Last week, Donald Trump challenged Joe Biden to a golf match, continuing a stand-out moment in a debate filled with stand-out moments in which the presumptive presidential candidates argued about which one of them could hit a golf ball the farthest and who had the lower handicap. On the surface, the discussion seemed childish and certainly not relevant for a presidential debate. Those two minutes, however, may reveal more about aspects of the character of these two men running for president than initially meets the eye.
Golf is a simple game enjoyed by millions of people. The objective seems easy enough: Hit a small ball into a small hole hundreds of yards away in as few strokes as possible. Whoever does it in the least strokes, wins.
However, as the late, great economist Armen Alchian asked in 1977, “Despite their intense interest in sports, no golf courses exist in the Socialist-Communist bloc. Why is golf solely in capitalist societies?” He answered, “Because it is not merely a sport. It is an activity, a lifestyle, a behavior, a manifestation of the essential human spirit… [it requires] self-reliance, independence, responsibility, integrity and trust.” (READ MORE: The Ballot and the Bullet Against Trump)
Golf requires these characteristics because of the ease with which one can cheat. Despite each hole being hundreds of yards in length, mere inches can make all the difference. A ball that takes an unlucky bounce can be caught behind a tree, forcing a player to take an extra stroke. Moving the ball to a more advantageous position can be done easily without detection. (It is rumored that Bill Clinton was famous on the course for his “foot wedge.”) Playing partners are also often reluctant to closely monitor one another. As P.G. Wodehouse said, “The man who can go into a patch of rough alone, with the knowledge that only God is watching him, and play his ball where it lies, is the man who will serve you faithfully and well.”
This is one reason why golf is the preferred sport of business leaders. The objective of meeting on a golf course is not simply to play golf. It is because by playing golf, you learn about your playing partner’s character. Are they the sort of person who can be trusted? Are they as good as their word? Do they accurately report their scores? Or do they report a better score than they earned? Do they make excuses for poor scores? Or do they accept them unquestioningly? Do they lose their composure after a bad shot, or can they accept mistakes and move on?
If someone lies about their performance in a game like golf, they are likely the sort of person who will lie about more serious matters. These are wonderful characteristics to know about potential business partners, or indeed anyone with whom you engage in any major economic transaction.
So when Joe Biden and Donald Trump argued about their respective golf games, the American people got a good look at the character of the two men. President Biden claimed to know he was a six (or was it eight?) handicap when he was vice president. To be fair, there is some evidence to back up his claim. In 2015, Golf Digest published an article claiming Biden had a 6.3 handicap. The same article, however, also quoted John Kasich (then governor of Ohio and Republican presidential hopeful) as saying, “Joe Biden told me that he was a good golfer, and I’ve played golf with Joe Biden…. I can tell you that’s not true, as well as all of the other things that he says.” (READ MORE: The Lies of the Biden Presidency Are a Problem)
Likewise, Donald Trump knows whether the club championships that he’s won are legitimate or if he is engaging in mere puffery. In 2019, the Guardian published evidence that these club championships may have been less impressive than the public was led to believe.
Golf is a wonderfully clear sport. As Armen Alchian writes, “A stroke was taken or it wasn’t; the ball is out of bounds or it isn’t; on the green or it isn’t; in the cup or it isn’t.” The temptation to misreport one’s score is omnipresent. But to do so would fundamentally destroy the game and one’s reputation. As Golf Digest reports, “There is no worse designation for a golfer than a cheater.”
Perhaps it is no coincidence that the same country that invented golf also produced the moral philosopher and economist, Adam Smith. Smith emphasized the critical role played by trust and integrity in every human relationship, especially in the workings of a market economy and a flourishing commercial society. Smith understood that a person is either trustworthy or they are not; either they have integrity or they do not. (READ MORE: Kamala Kamala Chameleon: Shameful Pretender)
For an American president, these characteristics are of the highest importance. But on a more mundane level, market economies depend vitally on such norms. Without them, we are left with overmighty government trying, invariably ineffectually, to fill the gap. And that is not good for the economy or society’s well-being as a whole.
David Hebert is a Senior Research Fellow with the American Institute for Economic Research. John Pinheiro is the Director of Research at the Acton Institute. The views expressed here are their own.
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