January brings New Year’s resolutions for many, particularly to exercise more, lose weight and get fit. Presidents have often used sports to help them manage stress, fuel their competitive instincts, and in one noted case, lose weight.

Some presidents had very successful sports experiences early in life. Gerald Ford played Center on two University of Michigan national championship teams and had contracts offered from multiple NFL teams. Ford declined those offers to attend Yale Law School.   Barack Obama, although not a starter, was on his Punahou high school Hawaiian state champion basketball team in 1979.

However, this article will be devoted to the sports they played while in office.

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) often sparred with a boxing partner while in office. That is until he took a punch in the eye from a much younger army captain, suffering a detached retina that left his vision blurry for the rest of his life. After that, he took up jiu jitsu instead.

William Howard Taft (1909-1913) was the first president to take up golf. In fact, he golfed so often that his mentor, Theodore Roosevelt, once urged him to play less, since “golf is perceived as an elitist extravagance.”

Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929) After the Secret Service recommended that he stop horseback riding, Coolidge had a mechanical horse installed at the White House for exercise purposes. Invented by cereal magnate John H. Kellogg, Calvin rode that horse three times a day, only quitting once the mocking and teasing wore him down.

Herbert Hoover (1929-1933) Shortly after his inauguration, Hoover took up his doctor’s recommendation to exercise more often to reduce stress and lose weight. The doctor helped him create a wholly new game that eventually became known as Hooverball. The game involved teams of 5 players using a 6-pound medicine ball. Players would hurl the heavy ball over an eight-foot net, catch it, and toss it back over.

Hoover played this game six days a week outdoors early in the morning.  Senators, cabinet members, supreme court justices, and staff would play for 30 minutes.  Hooverball is the only sport named for a president and is still played competitively each summer at his boyhood home and museum at West Branch Iowa. Oh, and he lost 20 pounds too!

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945) needed a swimming pool to exercise his polio-ravaged body. He had a 50-foot indoor pool built at the White House that he used regularly.

Dwight Eisenhower (1953-1961) had a big passion for golf.  In 1954 he had a 3,000 square foot putting green installed on the grounds of the White House.  Ike used it almost daily to hone his game. He often wore his golf spikes into the oval office, leaving pock marks on the floor.  His successor, John F. Kennedy was astonished to see those golf spike marks and called Ike the “Duffer in Chief”.

Richard Nixon (1969-1974) had a one lane bowling alley installed at the White House and used it frequently.

Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) loved horseback riding to relax. He frequently rode at his ‘western white house’ ranch above Santa Barbara California. Queen Elizabeth, George H.W. Bush and others accompanied him on his rides. He always had a specially trained Secret Service agent ride along.

George H. W. Bush (1989-1993) had a regulation size horseshoe pit built in 1989 and played just about anyone who came along when he had the time to play.  He also rebuilt the putting green at the White House in 1991 so he could work on his short game. Golf was in his blood as his grandfather, George Herbert Walker, was president of the US Golf Association and founder of the Walker Cup.

George W. Bush (2001-2009) also was a very good golfer but stopped playing after September 11, 2001. He took up mountain biking instead, primarily at his Texas ranch.

Barack Obama (2009-2017) had the tennis court striped for basketball and used a movable hoop for pickup games.

Donald Trump (2017-2021) loved golf so much he invested in golf courses and played hundreds of rounds at his clubs while in office.

Since Eisenhower in the early 1950’s, most presidents have played golf.  Some rounds were just for fun and exercise, but others were designed to have extended time with a person they wished to persuade to their cause.

Only Jimmy Carter did not indulge in golf, preferring jogging and fly fishing instead.

What about tennis, you ask?  While the White House has had tennis courts for over a century, most presidents didn’t play much.  However, they did hold celebrity charity tennis tournaments with professionals and Hollywood types.

Playing sports and games is a great way for the president to burn off steam, reduce stress, and yes, even lose weight.  Play on!

Interested in learning more about the presidents? Visit the Carolyn & James Millar Presidential Gallery on the upper level of the Booth Western Art Museum. The gallery features original letters and photographs of every U.S. president. Learn more at www.boothmuseum.org.