Course of the week…

... has to be Turnberry, which is hosting the Senior Open Championship this week.

I photographed the course in 2009 for the R&A, the day before all the stands went up for the Open Championship. The pictures were to be used in the Players’ Lounge and Championship rooms in the tented village.

Unfortunately the weather had been awful in April, but I knew this was the last chance I had to capture the course free of workmen and scaffolding (ironically the hotel was completely covered in the stuff due to the ongoing renovation work).

I watched the weather very closely and spotted what looked to be a 24-hour window of opportunity. The drive down to Turnberry wasn’t encouraging. Wiping the rain off my windscreen, I remember telling myself that it didn’t matter what the weather was like now, all that mattered was that it was good when I pressed my shutter.

Let me know what you think of the results - http://www.markalexanderphotography.co.uk/Turnberry/

Course of the week...

has to be Royal Lytham & St Annes.

I shot the course last summer for the club as part of their preparations for this year's Open Championship. In particular, they were looking for some impressive images for their website and recently revamped dinning room.

The course itself is one of the toughest on the Open Championship circuit - whoever lifts the Claret Jug on Sunday will deserve it. Surrounded by buildings and with limited access to high points, it was also a tricky course to shoot.

Over a series of days in June 2011, I photographed the layout in the morning and late evening light. The results hopefully show a course full of twists and turns that will test the very best players in the world.

Judge for yourself - http://www.markalexanderphotography.co.uk/RoyalLythamandStAnnes/