Sen. Lindsey Graham and Donald Trump went from bitter political enemies to close allies, a turnaround largely forged over 100 hours of golf. The sheer time spent walking fairways without screens or rush reveals how the game acts as a powerful vehicle for raw connection and political influence.
Sen. Lindsey Graham died over the weekend, and the tributes have focused on politics. But buried in the story of how he and Donald Trump went from bitter enemies to close allies is something golfers will recognise instantly. They played a lot of golf together. More than 100 hours of it, by one estimate from a fellow senator.
Set the politics aside for a moment and it's a striking case study in what the game actually does to people who spend four hours walking together.
How Much Golf Did Graham and Trump Actually Play?
More than 100 hours, according to South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who told ABC's This Week that the relationship was strengthened by exactly that. Do the maths and 100 hours is roughly 25 rounds of golf, give or take. That's a serious amount of time in a cart with the same person.
Their outings were regular enough to be news in themselves. There were rounds at Trump National in Sterling, Virginia, some of them lasting more than four hours. At one stretch they played twice in a single week. Reporters photographed them from across the Potomac. In Washington terms, a Saturday tee time with the president became a recognised route to influence.
Why Does Golf Build Relationships So Well?
Because of the sheer amount of time it gives you, and this is the part every golfer already knows. You cannot spend four hours with someone, walking, waiting, driving, chatting between shots, and stay strangers. There's no clock forcing the pace, no screen between you, and long gaps where you have nothing to do but talk.
Business has known this forever. So has politics. Graham reportedly worked his way into Trump's inner circle through phone calls and golf outings, starting with a lunch in March 2017 that patched things up between them. The golf did the rest. That's not a political trick. That's just what happens when you play enough rounds with someone.
What Did They Say About Each Other?
The turnaround was remarkable, and both men said so out loud. In December 2015, Graham had described Trump in blunt terms and told the country to send him packing. Two years later, Trump was telling a room of Republican senators, "Lindsey used to be a great enemy of mine, and now he's a great friend of mine. I really like Lindsey. Can you believe that?"
Graham, who had a decent line ready, replied that he liked himself too, so they had something in common. After Graham's death, Trump called him one of the greatest people and senators he had ever known. Whatever you think of either man, the arc from "enemy" to that is a big one, and a lot of it happened on golf courses.
Did Golf Really Repair Their Biggest Split?
It seems to have played a part, and this is the detail that stands out. After the Capitol riot in January 2021, Graham publicly broke with Trump on the Senate floor. He said he'd had enough and to count him out. It looked final.
It wasn't. Weeks later, Trump invited Graham to Mar-a-Lago for golf and dinner, and the alliance was back on. A round of golf and a meal, and one of the loudest breaks in American politics quietly healed. As a golf story, it's a remarkable example of what a tee time can do.
What Does This Say About Golf and Power?
It confirms something the game has always known about itself. Presidents have used golf as a political tool for a century. Eisenhower played constantly. Obama used rounds to build relationships too. The course is where deals get floated, egos get soothed, and people who disagree in public find they can talk in private.
There's an honest downside worth naming. That access isn't available to everyone. If a Saturday round is how you get heard, then the people who can't get on the course don't get heard, and golf becomes a private door into public power. It's one of the least comfortable things about the game's relationship with politics, and it's true regardless of which party is playing.
The Raw Read
We'll leave the politics to the political writers. Graham's record and his choices will be argued over for years, and that argument belongs somewhere other than a golf site.
What's worth noting here is the golf itself. Two men who genuinely despised each other in public spent something like 25 rounds walking the same fairways, and came out the other side as close allies. Whether that's a heartwarming story about the game or an uncomfortable one about access probably depends on your politics. But golfers know the mechanism. Four hours with someone, no phones, no rush, just walking and talking and hitting shots. It changes how you see a person. It's why we keep booking tee times with people we barely know. It just usually doesn't reshape a country.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much golf did Lindsey Graham and Donald Trump play together?
More than 100 hours, according to Sen. Tim Scott, which works out to roughly 25 rounds. They played regularly at Trump courses, including Trump National in Sterling, Virginia.
Were Graham and Trump always allies?
No. In 2015 Graham was one of Trump's harshest critics during the Republican primary. They became close allies after a March 2017 lunch and a run of golf outings.
Did golf help repair their relationship after 2021?
It appears so. Graham publicly broke with Trump after the Capitol riot, but weeks later Trump invited him for golf and dinner at Mar-a-Lago, and their alliance resumed.
What did Trump say about Graham?
He once told Senate Republicans, "Lindsey used to be a great enemy of mine, and now he's a great friend of mine." After Graham's death, he called him one of the greatest senators he had known.
Why is golf so often used in politics?
A round takes four hours and creates long stretches of unstructured conversation, which makes it uniquely good for building relationships. Presidents have used it this way for decades.