Trump’s Kiwi apprentice
Kylie Bax’s brother Reagan Bax, right, remembers a round of golf with The Donald and says he’ll make a fantastic president.
I was living and working in the USA, teaching as a member of the Professional Golf Association. My sister Kylie Bax was modelling in New York and was friends with Donald Trump and had told him about my golfing aspirations.
He let her know when I was in town he would play with me.
Since it was his golf course, as soon as we arrived the staff stopped members from teeing off. That gave us about a 45-minute gap so we could play faster. He made sure I had plenty of golf balls, gave me a shirt and signed one of his books from the pro shop before we headed to the first tee.
The club pro came with us and the clubs manager came to watch too. We used golf carts and I rode with Trump for the round. We played quickly which was fine by me. He was very competitive but then, so was I.
Soon, we caught up to the rest of the golfers – but the manager asked them to please move aside so we could play through. The members, who I’m sure paid plenty to join the club, were only too pleased to stand aside for us. Each one shaking his hand and saying their bit while also letting me know how lucky I was to be playing golf with Trump. This continued for most of the round and we made it through 18 holes in less than three hours, which is very quick.
I did manage to beat him by a couple of shots but it came down to the last hole. He did not like losing to a kid, but he was happy for me.
We ate lunch with the pro and manager before we got back in his car and headed back into the city. It was an unreal experience and one I’ll never forget.
I didn’t know at the time but there would be more experiences to come. I called him for six years after that. He’s a busy man but each time he took my call and spoke to me about his family, his golf courses and a quick catch-up on how I was going.
I don’t have a crystal ball for the next four years of his presidency but I can tell you from my discussions, and the time I spent with him, that he is very much a family man and loves his children very much. I think that showed in the lead-up to the election.
I think he could be a fantastic president, coming not from political background but instead a successful business background – a bit like our own John Key.
He spoke highly of his time in New Zealand and I would expect he will visit as soon as he gets a chance. I’m sure the relationship between New Zealand and the USA will only continue to grow under his presidency.