During a quite remarkable presidential debate on Thursday, Donald Trump and Joe Biden managed to stumble onto the topic of golf.
Fans of the sport know of the importance of the game on a global scale, but many didn’t think it would genuinely be used as ammunition in the race for the White House.
Trump is well-known for his love of the game, having purchased several courses during his time in real estate.
Biden has also been seen taking to the course from time to time, although Trump, unsurprisingly, isn’t impressed with the 81-year-old’s swing and alleged handicap of six.
“That’s the biggest lie that he’s a six handicap, of all,” he said during the presidential debate. “I’ve seen your swing; I know your swing.”
Trump added: “Two regular club championships, not even senior. To do that, you have to be quite smart and have to be able to hit the ball a long way, and I do it.
“He doesn’t do it; he can’t hit a ball 50 yards. You challenge me to a golf match; you can’t hit the ball 50 yards.”
2024 US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau has even offered to host a match between the pair on his YouTube channel.
Donald Trump and Joe Biden’s Handicaps revealed
Courtesy of some clever work from ForePlay Pod on X, the pair’s handicaps have now been revealed.
Trump, playing out of the fiercely complex Winged Foot, which held the 2020 US Open, is currently playing off 2.5.
Biden, from Fieldstone Golf Club, has a somewhat dubious handicap of 6.7.
Changes to the handicap system
Changes to the handicap system in recent years have seen the average player given a lower index.
The WHS [World Handicap System] now allows shorter courses and nine-hole scores to count towards a player’s handicap. The concept was to allow more players to obtain a handicap and subsequently compete.
Furthermore, another change to the expected score for a hole not played has also assisted the higher handicap players. A nine-hole score, for example, can be converted into an 18-hole score differential.
There are positives and negatives regarding the current system. Firstly, players naturally receiving a lower handicap reduced the chances of ‘bandits’ playing way better than their handicap suggests.
In fact, most players do not struggle to play to their level.
The one negative is that there are several single-figure handicappers, in and around the scratch mark, who are nowhere near that level.
A scratch golfer now is an entirely different standard compared to a scratch golfer from ten years ago, and not for the better.
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