Synopsis
A New York Times Bestseller Students of the presidency often study political savvy or family background. But Don Van Natta studies the way they play golf. Recounting entertaining yet little-told stories of the American presidency, he What do their golf games reveal about their characters? Includes photos
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From the Inside Flap
Some students of the presidency say that we can learn the most about the men who've occupied the Oval Office by studying their ideology. Others say political savvy or family background or regional influences are paramount. But Don Van Natta Jr., an award-winning New York Times reporter, argues for another, more light-hearted standard--by observing the way they play golf. Fourteen of the last seventeen presidents have been golfers, and First Off the Tee shows why this sport is so much more than a game for them.
Recounting some of the most entertaining yet little-told stories of the American presidency, Van Natta seeks to answer two questions: Why is the game of golf so attractive to the men who occupy the Oval Office? And what do their golf games reveal about their characters? Some presidents relied on golf to escape the burdens of office, while others brought those burdens with them. And few have been able to resist the perks of high office, bending the rules and freely taking mulligans. Each president also brought his own personality to bear on his golf game:
John F. Kennedy often sneaked out of the White House to play golf on the sly, because he didn't want anyone to think he was as golf-obsessed as his predecessor, Dwight Eisenhower. But he was.
Woodrow Wilson played golf every morning, because his doctor told him he needed the exercise. Little did he know that through golf he would meet and court the woman who would become his wife.
Gerald Ford's first public appearance after pardoning Richard Nixon was at the opening of the World Golf Hall of Fame, where he played with Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player, and hit the best tee shot of his presidency.
Franklin Roosevelt fell in love with the game while still in prep school, helping to found a golf club at age seventeen and bringing his clubs with him to Harvard. It was a love that was tragically cut short. "After he was stricken with polio," Eleanor Roosevelt recalled, "the one word that he never said again was golf."
And is it surprising at all to learn that the section of this book called "Hail to the Cheats" features the golfing escapades of Bill Clinton, Richard Nixon, Lyndon Johnson, and Warren Harding? For these chief executives, being president meant never having to say double-bogey.
Not content to rely solely on the history books, Don Van Natta also takes the reader on an eye-opening round of golf he recently played with Bill Clinton and explores how the strong father-son bond between the two George Bushes comes into its sharpest focus on the links. He also draws on extensive interviews with the golfing ex-presidents about what the game means to them. For history buffs and golf aficionados alike, First Off the Tee is a cheerful romp and a unique way to share the links with America's duffers-in-chief.
From the Back Cover
"First Off the Tee is an intelligent, lively and richly entertaining excursion that shows us the surprising things we can learn about presidents by scrutinizing their behavior on the golf course." --Michael Beschloss
"Thanks to Don Van Natta, history must now be revised to document the insidious influence of golf on the American presidency, and vice versa. What a kinder, gentler nation we might be today if Richard Nixon had been able to break 80 honestly, just once." --Carl Hiaasen
"Don Van Natta Jr. has managed to morph my two favorite subjects--golf and president-watching--into a marvelously funny, wickedly delightful book. First Off the Tee makes it clear that any president who rejects golf will be condemned to a single term in the White House. It's gratifying to learn that when it came to golf JFK and Ike never cheated. Nixon and Clinton . . . well, that's another story. A great read." --Douglas Brinkley
"What could be more complimentary to the great game of golf than to know how much it has intertwined the recreational lives of so many of our nation's presidents and provided them with occasional moments of relaxation and enjoyment amid the overwhelming demands of that highest of offices. Don Van Natta's chronicle of the exploits of our golfing presidents provides most interesting reading and adds measurably to the written history of the game." --Arnold Palmer
"This is a wonderful laugh-out-loud book about golfing presidents and presidents golfing that shows that on the greens they're just like the rest of us-only more so." --Richard Reeves
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