President Barack Obama on Wednesday morning sent a tweet touting the benefits for his signature federal health care law and, along with first lady Michelle Obama, wished a "speedy recovery" to former first lady Barbara Bush, who was hospitalized with a respiratory-related problem.

Afterward, the president went golfing at the Mid-Pacific Country Club in Lanikai.

His golf partners were Hawaii friends Bobby Titcomb and Mike Ramos, Chicago friends Marty Nesbitt and Andrew Dibble, aide Marvin Nicholson and White House chef Sam Kass.

New Year’s Day marked the 12th day of the president’s holiday vacation in Hawaii.

The 18th hole on the Windward golf course is visible from a public street, where a crowd had gathered to catch a glimpse of the president.

Obama, wearing a white golf shirt and beige cap and khaki shorts, used a range finder from the fairway to see how far away the hole was from the green. When the president’s approach shot landed about 22 feet from the hole, cheers broke out from the crowd.

The president then drove his own golf cart to the hole, marked his ball and watched his partners putt and miss. Obama’s first putt came within a foot of the hole and he was given a gimme, scoring a two-putt.

The president waved to the crowd and said, "Happy new year."

Someone in the crowd shouted, "We love you!" And he replied, "I love you back."

The round marked the sixth golf outing during the president’s vacation. Obama previously golfed at Mid-Pacific Country Club on Dec. 23.

The president’s motorcade left the course at about 4:30 p.m., getting caught in some slow traffic on the way back past Kailua Beach Park.

The president spent the evening at his rented vacation home in Kailua.

Obama kicked off the first day of 2014 with a tweet from the administration’s @WhiteHouse Twitter account to mark the first day benefits of his landmark Affordable Care Act went into effect.

Also, in a personally written tweet, signed off with his initials, the president referenced a Seattle boy who stood next to him and other lawmakers when he signed the Affordable Care Act in 2010.

"I signed the ACA for kids like Marcelas Owens. He lost his mom bc she couldn’t afford coverage. Today millions of Americans finally can," the tweet said.

In addition, in a written statement released by the White House Wednesday, Obama, and his wife, relayed best wishes to President George W. Bush’s mother, who was hospitalized on Monday in Houston.

In the statement, the president said Barbara Bush is blessed to have a loving, supportive family and, in his words, a "vibrant spirit that we hope will have her feeling better soon."