America All the Golfing Presidents  

Since the game of golf became popular in the early 1900s, most presidents have played - with levels ranging from apathetic to enthusiastic. In fact, only a couple of presidents haven't played, and they found their own ways of spending their leisure time. Golf and the presidency have been linked ever since William Howard Taft became a visible proponent of the game, talking up its health attributes. It became more and more important for presidents to project an image of physical fitness, while also appear athletic and graceful. Golf was a way to do this.

At the same time as presidents started enjoying golf, they started to be criticized for enjoying it. Despite having entire websites devoted just to counting how many rounds he's played, Barack Obama is far from the first president to draw the wrath of the media for his golf habit.Taft himself was criticized so much that he vowed to curtail his playing. Dwight Eisenhower, maybe the most enthusiastic golfer in the White House, was given no quarter, and his opponents delighted in calling him the "Duffer in Chief."