Donald Trump’s recent golf outing, featuring a chip-in shot and a claim of 38 club championships, has reignited discussions about his golfing prowess. Playing alongside legends like Wayne Gretzky and Brooks Koepka, Trump’s performance and boasts, including a victory over a younger player, continue to fuel his athletic narrative, drawing both admiration and skepticism from observers. Donald Trump isn’t new to spectacle, competition, or swagger and a recent golf gathering has once again put those elements on display. While playing alongside hockey icon Wayne Gretzky, golf champion Brooks Koepka, and Fox News anchor Bret Baier, the former U.S. president chipped in a shot that, at least in his telling, was a moment of triumph. He posted the video himself, captioned, “Winning is always nice!”, turning a routine golf outing into a media-rippling highlight. The clip offers what Trump thrives on: an opportunity to showcase ability, charm supporters, and fuel the ongoing folklore of his personal athletic legend.
Donald Trump’s golf bravado, Wayne Gretzky’s presence, and the renewed scrutiny over his 38 club championship claim
The chip-in, followed by someone audibly cheering “One time!” as the ball dropped into the hole, had shades of friendly casual competition, but also performative victory. Golf enthusiasts online immediately wondered: was that for birdie, bogey, or just bravado? The moment resurfaced Trump’s longtime narrative of golfing excellence.He recently asserted, “I’ve won 38 club championships, and I don’t get to practice much,” even recalling a supposed victory against a much younger golfer: “I won a club championship at a big club, beating a 27-year-old kid.”For those familiar with Trump’s history in the sport, those comments echo years of boastful claims. He doubled down with a signature Trumpism: “I said, ‘You know, I’m decades older than you,’ but I said, ‘The fairway doesn’t know how old you are as you walk up the middle, and he’s in the rough’” followed by “I’ve been a good golfer over the years.” Whether these statements are taken as confidence, exaggeration, entertainment, or all three, depends largely on the audience.This is not the first time analysts and observers have questioned Trump’s golf mythology. Rick Reilly’s “Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump” famously criticized the former president’s alleged pattern of exaggerating wins and bending rules.But spectacle aside, playing a casual round with Koepka, one of the most mentally formidable golfers alive and Gretzky, a symbol of athletic greatness, places Trump in company that enhances his intended image: a competitive man among elite competitors, on a golf course where bravado and performance blur.Also Read: “Such a low character player”: Fan outrage erupts over Cal Foote’s return as sexual assault case acquittal divides NHL community
