Golf courses, and in particular former President 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 which 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 former 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 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 some of the security concerns.
“The level where he is at right now, he is not the sitting president. If he was, we would have had the entire golf course surrounded. But because he’s not, security is limited to the areas the Secret Service deems possible,” Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said.
“I would imagine the next time (Trump) comes to the golf course, there would probably be a little more people around the perimeter,” Bradshaw added.
When Barack Obama was president, his 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 and to its surroundings.
President Joe Biden rarely golfs.
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