The Bush Golf Dynasty

USGA President George Herbert Walker (right), the current U.S. president's great-grandfather, presents the 1920 U.S. Amateur trophy to Chick Evans.

Another ancestor who contributed to the Bush golf dynasty was Prescott Bush, Old 41's father. Prescott Bush was himself a president of the U. S. Golf Association at one time -- 1935 -- before he became a U.S. senator from the state of Connecticut. Prescott Bush was by far the best golfer in the family. He was beyond scratch, an eight-time club champion at Cape Arundel Golf Club in Kennebunkport, where for many years he held the course record of 66. Cape Arundel is also where Old 41 once went 18 holes in about two hours. I know this. I was playing along with him. We had to hurry so we could go for a speedboat ride and take a walk before lunch.

Your Bushes don't throw a lot of grass up in the air when they play.

My own assessment of 41's game is that he has a good swing, and there's evidence of a lot of athleticism in the guy. But like most golfers, the short game is his weakness, especially putting.

"I could be great, but I'm allergic to practice and I break out in hives," he says. With such a family pedigree -- two presidents of the United States, two governorships (Texas and Florida), a senator (Connecticut) and two presidents of the USGA -- you'd think it would help his game.

But as we say in Texas, "A pedigree don't cure a pull hook."

Could be one reason why he jumps out of airplanes.

I asked Prez 41 to assess the golf games of his sons.

"Jeb's our best golfer," he said, speaking of the governor of Florida. "He's a single-digit man -- maybe an 8. He hits the ball a mile, has a great natural swing and loves the game. Both Neil and Marvin play acceptable golf. Mid-teens."

And Prez 43, the current CEO of the dynasty?

"Forty-three could be a single-digit man if he had the luxury to play more and practice," 41 said. "He hits a long tee ball. He plays very fast -- maybe he needs to take more time, but who am I to suggest that? I expect he's about a 15 or 16 today, but if the windmill and dragon's mouth are out of sync, it might be closer to 18."

Hard to beat that for an ender.