, what can I say.

  • http://wizbangblog.com/author/rodney-graves/ Rodney G. Graves

    Having to point out one’s bon mots or witticisms is a sure sign of FAIL.

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