18 Holes With President Bill Clinton

Despite being one of the most well-known and sought-after former American Presidents in the world, there are some words that people might not freely associate with Bill Clinton.

Vegan. Health-conscious. Golfer.

Yet, more than a decade after leaving the White House, Clinton’s popularity – and his mission to educate Americans on a healthier way of life – have turned him into a respected role model that practices what he preaches.

His association with the Coachella Valley’s Humana Challenge, formerly the Bob Hope Classic, has created new golf fans worldwide. His clout alone will bring to the Coachella Valley in January – creating a kind of buzz this tournament hasn’t seen since Hope himself played the links.

Earlier this week, Clinton was part of a question and answer session with PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem and Humana Chairman Mike McCallister. Among insights were the former president’s stance on living healthier, and that now includes playing golf.

And, yeah, it’s not like he joins guys at the local muni course either. His foursomes are legendary players – from the world of sports, entertainment and politics. He is still uncertain whether he will play in the 2012 Humana Challenge, saying tongue-in-cheek that his humanitarian efforts toppled his golf game.

“Oh, well, I hope I can (play in January). I'm not very good anymore. Haiti just about ruined my golf game,” Clinton said. “My best year as a golfer was the first year I got out of the White House. I got down to a 10 handicap. But I'm not close to that now. I just don't play enough.

“I saw President Bush, George W. Bush and I were doing this project in Haiti, and he was ragging me. He said I'm down to a 10 now. I was there my first year after office. I said you're just going to have to resist the temptation to do good. I said you start traveling and it will wreck you because we're the same age. He said he played like four times a week and he's in good shape, so we have a good time playing.”

For Clinton’s Alliance For a Healthier Generation initiative, joining the Humana Challenge was an easy fit. He also considered his fondness for Bob Hope, whom he met when playing with former President and Coachella Valley resident Gerald Ford in 1995.

“To be honest with you, the idea of something like this happening never crossed my mind. But I was thrilled about it, because I also had a real soft spot in my heart for Bob Hope after we played in that tournament,” Clinton said. “He(Hope) called me one day. He said ‘I'm coming to Washington.’  He's 95 years old.  He said, ‘I know you're President, but I want to play golf, so just change your schedule.’ So I took him out to Army‑Navy Country Club, and we played nine holes, and he parred a 175 yard par‑3 hole.  He hit driver straight up a hill on to the green. He could see the ball at his feet, he couldn't see the hole at all. So he said it's going to break about four inches. So he hits the ball within one inch and tapped in for a par.

“The reason I hope this will help older people is the thing that I think kept Hope happy and healthy is that he told me back in 1979 when I had dinner with him, he came to Arkansas to give a speech, that all of his life he had walked an hour a day, no matter what. He said if he did a deal in London and it was the dead of winter and it was raining like the devil and he couldn't walk until 11 o'clock at night, he put on his galoshes and took his big umbrella out, and he walked it out. Anyway, no, I didn't plan this.  This is a gift.  I'm just glad to be on the team.”

McCallister and President Clinton both discussed the inherent health benefits of walking 18 holes of golf, and Clinton admitted that he’s certainly not in the kind of shape that some of his friends on the PGA Tour are in.

“There's a huge amount of evidence now that you can actually reverse heart disease with diet and exercise, you can actually improve the blockage and add years to your life,” said Clinton, who has had a couple of heart procedures in recent years.

Clinton pointed out that he believes the advances in golf in the past two decades have less to do with advances in equipment and more to do with the level of athleticism of the golfers on the tour.

“It's a different world. They're professional athletes in a different way,” Clinton said. “I mean, when I was a kid, we used to have a pro tournament in my hometown, and I would get out of school and caddie for it. Most of the golfers on Tour looked like everybody else in Hot Springs, Arkansas. I mean, nobody would look at Padraig Harrington standing next to me and mistake me for a professional golfer.”

And lastly, Clinton discussed his round of golf with President Obama, complimenting the current President’s game by saying he’s got an excellent shot.

“I didn't play well. I shot like 92 or something, and the course was wet, and the ball wouldn't roll. But I had the best time,'' Clinton said.

“I was glad to see him get out and do it. There were times when I was President that I would go five holes before I hit a decent shot and before I could sort of flush my head. You can't play golf and do something else. It's a head game as much as anything else. So I liked seeing him on the golf course because he was totally at peace, relaxed. Went up and greeted everybody, shook hands with everybody that were standing around the course and everything.  It was a very good day.”