BY AAGD STAFF
May 13, 2020 — To put your life on the line for something you love is a true sign of commitment. Award-winning actor, Sam L. Jackson has done just that with his phenomenal acting career. As the highest-grossing actor of all time, Jackson the 71-year-old has a career in the industry that spans over three decades. His resume is untouchable, and so is his passion for golf.
As a self-proclaimed bad motherf…Jackson’s greatly honed acting and producing skills are witnessed on the big screen in roles such as Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to Mace Windu in Star Wars, and in unforgettable movies like Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained, Captain Marvel, and more. Winning numerous accolades, awards and critical acclaim, it was Jackson’s strong presence and unfailing confidence in himself that successfully engaged viewers with ‘bringing home the bacon’ in the Capital One QuickSilver Card commercials.
Jackson’s net worth currently stands at $250 million dollars and his ongoing movie deals seem to be endless. So, how would such a busy individual arrange to schedule golf into his life on such a regular basis? It’s because golf is both a stress reliever and a heartfelt love. Between filming, traveling, enjoying family and friends, Jackson is living his best life through the sport of golf. His success enables him to play some of the world’s best golf courses, and to schedule to play the game almost every day, whether he is working, or not.
Playing often has made Jackson a good golfer. He took up golf when a group of his friends tricked him into going to a driving range. Today, the avid player tees up with golf pros in celebrity tournaments, charity outings, hit the greens with CEOs, presidents, and even alone if he has too. His official handicap was an impressive 6.9 in 2019, according to golf.swingbyswing.com, and he once shot a 78 while playing with Tiger Woods at St. Andrews—which means, he’s probably about as good (if not better) than many amateur golfers, including President Donald Trump himself.
When TheTelegraph.com asked Jackson in 2016 if he was a better golfer than Trump, the then Republican presidential frontrunner, Jackson said, “Oh, I am, for sure – I don’t cheat.” Jackson also told ForTheWin.com during that same year that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump had cheated, and had once signed him up for a membership at one of his golf clubs without telling him:
“Last week or so, I actually got a bill from Trump National Golf Club and I haven’t been there in four or five years, so I had my assistant call. They said it was for membership dues. And I said, ‘I’m not a member,’ and they said, ‘Yeah, you are — you have a member number.’ Apparently he’d made me a member of one of his golf clubs, and I didn’t even know it!”
In the ongoing feud, Jackson weighed in on Donald Trump’s golfing alleged cheating in the book, Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump by Ricky Reilly, saying, “We clearly saw him hook a ball into a lake at Trump National and his caddy told him he found it!” It’s important to note that Jackson isn’t the first person to accuse Trump of cheating at golf. Others have accused him of such behavior before.
Regardless, golfing is one of Jackson’s favorite hobbies. Even during contract negotiations, he goes from films to fairways by having it written into his agreements that he must be allowed to golf while shooting a film. Now, that’s ball-striking power, for sure. It’s his thing and oh, yeah, he also once made an eagle on Augusta National’s Par-5 15th. Perhaps Jackson could have been among those playing on the PGA Tour, or Champions Tour, but it seems the acting bug bite him first, long ago.
Jackson is so serious about golf that his contracts state he is allowed to play while filming. Without golf, he claims his behavior would become destructive. He says that Arnold Palmer is the most temperamental golfer that he’s ever played with, and he’s played with a lot of them!
Samuel L. Jackson. The 67-year-old actor is a good player. His official handicap was an impressive 4.9 in 2007, according to Golf Digest, which means he’s probably about as good (if not better) than Trump himself. … It’s not hard to believe he has a handicap in the four-five range.
This has actually turned into a surprisingly pertinent debate given the recent feud between the two. It culminated when Donald Trump took a shot at Samuel L. Jackson’s “unathletic” golf swing, so we decided to wade into the waters of Trump’s claim: Who has the more athletic golf swing?
The 67-year-old actor is a good player. His official handicap was an impressive 4.9 in 2007, according to Golf Digest, which means he’s probably about as good (if not better) than Trump himself. Let’s break down his golf swing.
Jackson has a nice, solid golf swing. It’s not hard to believe he has a handicap in the four-five range. He has a full backswing, and the club stays relatively on-line throughout his swing.
But the accusation that Jackson’s swing is unathletic is likely because of the way his lower body moves. You can see in the GIF above that his legs seem to jolt a bit, and you can see why in the picture below.
Who has a better golf swing: Donald Trump or Samuel L. Jackson?
Trump owns a number of golf courses around the world and his handicap, while not official, is believed to be in the four range. Let’s see his move.
Trump’s swing isn’t perfect: He takes the club too far inside on his backswing and has to compensate for it, which you can see with the little hitch at the top of his backswing.
But what Trump does have is a tremendous lower body action through the ball. Even though his backswing is short, he makes a big turn with his hips on the way back and then turns them hard on his downswing, finishing with a nice, full release of his hands. I’ve never played with Donald Trump, but I bet he can hit the ball quite far with his driver.
You’ve got to hand it to him: For a 69-year-old, Trump has a very athletic, powerful golf swing.
