Now that Obama is sworn in as President, he needs to turn his attention to something really important – his golf game

Not that he really has time for it, but now that he’s the leader of the free world, President Barack Obama essentially has a membership at any country club or course he decides to play, including, of course, nearby Congressional Country Club.

According to one of his campaign aides, Obama would like to eventually play the great courses of the world, and he’s certainly in position to reserve the first tee time at any course of his choosing.

Obama is more known athletically, however, for his ability to drive the lane in pickup basketball than he is for hitting a driver, so he’s not as good, say, as presidents Dwight Eisenhower or John Kennedy were at golf. Obama’s pretty much just a hack with athletic ability.

But according to that same aide, Obama’s goal is to become a single-digit handicap player after his days at the White House are done.

As we all know, of course, shaving 10 or 15 shots off your score usually takes lessons, practice and dedication. It will be interesting to see if he starts working on his game while in office. You know that if he gets better at golf, his detractors will certainly criticize him for not working hard enough on the critical issues that face our country.

There are those who think the president should be working for us at every waking moment, but even the President has down time – you have to. Wasn’t it Nixon who installed a bowling lane in the White House nearly 40 years ago? (Obama, who really stinks at bowling, apparently threatened to replace it with a basketball court if he won the presidency.)

So once Obama gets settled in, it’ll be interesting to see if he starts working on his golf game. Who should be his teacher? Eisenhower, Kennedy, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford went to former Masters champion and longtime Winged Foot pro Claude Harmon.

Maybe Obama should go with Phil Mickelson’s teacher since both Mickelson and Obama play left-handed. That would be Claude Harmon Jr., by the way, AKA Butch Harmon, who also taught Tiger Woods for so many years.

Or maybe he’ll dial up Woods’ current coach, Hank Haney. I’m pretty sure Tiger wouldn’t mind sharing him.