Golf courses, and in particular Donald Trump’s own properties, have long been a source of concern among Secret Service officials tasked with securing the grounds while the commander in chief plays, according to people familiar with the matter.
A golf course is often the largest outdoor area a president can visit, and their design — often abutting public roads and containing elements like trees and hills that can conceal would-be assassins — make them particularly difficult for the agency to secure.
Like other presidents before him, Trump’s presence at a golf course does not prompt the club to shut down to the general public, nor for the roads to be closed nearby.
Instead, groups of agents in golf clothes typically ride in golf carts ahead and behind the president as he plays and secure the areas in the several minutes before he arrives.
Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach abuts three heavily trafficked roads: Kirk Road, Summit Boulevard and Congress Avenue. The Palm Beach International Airport is also nearby.
As president, Trump could often be spotted from across from Kirk Road when he was playing golf. But members of the media were not permitted to stand on the sidewalks near the golf course when Trump was playing.
After he left office, some of those restrictions were lifted. Members of the public were able to have a clear view of Trump from the sidewalks on Summit Boulevard and Congress Avenue.
In a briefing Sunday, the Palm Beach County sheriff acknowledged that with Trump now not a sitting president, the Secret Service was “limited” in its ability to fully surround the golf course.
When he was president, Barack Obama’s most frequent golf outing was to the links at Joint Base Andrews, which, by its nature on a military installation, had restricted access — both to the course itself but also its surroundings.
President Joe Biden rarely golfs.