Sports expert torches Trump’s wildly exaggerated golf claims

Now 79, President Donald Trump continues to feel highly competitive with a wide range of people, from former President Barack Obama to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) to fellow real estate developers. Trump will insist that he has a higher IQ than past Republican presidents, and he repeatedly brags about how well he thinks he plays golf.

But according to sports journalist/author Rick Reilly (of Sports Illustrated and ESPN fame), Trump's claims about his golfing record are wildly exaggerated.

Trump once again bragged about his golfing record during a livestreamed conversation with troops on Thanksgiving 2025.

The president claimed, "I know a lot about golf. I've won 38 club championships, and I don't get to practice much. I won one last year. I won a club championship at a big club, beating a 27-year-old kid. 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.' And, uh, I've been a good golfer over the years."

Reilly, however, is questioning Trump's "38 club championships claim."

On X, formerly Twitter, Reilly posted, "Ha! Trump adds about 10 every time he brings this up."

Daily Beast reporter Janna Brancolini notes, "The president has been dogged for years by accusations that he cheats at his favorite pastime by kicking balls from the rough into the fairway, instructing his caddies to throw opponents’ balls into bunkers, and awarding himself numerous 'gimme putts,' according to The Times of London. He also regularly claims to 'win' tournaments at his own clubs, including competitions where he has skipped rounds or where nobody has seen him play, The Palm Beach Post reported."

Brancolini adds, "During his Thanksgiving call, Trump insisted that all of his tournament wins had been 'legitimate' and then launched into a rant about (former President Joe) Biden."

Trump insisted that he is a much better golf player than Biden, telling troops, "A lot of people talk, but they can't play — like Biden. Biden can't hit a ball 30 yards. I'm telling you, I looked at his swing. He cannot hit a ball 30 yards. He said he was a 6-handicapped. He said — that was the only thing that made me angry during the debate with him — he said he was a 6. I said, 'You're not a 6.' And he said, 'Well, I'm an 8.' I said, 'That was quick. I picked up 2.' But he's not 100."