On a golf course in Virginia (video), his 18-year-old granddaughter asked President Donald Trump what seemed an offhand question. His answer points to something elite families have understood for centuries: the real summit is not what you achieve, but what you leave behind.
Kai Trump: Do you still have any dreams left, or have you achieved them all?
Mr. Trump: (laughing) You sound like a TV reporter… Being president was a dream. But the dream now is to become a great president.
Kai Trump: You're doing pretty well right now.
He laughed, then went back to swinging his club.
Golf, the sport of royalty
In 1834, King William IV granted the title “Royal and Ancient” to the St Andrews golf club, the cradle of world golf. Prince Edward (later King Edward VIII) once served as the club's Captain. King Leopold III of Belgium played golf at amateur competitive level. President Eisenhower even had a putting green built next to the Oval Office.
The golf course, a global boardroom
In 2017, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Trump discussed matters between their two nations not in a meeting room but on a golf course in Florida. Four hours over 18 holes, with no formal negotiation and no phone calls to interrupt, was enough for the two men to understand each other better than many meetings could. On a golf course, character cannot be hidden: how a person handles a bad shot says how they handle a crisis.
The philosophy: in golf there is no opponent, only yourself
In tennis or football, you win partly because your opponent makes mistakes. Not in golf. No one blocks your ball. Your only opponent is the course, and the EGO inside you.
The legend Bobby Jones, a lawyer, the greatest amateur golfer in history and the founder of Augusta, penalized himself one stroke at the 1925 US Open because his ball moved slightly as he addressed it. No one saw it. He lost the tournament by exactly one stroke. When praised, he waved it off: there is nothing praiseworthy about following the rules.
Four lessons golf gives young people
Honesty when no one is watching: golfers keep their own score and call their own penalties.
Humility: yesterday's best shot cannot save today's swing.
Composure: one bad shot does not end the round; the next shot is what counts.
Self-control: the greatest enemy is not out on the course but within.
Conquering yourself
People can conquer markets, mountain peaks, even power, but the EGO is the hardest thing to conquer. The Bible said it three thousand years ago:
“Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” (Proverbs 16:32)
And a child who learns to win over themselves will never lose at life.
The Legacy Club: Developing leaders. Building legacy.
In Thao Dien, The Legacy Club offers the children of distinguished families a journey of Golf · American Academics · Leadership, where they learn not only to swing a club, but to stand firm under pressure, to be honest when no one is watching, and to lead others through character.