If Donald Trump goes golfing to celebrate his 100th day in office, it will mark his 17th golf trip in the 14 weeks since his inauguration.

Mr Trump, who regularly criticised former President Barack Obama for the amount of time he spent golfing, has so far taken 16 different trips to golf courses.

CNN reported Mr Trump had visited the golf course 13 times by 28 March. On 2 April, photographers captured the president hitting the links with Senator Paul Rand. The next weekend, pool reporters reported Mr Trump visited Trump International Golf Club in Florida. One week later, Mr Trump was back at the same course.

Many of these trips, of course, span several days. Mr Trump had spent 19 separate days at the golf course by the end of his 13th week in office, according to a New York Times tally. That puts his number of days spent on the course ahead of the past three US presidents – combined.

Mr Obama increased the number of days he spent golfing after his first 100 days, eventually racking up 333 rounds of golf in his eight years as president. If Mr Trump were to continue his golfing habit for an eight-year term, he would play more than 600.

Mr Trump tweeted 26 times about Mr Obama’s proclivity for golf during his predecessor’s terms.

“Can you believe that, with all of the problems and difficulties facing the US, President Obama spent the day playing golf.” Mr Trump tweeted in October 2014. “Worse than Carter.”

At another point, Mr Trump lamented the taxpayer expense for Mr Obama’s games, tweeting, “We pay for Obama’s travel so he can fundraise millions so Democrats can run on lies. Then we pay for his golf.”

Politico has calculated that a weekend trip to Mar-a-Lago, where Mr Trump frequently retreats to play golf, costs taxpayers about $3 million.

Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Show all 33 1 /33 Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's first 100 days in office were marred by a string of scandals, many of which caught the eye of the Independent's cartoonists Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Trump's first 100 days have seen him aggressively ramp up tensions with his nuclear rivals in North Korea Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump has warned of a "major, major conflict" with the pariah nation lead by Kim Jong Un Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump dropped the "mother of all bombs" on alleged ISIS-linked militants in Afghanistan, amid an escalation of US military intervention around the globe Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump has been accused of falling short of the standards set by his predecessors in the Oval Office, including Franklin D Roosevelt Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The tycoon's ascension to the White House came at a time when the balance of power is shifting away from Western nations like those in the G7 group Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Western politicians, including the British Conservative party, have been accused of falling in line behind Mr Trump's proposals Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Brexit is seen to have weakened Britain, reducing still further any political will to resist American leadership Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump's leadership has been marked by sudden and unexpected shifts in global policy Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Trump's controversial missile strike on Syria, which killed several citizens, was seen by some analysts as an attempt to distract from his policy elsewhere Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The President has also spent a large majority of his weekends golfing, rather than attending to matters of state Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Though free of gaffes, a visit from Chinese president Xi Jinping spotlighted trade tensions between the two states Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons One major and unexpected setback came when Mr Trump's Healthcare Bill was struck down by members of his own party Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump has been a figure of fun in the media, with his approval at record lows Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons A string of revelations about Mr Trump's financial indiscretions did not mar his surge to the White House Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Outgoing President Barack Obama was accused of wiretapping Trump Tower by his successor in America's highest office Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The alleged involvement of Russian intelligence operatives in securing Mr Trump the presidency prompted harsh criticism Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The explosive resignation of Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who lied about his links to the Russian ambassador, was just one scandal to hit the President Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Many scandals, such as the accusation Barack Obama was implicated in phone-hacking, first broke on Mr Trump's Twitter feed Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's election provoked mass protests in the UK, with millions signing a petition to ban him from the country Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump cited a non-existent terror attack in Sweden during a campaign rally Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump stands accused of stoking regional tensions in Eastern Asia Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons North Korea has launched a number of failed nuclear tests since Mr Trump took power Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Theresa May formally rejected the petition calling for Mr Trump to be banned from the UK Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons When Mr Trump's initial so-called Muslim ban was struck down by a federal justice, the President mocked the 69-year-old as a "ridiculous", "so-called judge" Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons A week after his inauguration, Theresa May met with Mr Trump at the White House Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's first days in office were marked by a hasty attempt to follow through on many of his campaign promises, including the so-called Muslim ban Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's decision to ban citizens of many majority-Muslim countries from the US sparked mass protests Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Revelations about Donald Trump's sexual improprieties were not enough to keep him from being elected President Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons British PM Theresa May was criticised by many in the press for cosying up to the new President Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons One of Mr Trump's top aides, Kelly Anne Conway, was mocked for describing mistruths as "alternative facts" Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons British PM Theresa May was quick to demonstrate that her political aims did not hugely differ from Mr Trump's Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's inauguration, on 20 January 2017, sparked protests both at home and abroad

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has defended Mr Trump’s golf habit, claiming he uses games to foster relationships with foreign leaders.

“You saw him utilise this with Prime Minister Abe to help foster a deeper relationship in Asia and have a growing relationship that’s going to help US interests,” Mr Spicer said. “How you use the game of golf is something he’s talked about.”

Jaime Diaz, a senior writer for Golf Digest – who has hit the links with Mr Trump several times – has a different explanation for the president’s golf proclivity.

"I didn’t sense he needed to tell you how good he was when he played golf,” Mr Diaz told NPR. “I think he was confident about it and he let his actions speak for themselves.”