Barack Obama was all smiles as he made his way around the green for a game of golf on New Year's Day – showing his marriage problems are par for the course.

The former President looked relaxed and calm as he made his way around the Eva Beach Golf Clun on the Island of Oahu yesterday.

Pictures of Obama, 61, come shortly after his wife Michelle, 58, said there was a ten-year-period where she 'couldn't stand' her husband.

He took a group of friends and smiled on the third hole before taking a selfie with an employee who seemed thrilled.

Barack donned a cap and glasses which he paired with a red polo shirt and shorts while cutting a casual figure around the court.

The former First Lady, 58, also dubbed her two daughters, Sasha and Malia, as 'terrorists' when they were small.

She claims the couple struggled as they were both trying to 'advance their careers' – with her husband going on to become the president.

Michelle made the claims about her relationship with Barack, 61, while promoting her new book The Light We Carry.

Speaking to Revolt in early December, she said: 'People think I'm being catty for saying this: it's like, there were 10 years where I couldn't stand my husband.

'And guess when it happened? When those kids were little.

'For 10 years, while we're trying to build our careers and worrying about school and who was doing what and what, I was like, 'Argh, this isn't even'.'

'And guess what? Marriage isn't 50/50, ever. Ever. There are times I'm 70, he's 30. There are times he's 60, 40. But guess what? Ten years.

'We've been married 30. I would take 10 bad years over 30 — it's just how you look at it. People give up — 'Five years; I can't take it'.'

Malia, 24, and Sasha, 21, were seven and 10 when their family moved into the White House after several years on the campaign trail.

Michelle also described her two daughters as 'terrorists', when they were little – saying 'they have demands.'

She added: 'Little kids, they're terrorists. They have demands. They don't talk. They're poor communicators. They cry all the time.

'They're irrational. They're needy. And you love them. And so you can't blame them, right? … So you turn that ire on each other.'

Barack and Michelle met at a law firm in Chicago in 1989. Their net worth is now reportedly around $70million.

A deal for their memoirs in 2017 reportedly paid $65million, while their Netflix deal was estimated to be around $50million.

Michelle added that, despite their differences, she always respected her husband.

She added: 'I mean, you could be mad at him, but do you still look at him and go, 'I'm not happy with you, but I respect you. I don't agree with you, but you're still a kind, smart person'?

'The feelings are going to change over time.'