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.
While security around Trump was bolstered in the aftermath of the first attempt on his life over the summer, the new beefed-up protective detail wasn’t able to prevent another would-be assassin from coming within 500 yards of the former president, armed with an AK-47 with a telescopic sight on Sunday.
In some ways, a similar issue led to both situations: difficulty securing a perimeter around the former president.
A golf course presents a particular challenge. The fairways and greens of a golf course are often the largest outdoor area a president can visit, and their design — often abutting public roads and containing elements such as trees and hills that can conceal would-be assassins — make them particularly difficult for the agency to secure.
Officials said at a news conference Sunday that a suspected would-be shooter hid in a patch of bushes on the perimeter of Trump’s golf course before a Secret Service agent spotted the barrel of his weapon.
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, like presidents before him, likes to drive his own golf cart — one of the only opportunities a sitting or former president has to drive any kind of vehicle. People familiar with the matter said the president’s golf cart is not equipped with any special protective measures, though it does have a presidential seal affixed to it.
Sometimes, agents use metal detecting wands to screen players and other guests before they come into close proximity to the former president. And while there have been efforts in the past to restrict who can come near Trump while he’s at one of his clubs, he likes socializing with members.
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.
This story has been updated with additional information.
