How good is Donald Trump at golf?

The president appears in a video to gain an advantage when his caddie drops a ball in a favourable position on the Scottish course, which he opened last weekend. A second video, verified by Reuters, also shows him moving the ball with his club.

Mr Trump was locked in a debate over free speech with the British prime minister on Monday, but in the days prior his integrity and reputation as a golfer were both questioned by the footage.

The Trump administration has not responded to cheating claims or this video.

The 79-year-old prides himself on being a top golfer and owns 17 courses around the world, including the newly expanded club in South Ayrshire.

He has also played with Tiger Woods and Ernie Els, and used the golf course as a networking space to talk about politics with former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe and Finnish president Alexander Stubb.

But just how good is Mr Trump at his beloved game?

How good is Donald Trump at golf?

A consensus is that Mr Trump is hugely passionate and is extremely competitive in all he turns his hand to, hating to lose on the golf course.

While his low scores are allegedly aided by some sneaky play, he does have the core skills to get round an 18 hole course, even without finesse, according to experts.

Mark McGowan of Irish Golfer wrote: “Even allowing for less-than-honest editing, Trump’s got game.

“It’s not the prettiest swing, and his putting stroke resembles that of a man getting electrocuted on the follow through, but he gets through the ball amazingly well for a near 80-year-old.”

Whether or not he has the finer skills to perfect an all-round game, there is no doubt that Mr Trump can drive the ball a long way for a man approaching his ninth decade.

Golf coach Paul Elvin told the Independent: “Well, let’s firstly remember Donald Trump is [79] years old. He rotates fantastically well through impact and generates great power in transition. It might look unusual on the eye because his backswing is flatter than the professionals you will see on TV, but he re-routes back onto the plane in the downswing and rotates well with a stable release. Considering his age, it’s a very good golf swing.”

Mr Trump reportedly brought his handicap down to 2.8 at his best, an impressive figure for an amateur player. For comparison, Michael McIntyre has an 18, Naga Munchetty is a seven, and Justin Timberlake is a four - with the lower figure suggesting the better golfer.

He has hit at least seven holes in one in his life, he says, which is more than in Rory McIlroy’s professional career. However, Kim Jong-il is said to have managed 11 in one round according to whoever was keeping score on a North Korean course in the early 1990s.

A recent one of these was said to be in a course in Georgia, US, in 2022, although there is no video evidence of this. One clip that was to hand showed him struggling to strike a ball up a hill in a course in Doonbeg in Ireland.

Master of mulligans

Mr Trump at least claims to be a top player and the winner of more than 18 club championships, with five titles collected this year alone.

But, like most of his brags, the president has been accused of stretching these claims with sports writer Rick Reilly calling the boast "over-the-top".

Professor David Cay Johnston, of Rochester Institute of Technology, went further, calling Mr Trump a “cheat” who moves his ball to favourable positions.

"I spoke to someone once who played a round of golf with him, who told me that he had taken six mulligans on a single hole,” he said.

A mulligan is a favour on the golf course that allows a player to have another hit without being penalised after scuffing a shot.

Joe Biden has also questioned Mr Trump’s golfing ability, challenging him to a driving contest after the then Republican presidential candidate claimed the older man “couldn’t hit a ball 50 yards”.

Mr Biden, then president, went on to say that he had brought his own handicap down to a six and said he would play Mr Trump on condition that he brought his own bag.

Unsurprisingly, the game never went ahead.