One would think that being the President of the United States would mean having the master key to every door possible. Doors like the one to Augusta National Golf Club, a place that has a certain class, tradition, and also a secret-society-like mystique where membership never even exceeds 300. It’s no secret among the golf circles that Trump has wanted in for years now. Yet the man who is holding the office not once, but twice, is elusive to the club. And now, we finally know why he can’t walk through Augusta’s doors.

Legendary instructor Butch Harmon, when asked why Trump isn’t and maybe will never be a member, gave a rather blunt answer. Hear it from him.

“Because he’s Trump,” he said in an interview with The Telegraph. “He’s full of himself. He’s the type of person that I don’t think fits the profile of an Augusta member. I’ve known him most of my whole life, because his father was a member of Winged Foot [the exclusive New York course]; what you see is what you get with him. And I don’t think his personality fits the membership at Augusta.

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“And it doesn’t matter that he is president. I don’t think that has anything to do with it, because there’s been a lot of other presidents who played golf, and they’re not members. [Bill] Clinton, [Barack] Obama, they played golf. I think it’s just his personality doesn’t mix with that particular club. That’s as politically correct as I can be.”

For more than 30 years, Butch Harmon’s father, Claude Harmon, was the head professional at Winged Foot Golf Club, one of the best courses in the United States. Fred Trump, Trump’s father, was a member there. Because of that overlap, both families were in the same elite golf circles for decades, making Harmon’s opinion important. Plus, one cannot forget what happened at the Ryder Cup at the Bethpage Black Course. 

All the noise, tension, and chaos of a sitting president coming to the event took attention away from golf. Harmon, in fact, felt so strongly about the unruly atmosphere that he stepped away from the coverage entirely. And he wasn’t the only one who chose to do so. 

“I thought it was disgusting… embarrassing,” he said later. Even Ewen Murray felt the same, and he stepped away after what he witnessed. When seasoned people start distancing themselves, you know there is a problem. The real kicker is that, on paper, Donald Trump’s golf credentials are strong. 

Doral, Bedminster, and Turnberry are among the 15 Trump Organization championship courses in the U.S., Scotland, Ireland, and the UAE. He has hosted LIV Golf tournaments, publicly supported the league, and played with Tiger Woods. Kai, his granddaughter, is a promising junior golfer. Then you look at the numbers, and the story takes an even sharper turn. 

There are reports that estimate that Trump has spent over $100 million on golf trips since he returned to office. The fact that it is all at the expense of taxpayers’ money has drawn plenty of criticism from groups like Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. But the president can be happy because he is not the only one who is devoid of the privilege to join this club, regardless of how powerful he is. 

Multiple golf-loving presidents like Clinton and Obama never earned a membership. The club operates independently, unaffected by political status or public profile. Its membership criteria have always prioritized discretion, temperament, and fit over fame. Trump’s brand, characterized by its loudness, self-promotion, and combative nature, stands in stark contrast to Augusta’s membership criteria. 

The only president who has gotten a membership was Dwight D. Eisenhower. Co-founder Clifford Roberts personally invited him to join in 1948, five years before he entered the White House. Augusta built him a 7-room cabin that is still in use, and he suggested building “Ike’s Pond” on the Par-3 course. One thing is for sure: by now, the question of what exactly and how exactly one gets into this club is on everyone’s mind.

How Augusta National membership works

Augusta National does not accept applications. Membership is by invitation only, extended through an existing member, and only when a vacancy opens up. The club doesn’t publish any accounts, doesn’t share any criteria, and members are legally required not to talk about it in public. Having money and connections is important, but it’s not enough.

The financial estimates are surprisingly modest: approximately $40,000 joining fee and $4,000 annual dues. But the money was never the point of the green jacket. The price of entry really depends on who can vouch for you and whether you fit what Augusta is looking for.

There has never been a sitting president of the United States who was a member of the Augusta National. Eisenhower was the only one who got in. Condoleezza Rice, who was the U.S. Secretary of State from 2005 to 2009, was one of the first two women to join in 2012.

Since taking office again, Donald Trump has been seen at big sporting events like the Ryder Cup and the U.S. Open tennis final. But Augusta does things its own way, regardless of how well-known or politically powerful one is.