May 14th, 1954: Construction Begins On The White House Putting GreenWith assistance from the USGA, a putting green was installed just outside the Oval Office in the spring of 1954. Many afternoons, President Eisenhower would grab his putter, wedge, and 8-iron and retreat to the South lawn for some practice. After he took office in 1960, John F. Kennedy was astonished to find several cleat marks in the floor of the Oval Office leading from the desk to the double doors that opened to the putting green.