Obama begins Hawaiian Christmas vacation by playing golf with friend arrested for soliciting prostitute

By James Nye

Published: 22:47 EDT, 22 December 2012 | Updated: 22:47 EDT, 22 December 2012

As the nation peers over the edge of the fiscal cliff, President Obama kicked off his Christmas vacation in Hawaii today by playing a round of golf with friends - including his longtime pal Bobby Titcomb, who was arrested last year on suspicion of soliciting a prostitute.

Arriving in Hawaii aboard Air Force One late last night, the president enjoyed a morning at his family's vacation residence which lies along the shores of Kailua, which is on the island of Oahu.

Then, gathering White House chef Sam Kass, staffer Marvin Nicholson, and friends Mike Ramos and Bobby Titcomb, Mr. Obama traveled to the Kailua Marine Corps Base, where he started his round at the Kaneohe Clipper Course.

Golfing Buddies: Bobby Titcomb (left) puts out his hand fronting U.S. President Barack Obama (centre) and Marty Nesbitt (right) during a round of gold in 2010

President Obama has known Titcomb since they attended Honolulu's Punahou School together in the 1970s - the president graduated in 1979, a year before Titcomb.

Titcomb was arrested in April 2011 in an undercover prostitution sting operation after allegedly approaching an undercover police officer for sex in downtown Hawaii.

The close friend of the President pleaded no contest to the charges and was fined $500 and the judge accepted his request for a deferral, which meant that the charge was struck from his record if he stayed out of trouble with the law for six months.

At the time the 49-year-old said he did not fully agree with the facts of the case but wanted to take responsibility, according to his lawyer.

President Barack Obama, right, laughs with Bobby Titcomb on the 18th green as they play golf at Mid Pacific Country Club in Kailua in December 2009

He was one of four men arrested in a police sting on April 4 after officers received reports the area was a hotbed for prostitution.

According to the spring 2007 edition of the Punahou Bulletin, he worked as a commercial fisherman and Northwest Airlines flight attendant.

In this April 6, 2011 file photo released by the Honolulu Police Department, Robert "Bobby" Titcomb is shown after his arrest for soliciting a prostitute in Hawaii

The pair often get together to golf and dine when the president visits the state, and he was one of a few close friends to accompany him when he scattered the ashes of his grandmother Madelyn Dunham, who died of cancer in 2008.

Titcomb was pictured alongside Mr Obama and his half-sister Maya Soetoro-Ng as they paid their last respects at the Lanai Lookout, a scenic area of coastline on the south-east corner of Oahu, Hawaii.

Titcomb has visited the White House on numerous occasions to visit the president, the most recent of these visits was during Mr. Obama's August birthday when he was included in a round of golf with the commander in chief's closest friends at the golf course of Andrews Air Force Base.

According to White House visitation records after the round of golf, President Obama invited the golfing party over to the White House for a barbecue.

Before being arrested for soliciting a prostitute in April, Titcomb was convicted of a speeding offence in March 2011.

In June 1987, he was arrested for driving under the influence, for crashing into an unattended vehicle and criminal contempt of court.

He pleaded to those charges in August 1989, when a judge fined him $290 and suspended his licence for 90 days.

He has spoken to the press about the president on several occasions.

United States President Barack Obama exits Air Force One with daughters Sasha and Malia President Barack Obama as the First Family Arrive in Hawaii for holiday on 22 December 2012

United States President Barack Obama and Sasha Obama head down the jetway after arriving on Air Force One in Hawaii

In 2004, just before Mr Obama successfully ran to become senator for Illinois,  Titcomb spoke to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

He said: 'I could see he [Obama] was bound for bigger things. He looked at the world more globally than the rest of us. There was something driven about him.

'But he also played basketball, tennis and hung out at the beach with the rest of us.

'He’s honest, he’s truthful and he’s always encouraged the better things in you. And you always go back to those people who water your plant, who water your garden.'

White House officials say the president's vacation itinerary doesn't include any scheduled public events.

No return date has been given by the White House. Obama himself said earlier Friday that, since a deal hasn't been reached to avert the so-called "fiscal cliff," he would be returning to Washington after Christmas. The president told reporters: "I'll see you next week."

Obama and his family traditionally spend the end-of-year holidays in Hawaii.