PRESIDENTIAL GOLF – GERALD FORD
By William Kelly
Better known for playing football at Michigan and passing up an opportunity to play in the NFL to become a lawyer, politician and president, Gerald Ford also had a passion for golf and played the game well and often.
Much maligned for hitting spectators, Ford actually played a serious game and those who played with him had respect for his abilities.
Playing golf until he was physically unable to do so, Ford lived near Rancho Mirage – where the local historical archives chronicle his sometimes humerous misadventures on the golf course.
It was after the resignation of Richard Nixon and Ford became president when his golf came came under closer scrunitity. Eventually President Ford’s golf game became entwined in his politics and led to changes in the rules, of both the government and the golf clubs.
When the 110th Congress passes the latest lobby laws, corporations will no longer be able to pay for green fees and travel junkets for lawmakers, the origins of which could be traced in part back to Ford’s golfing days at Pine Valley, when he played golf with the corporate vice presidents of Ford and US Steel.
Ford played often at Pine Valley, one of the most exclusive golf clubs in the world, sometimes as a guest of US Steel, which maintained a corporate cabin on the course, used by corporate executives and their guests.
Ford’s Pine Valley foursome became a matter of public record at a press conference when reporters persistently kept asking about Ford playing golf with the corporate officers and whether they discussed government policy while doing so.
Q. Mr. President, in your golf outings or social occasions or other vacations with Rod Markley of Ford Motor Company or U.S. Steel, did you discuss Government business with them either when you were a Member of the House or Vice President or President?
THE PRESIDENT. Not to my best recollection.
Q. You never discussed business?
THE PESIDENT. No.
Q. Mr. President, your staff says they are having some trouble getting records of all these various golfing trips and what-not. Have you ever asked Mr. Whyte 1 if he has records?
THE PRESIDENT. Well, it's my understanding that Mr. Whyte issued a two or three-page statement a week or 10 days ago which outlined the circumstances of the three trips up to Pine Valley and the two down to Disneyland. I understand he issued that.
1 William G. Whyte, vice president of public affairs of U.S. Steel Corporation.
Q. I mean records of what it cost and who paid and all that sort of thing.
THE PRESIDENT. Well, I have no access to their records, so they will have to answer that.
Q. Mr. President, a number of Pentagon military officers have received disciplinary reprimands for accepting freebies--free weekends, hunting expeditions. If you think there is nothing improper about a Congressman accepting free golfing weekends, what distinction is there?
THE PRESIDENT. Well, the House passed a resolution sometime in 1968, as I understand it, which says nothing of significance or substance should be received. I do not feel that there was any impropriety on my part or any violation of that regulation.
I am an avid golfer. Most of you know it. I enjoy the company of people while I am playing golf. Every person that's been involved in these allegations I have reciprocated with as far as they coming either to my golf club or coming to our home.
There has been, I would say, substantial reciprocity. And whatever the circumstances of our getting together, has been in a proper way and in no way a violation, in my judgment, of any rule or ethical standard. These are close personal friends and have been for many years. And I have never accepted--or I don't believe they have tendered--any such things on the basis of seeking any special privilege or anything that was improper.
Q. Mr. President, on June 15, before the Southern Baptist Convention, you condemned very strongly what you call "situation ethics," and I was wondering why this golfing vacation wasn't really "situation ethics." When at that time, you said the American people, particularly our young people, cannot be expected to take pride or even to participate in a system of government that is defiled and dishonored, whether in the White House or the halls of Congress. My question is, do you feel that in view of what the White House has admitted, you have lived up to your own standards here?
THE PRESIDENT. I have said that I don't consider these infrequent weekends a violation of either the rules of the House or any ethical standards. I explained that these were long-standing personal relationships, where there has been virtual reciprocity, and I wouldn't have accepted if there had been any thought in my mind that it was improper or the violation of any code of ethics.
Q. Isn't that "situation ethics" though?
THE PRESIDENT. I don't think so.
Q. Mr. President, is this long-standing personal relationship, personal and friendship though it may be -- is nevertheless valuable to United States Steel and to the Ford Motor Company, much as the employers of other people who are friends of yours -- for example, John Byrnes,2 who represents a great many interests in this town on tax reform, and--perhaps coincidentally, perhaps you believe this--your position is about like his on tax reform?
I asked you earlier whether you had discussed business with them during these social outings. Rod Markley said you and he discussed the Clean Air Act. I wonder, do you not see that it is to their benefit for you to have this personal relationship?
2 U.S. Representative from Wisconsin 1945-73.
THE PRESIDENT. Let me modify what I said a moment ago. In a casual way, of course we might informally talk about certain matters, but I happen to feel that they were not asking me and I was not asking them. The times I've played with Rod have been at Burning Tree, where we are both members and both pay our own way. John Byrnes, I played golf with him because he is a friend of 28 plus years. I don't see anything improper at all.
Q. Do you think that you can separate--
THE PRESIDENT. Absolutely.
Q.--their business as lobbyists and their representation of their corporations from your personal friendship?
THE PRESIDENT. As a matter of fact, some of their comments could be helpful in what the status is.
Q. Mr. President, yet that seems to be the issue that Carter is raising, though. He seems to be raising the old buddy system issue and saying, in fact, that you can't. Now what can you say to counter that? How can you?
THE PRESIDENT. Maybe he can't, but I can.
Q. Mr. President, may I ask you, you now are aware that some of these expenses were actually paid by the companies and not by your friends. But you were paying, when you had them to your home, you were paying yourself, the taxpayers were not taking care of this. So these companies in effect were financing some of this. What is your thinking about why they wanted to do this, why they were willing to entertain you on these weekends?
THE PRESIDENT. I think you would have to ask the people who offered the invitation. These are personal friends, and I don't ask in advance why you want to pay my green fees. I think that's a matter for them on the basis of their own integrity. ……
In the end, the result was not only to end corporations paying the President’s green fees, but a major change at the golf club as well, with Pine Valley making some major policy changes that effectively ended corporate memberships and corporate ownership of course cabins.
The policy changes at the club were not only the result of the mention of Pine Valley and its private membership at a Presidential news conference, but because of the legal ramifications that prevented women from being members of the club.
Not only are corporate memberships denied, but Pine Valley is a golf club where business is not discussed, mainly to avoid a sexual rights civil suit. As the attorneys reasoned it, if business is discussed on the golf course or club house and women not admitted to play or join the club, then it could be discriminatory.
So between Gerald Ford and the women at the gate, rather than let the girls in, they did away with the corporations and business, and now all bills must be paid by individual accounts or cash, and business cannot be discussed, thus changing the way not only the government does business, but how the golf clubs are run.
[William Kelly is the author of “Birth of the Birdie – The First 100 Years of Golf at Atlantic City Country Club.” He can be reached at Billykelly1@aol.com]