Obama golfs on 1st day of vacation

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HONOLULU, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- President Obama and his family landed in Honolulu early Saturday for their Christmas vacation and the president got in a round of golf later in the day.

Air Force One touched down at Honolulu Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam at 12:06 a.m., the White House reported. The first family quickly deplaned and headed to their vacation home in Kailua, a small town on the east end of Oahu island.

By late morning, with the temperature about 80 degrees and partly cloudy skies, Obama ventured out for a golf outing with White House chef Sam Kass, aide Marvin Nicholson, and Hawaii friends Bobby Titcomb and Mike Ramos at the Kaneohe Clipper course at the U.S. Marine Corps Base.

The president left Washington for Honolulu Friday evening, a few hours after delivering remarks at the White House in which he encouraged Congress "to work toward [a debt and deficit] package that prevents a tax hike on middle-class Americans."

"Once this legislation is agreed to, I expect Democrats and Republicans to get back to Washington and have it pass both chambers," he said. "And I will immediately sign that legislation into law, before Jan. 1 of next year. It's that simple."

The White House said the president and first lady Michelle Obama will attend a memorial service Sunday for the late Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Otherwise, the president has no public events scheduled.