Police vehicles are parked after shots were fired outside the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida on Sunday.

Golf courses, and particularly Donald Trump’s own properties, have long been a source of concern for Secret Service officials tasked with securing the grounds while the commander in chief plays, people familiar with the matter said.

A golf course is often the largest outdoor area a president can visit. Its design, often adjacent to public roads and containing features such as trees and hills that can conceal potential assassins, makes it particularly difficult for the agency to secure.

Like other presidents before him, Trump’s presence on a golf course is no reason to close the club to the public or close nearby roads.

Instead, groups of agents in golf gear typically ride in golf carts in front of and behind the president as he plays, securing the areas in the minutes before he arrives.

Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach is adjacent to three major thoroughfares: Kirk Road, Summit Boulevard and Congress Avenue. Palm Beach International Airport is also nearby.

An April 2021 photo shows an aerial view of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.

As president, Trump was often seen from Kirk Road playing golf. But members of the media were not allowed on the sidewalks near the course while Trump was playing.

After he left office, some of those restrictions were lifted, and Trump was clearly visible to the public from the sidewalks on Summit Boulevard and Congress Avenue.

During a briefing on Sunday, the Palm Beach County sheriff acknowledged that now that Trump is no longer a sitting president, the Secret Service is “limited” in its ability to fully surround the golf course.

When Barack Obama was president, he played most of his golf at Joint Base Andrews. This base is a military complex and therefore has limited access, both to the course itself and to the surrounding area.

President Joe Biden rarely plays golf.