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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, December 31, 2009

Obama's eve filled with movie, golf


Advertiser Staff

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

President Barack Obama hits off the 10th tee as he plays golf Thursday at Mid-Pacific Country Club in Kailua.

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

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Windward Oahu residents were able to catch a couple of glimpses of President Obama today, as the vacationing president took in a movie and played a round of golf.
Obama arrived at Mid-Pacific Country Club at 1:19 p.m. today for a round of golf with friends Greg Orme, Bobby Titcomb and Mike Ramos.

The group played for more than five hours. Although the president missed the final putt on the 18th hole, he got a big cheer from the bystanders on the road next to the Mid-Pacific Country Club.
The group left the golf course at 6:33 p.m. and returned to their rented vacation home in Kailua, where they first family planned to spend New Year's Eve.
Earlier today, Obama, the first family and friends finished watching a private viewing of the movie “Avatar” at Windward Mall and left at 12:32 p.m., emerging from a side door at Borders bookstore.
“A group of more than a half dozen children came out first, along with fathers Eric Whitaker and Marty Nesbitt; the kids piled into a van while a grown up man we did not recognize did a head count to make sure they were all there,” according to a media pool report by Peter Baker of The New York Times.
Obama stepped into the sunlight wearing sunglasses, a dark blue short-sleeve shirt, brown slacks and a BlackBerry on his belt. He was accompanied by his two daughters.
“A light cheer went up from the crowd of onlookers in the parking lot and Potus waved at them,” according to Baker’s report.
The presidential motorcade then returned to the family’s beachfront compound in Kailua at 12:51 p.m.
Reporters were told the first family will be departing for New Year’s activities.
The special screening of the digital 3-D version of "Avatar" was arranged before the first regular showing to minimize disruption for other moviegoers.
One of the mall's nine theaters was reserved for the first family, but the rest remained open to the public.