Poughkeepsie Business Getting Rich Off Of Trump’s Golf Obsession

Thanks to the president's unprecedented obsession with golf, a local company is raking in taxpayer money.

As of today, President Trump has spent 178 days on the golf course; far more than any other modern president. Obama, a golf enthusiast himself, went golfing a total of 306 times during his entire eight years as president. At the time many critics thought this was excessive but now seems quite tame in comparison. We'll let the ruthless Facebook mob debate whether all of this golf benefits the country or not, but there's one thing for certain; it's making one local business very rich.

A website called Trump Golf Count estimates that all of the president's golfing has cost taxpayers almost $100,000,000 since the beginning of his term. While most of that money has gone toward his trips to Mar-a-Lago and Bedminster, a considerable amount has been spent right here in Poughkeepsie.

Since becoming president, Trump has spent an unprecedented 58 days at Trump International Golf Course in Bedminster. Because the course remains open while the president plays, Secret Service needs to be creative to keep Trump safe. According to Quartz, this has been very lucrative for a Poughkeepsie golf cart company.

Secret Service has been authorized to pay Associates Golf Car in Poughkeepsie $95,250 for cart rentals this season, and that number is likely to increase.  Last summer the Secret Service allotted $60,000 for payment to Associates Golf Car. The Taft Avenue business actually received almost double that amount. Records show a $118,000 bill was paid to the local company between May and October of 2018.

Officially released documents show that the Department of Homeland Security has spent almost $500,000 on golf cart rentals since the president was elected. All of that taxpayer money has gone towards specially modified golf carts that can travel 5mph faster than average carts. Because the president usually golfs in the morning, and Bedminster remains open to other members, the tricked out carts have been requested by secret service to protect the president from potential threats.

According to their website, Associates Golf Car's most advanced model sells for $11,351 before tax. Rentals are available up to $235 per day or $1,200 per month.