Bryson DeChambeau video exposes Trump's biggest golfing weakness

Donald Trump can play golf to a relatively good standard. That much won’t come as a great surprise to people – especially given how much he played during his time in the White House, and how many courses he owns around the world.

But it’s fair to say his latest video with US Open champion and one of the best players in the world, Bryson DeChambeau, exposes the worst element of his golf game.

The pair took part in a scramble for DeChambeau’s “Break 50” Youtube series, attempting to play 18 holes in 50 shots or less from the forward tees.

“On this special episode, we will be donating $10,000 to the Wounded Warrior Project for every stroke we score under par. Stay tuned,” DeChambeau said.

Trump’s golfing abilities have been in the news again this year, after the US presidential debate between Trump and Joe Biden last month took an unexpected turn when they got into an argument over who was better at golf.

Online commentators have long contested Trump’s golf handicap. Last year, the magazine Golf Digest was mocked for awarding the top position to Trump in a list ranking American presidents by their handicap. The publication awarded the 45th president the top score of 2.8, while allotting Biden the number two slot with a 6.7 score.

While many said that Trump is a solid player, lots of people disputed his 2.8 handicap – including sportswriter Rick Reilly who wrote an entire book about Trump cheating at golf called Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump.

The book recounts stories of him breaking the rules out on the course and discussing his golf game – which, as his video with DeChambeau shows, is solid for the most part.

However, as Reilly stated in an interview with the Guardian, while Trump’s long game is good, his short game really lets him down.

“Trump’s pretty good off the tee but he chips like Edward Scissorhands. He’ll cheat you on the course and then buy you lunch,” Reilly said.

The new video basically confirms that thesis. Trump’s driving is pretty impressive, considering he turned 78 last month, he gets it out there well off the tee.

However, it’s his short game and his putting which isn’t as good.

Given the fact he was playing off the front tees and also had DeChambeau helping him out, he wasn’t required to do much chipping as they nearly always hit the green.

But while he still made a few good putts, Trump’s way of flicking his wrist through the ball while putting is something a coach would nearly always look to correct in players.

Trump made a few putts in the video, but it also promotes instability in the putting stroke – something which caused quite a stir among golf fans on Twitter/X.

DeChambeau previously addressed criticism online for inviting such a divisive figure onto his YouTube channel, saying that he also invited president Biden to take part in the series.

“To be clear, this is about golf and giving back to our nation’s veterans, not politics. A few weeks ago I reached out to both parties’ presidential campaigns and @realDonaldTrump was down for the challenge,” he wrote.

“It is an incredible honour to be able to enjoy a round of golf with any sitting or former president, and all have an open invitation to join me for a round of Break 50 anytime.”

Sign up for our free indy100 weekly newsletter

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings