Trump's Shoddy Golf Course Etiquette Leaves Much To Be Desired (& Everyone Noticed)

If there's one thing President Donald Trump loves more than Quarter Pounders and tariffs, it's golf. However, Trump's questionable reputation on the golf course has earned him plenty of jeers, particularly from fellow links lovers. His history of flouting the rules is well documented: taking extra shots, moving himself ahead on the leaderboard, kicking the ball, and other tactics. In one viral video, Trump was caught cheating on his Scotland golf course by having his caddy casually drop an extra ball in front of the sand bunker just before he exited his cart. Yet even that pales in comparison to another breach of etiquette he committed at Turnberry.

WATCH: President @realDonaldTrump sinks at putt while playing at his famous Turnberry Golf Course in Scotland. pic.twitter.com/dUNnPsmkVM

— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 26, 2025

In a video clip shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Fox News, the president is shown sinking a putt from a short distance, then straightening up and walking away from the hole. Commenters pounced on his lack of courtesy. "Yeah a putt an 8 year old could make and @realDonaldTrump ignores golf etiquette and walks away from the ball in the cup," one pointed out. Naturally, fans rushed to Trump's defense, yawning about the "slow news day" or saying it's not unusual for caddies or younger players to retrieve balls for older golfers. But at least one MAGA loyalist had to agree that the president should have known better. "I'm a 3x Trump voter and love the guy, but you get your own ball out of the cup after putting," he wrote. "That's golf etiquette 101."

Ironically, the president's favorite pastime is also related to his greatest vulnerability. Trump almost always goes makeup-free on his golf outings, showing that his age is catching up to him. Without his preferred orange foundation, his pale complexion makes him look less robust. Trump also tends to stoop more when he walks along the green, temporarily forgetting the image of youth and power he hopes to project. Most of all, critics say the POTUS's unapologetic cheating on the course brings out his true colors.

But technically, Trump's neglect of the ball in the cup at Turnberry wasn't illegal. Unlike moving one's ball or fudging one's score, there's no penalty for abandoning a ball once it's in the cup. However, it could have caused trouble for his teammates. If his ball had blocked the next player from sinking his shot, that player would have had to count the stroke and try again, potentially costing them the win. The clip from Fox News shows Trump's caddy appearing to turn back to the cup after the president leaves the green, so it's likely he retrieved the ball for play on the next hole. This, too, reflects the president's character. Trump likes to present himself as a leader who fights for the average hard-working American, but on the links, he's every bit the privileged billionaire who doesn't mind letting other people do the tasks he can't be bothered to do himself.