Bush defends Obama's golf games

David Jackson | USA TODAY

Few things draw more conservative ire than news that President Obama is back on the golf course.

But Obama's Republican predecessor, George W. Bush, said presidents should play golf because they need to relax.

In an interview on the Golf Channel, Bush said Obama "ought to play golf" when he can.

"I know what it's like to be in the bubble," Bush said. "And I know the pressures of the job. And to be able to get outside and play golf with some of your pals is important for the president. It does give you an outlet."

Bush himself played golf during his early years in the White House, but stopped in 2003 in the midst of the Iraq war.

As the Associated Press reports, Obama is hardly unique when it comes to his golf game:

"Fifteen of the last 18 presidents have played golf, and two are in the World Golf Hall of Fame -- Dwight D. Eisenhower and George H.W. Bush. Eisenhower was a member at Augusta National. ...

"Obama has played more than 140 rounds of golf since he first took office, according to CBS News. Earlier this year, he played with Tiger Woods in south Florida."