Gerald Ford Was A Golf Lover

Not as prominent among presidential golfers as Eisenhower, Gerald Ford nonetheless was a great supporter of the game. From an article on PGA Tour dot Com:

He was a regular at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, playing for the first time in 1977 and in his later years being on hand to congratulate winners like Mike Weir and Justin Leonard at the trophy presentation. Ford had a home in the Palm Springs area and was twice honored by the tournament ...

In an historic pairing in 1995, Ford joined two other Presidents – Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush – and Bob Hope and defending champion Scott Hoch to play in the tournament. Clinton was the first sitting U.S. President to play in a TOUR event ...

Ford also was the honorary chairman of the inaugural Presidents Cup in 1994 as the U.S. beat the International Team 20-12. Clinton and George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush would follow in his footsteps ...

Ford, a long-time supporter of the PGA TOUR and its charitable mission, also often played in the Jackie Gleason Inverrary Classic, now know as The Honda Classic, and the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic, now the Stanford St. Jude Championship, where he made an ace in 1977.

Unfortunately for Ford, he often is better remembered for his athletic and physical blunders. Those of us of a certain age will recall news stories of Ford bumping his head on the door of Air Force One, and hitting spectators with errant drives. It’s a reputation that he didn’t deserve as he was perhaps the most athletic of presidents, starting at center for the University of Michigan, and receiving offers from NFL teams.