Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump

This is a light and breezy read. It can easily be read over a weekend. The writing style is light and breezy, the subject matter is not. This is a truly fascinating look at the 45th and 47th president. It explains so much about the person and the way he acts.

The revelation that Trump cheats at golf was not a surprise to me.beacause he lies and cheats about everything else. I have read a number of biographical accounts of Trump's life and this amusing, entertaining and well researched, through many interviews, book ranks with the best of them. I'm 86 and have been playing this game for most of the 70 years since I turned 16, so I was eager to read this account. Reilly does a pretty good job of explaining most of the terms but I will concede that it's much juicier if you have some understanding of the game. Like the author. and many others. I have long believed that you can judge a persons character by observing their behavior on the golf course. Thinking back over the years I can count only 5 golfer I have known of or played with who were inveterate cheaters and perhaps another 3 or 4 who tried to defeat you or any opponent by playing head games, but Trump seem to have out done them all. Fudging a score on a hole by not counting all of your strokes, improving your lie in the rough, or dropping a ball and pretending you had found your ball when you couldn't find the one you were actually playing, are all tricks I have observed, but Trump seems to have sunk even lower. I have never seen a player concede himself a chip shot, pick up an opponents ball when he was't looking and toss it into a trap, or fake hitting a pitch shot, of 30 or 40 yards or so, into the hole by palming a ball and then pretending to retrieved it from the hole. Finally, I agree with one of the other reviewers that the one star reviews are pure fakery, or if you will cheating, because they haven't read it. Take note that none of them seem to be "verified purchasers."

My first exposure to the literature of golf cheating was reading Goldfinger in the early 60s. At least his cheating was subtle. The first ¾ of this book is an entertaining account of transparent absurdities which Trump undertakes to claim supremacy in both playing golf and owning golf courses. The underlying premise is "As in golf, so in life." Not being a golfer, I have no evidence to challenge this. Along the way, it gives an interesting account of earlier presidents' attitudes towards golf and also does a good job in explaining the established ethics of golf to readers like me, who are non-players. So far, so good. Alas, the author turns serious towards the end. The final chapters lay out a charge sheet for Trump's obsession with golf having impaired the execution of his office. I have little doubt that the author has good grounds for the accusation, but this deeply disturbing material is presented in the same light-hearted language as the stories of his overpowered golf cart allowing him to reach his ball and cheat out of sight of his opponents. This latter part deserves a serious essay. It could have been presented in the same book, perhaps as an appendix, but it should not have been presented in terms such as 'Trump wasn't going to screw that up with a travel ban. What if Tiger needs to meet with his concrete guy?' Following that account of why Dubai was exempted for the list of travel ban countries, the author turns to illegal immigrants. We are given 'You ask "Does Trump employ illegal immigrants?" I answer "Did Liz Taylor own a wedding dress?"' Writing like this trivialises very serious accusations. But, let me repeat, majority of the book is a most entertaining read.

I have known how much Trump cheats at golf and thought this book would be entertaining and it sure did NOT disappoint me. The author has played golf with Donald a LOT over the years and as they say, "He could write a book about his adventures with Donald" and so he DID! It amazed me when the author explained that Donald doesn't think anything at all about blatant cheating and can't see anything wrong with it. After reading this book, it is obvious why he cheats in everything else too. The author explains why he has a penchant to cheat from when he even started out in life, from little on up to the bragging adult of today. His claims about winning so many golf championships are disgusting, once you learn what he does to claim that he won so many - anybody could do the same, once they know how. But where is the shame? NOT one of Trump's traits, that's for sure! GREAT BOOK ~ DON'T MISS IT!

Really good read. One of those books that is hard to put down. I'd read two other books by Reilly, Missing Links and Who's your Caddy, and this was just as good. It just doesn't talk about Trump cheating on the golf course, which he does all the time, it also talks about how Trump has cheated people in business deals, etc. as well from someone who actually knows him.

Book arrived very quickly and in excellent condition. I would buy from them again. If you are one of us who has serious doubts about our current president, I'd say this should be required reading.

Written with wit and honesty. Describes to a tee (haha) DT! Truly explains why the man does what he does.

First, confession: I do play golf...very, very, poorly. As in I shoot probably a 200. Why? Because it's just a game to me and I have no burning desire to smack a little ball into a little hole...it's a game! It's not the end-all and be-all for my self esteem. I do, however, play with very, very good golfers--and we DO play by the rules--and I DO record my pitiful score, much to everybody's chuckles and delight. And it was an avid golfer who recommended this book to me. Further, I do not think highly of DT. To put it mildly. But even I was totally taken aback by this very humorous romp through DT's Golf Life. I mean, he spends half his time golfing....so...What??? WHAT??? He cheats! He cheats PUBLICLY! On record! On video! ALL the time. He cheats gleefully! He lies about his score! He doesn't care if you can see it! He doesn't care! And he cheats (publicly & on record) and sues his way (publicly & on record) when he builds or takes over or buys golf courses. All of which is on record. In the courts. In village meetings. In memos, contracts, and conversations. It reaches staggeringly, unbelievably ridiculous levels. Which aren't so ridiculous when you begin to see the connections between the courses, the people who play there, the "Trump empire" and the under-the-table way influence works. (And, apparently DT does NOT play golf with women... so it's easy to see there that women are excluded from these under-the-table agreements and deals. This was supposed to be passee decades ago. Guess not.) And that's rather the point of this funny little book. It goes into great detail about DT's game and his golf-resort investments. The golf resort part could probably fill its own book... but this was just enough. And a very amusing, if utterly disturbingly enough at that. If you don't play golf, don't despair...I think the explanations of right & wrong are pretty direct here. Like: If you hit the little ball off the manicured part, you are supposed to HIT IT BACK, not pick it up and toss it closer to the putting green, etc. And: You are supposed to count all the times you hit the little ball. So, even if you have trouble remembering who Tiger Woods is, you will probably still find this a cute little book. What's not so cute about it, however, is the dawning and inescapable realization that it describes to a T the personality and driving motivations behind the guy in the Oval Office right now, and it is not an admirable nor funny picture. If you like Trump? Maybe this book isn't for you. If you like Trump AND Golf, then you might want to read it. If you don't play golf, maybe borrow it from the library. If you can't stand either one? Give it a pass (but you will be missing a few laughs). Me? After reading this I so wanted to wrap a 7 iron around his neck; golf will never be quite the same for me.

Explains a lot... sadly! Should be read by all Americans of voting age.

For someone with zero knowledge on how golf works, it was an interesting spin on Trump's thought process. A different perspective on the shortcomings of someone, it would've helped if the author had furnished a bit more pro-trump facts (sprinkled lightly) to help the reader form an unbiased opinion.

Great insight to Donny, if you cheat at golf then you will cheat in life.

Great book. Must read.

We all know what Trump is like, but this goes to another level with details of the way he got where he is today. Astonishing!