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The Loop

Apparently President Obama plays golf really slowly. Like, REALLY slowly.

January 02, 2014

This isn't a typical New York Times exposé, per se, but in golfing terms it's downright scathing.

Among the many juicy tidbits in its recent mini-profile on presidential golf -- how Richard M. Nixon, for example, was a cheat, or Bill Clinton's liberal use of mulligans -- it highlighted two of President Barack Obama's traits: first, that he plays a lot of golf. And second, that he plays a lot of golf slowly.

The article and corresponding video offers up a couple of possible explanations why. And on a side note: critics of the Obama administration will be happy to learn that his Republican predecessors, George H.W. and W. Bush, were renowned for playing golf at hyperspeed.

The first is that his slow play stems from his careful and methodical approach, "the way it's supposed to be played," says one of the President's defenders. Or maybe he's just purposefully using it as a time to relax. "The president's long hours on the course are one of his few chances to escape the demands of the White House and relax," The Times posits.

There's also a third, more damning explanation piece puts forward:

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Harsh! But in any case: please, Mr. President: While we're young.