I recently shot the beautiful Prestwick Golf Club. Here's all the details...
15th September 2014
Legendary club
puts
itself in the frame
itself in the frame
For the first time in its 163-year history,
Prestwick Golf Club has commissioned a professional photographer to capture the
spirit of the historic links. The renowned club took the unprecedented step
during the 143rd Open Championship in July, when award-winning photographer Mark
Alexander completed a detailed shoot of the course and club.
“This is the
first time we have specifically commissioned photography for the club,” explained
Ken Goodwin, Secretary of Prestwick Golf Club, the birthplace of the Open
Championship. “Over the years, many photographers have visited the club, but
this is the first time we have proactively brought in a
photographer. Websites are the first port of call for people wanting to visit
golf clubs, so as the technology has evolved so has our need for better imagery
to promote our club.”
The comprehensive shoot, which incorporated course photography, internal imagery, action
shots and pictures of official replicas of the famous Claret Jug and
Championship Belt, took place over two six-hour sessions spanning two days. “It
was a great privilege and wonderful experience to photograph Prestwick ,”
said Alexander. “The place is bathed in history and yet the course is still relevant,
quirky and exciting. That’s what I wanted to capture in the images – the unique
nature of this very special place.”
He continued: “To be the first
commissioned photographer to shoot the course and clubhouse was particularly
important considering the history and everything that has taken place here. It
is one of golf’s greatest treasures, and creating imagery for it has been
inspiring.”
With the last images being taken at 9:30pm
and the first being shot at 5:30am the following morning, Alexander was able to
shoot the famous course from a number of angles using the scintillating west
coast light. The resulting portfolio of high-resolution
photography will form a cornerstone of the club’s future marketing materials and promotional activities. “Our existing images were rather
flat,” Goodwin
explained. “They had
served a purpose but it was time for something new; something more vibrant.”
He continued: “The Committee has been particularly delighted with the images
because they are now in a
position to compare the before and the after. Before, when we were asked by
magazines for images, what we had simply wasn’t up to scratch. We really needed images that would reflect the
history, the welcome at the club and the golf course, and that’s what we got by working with Mark.”
As well as using the Claret Jug as a
prop, Alexander also drafted in the club’s Head PGA professional David Fleming
and his senior assistant Nicky Sinclair, who posed for the camera during the
shoot. “Mark’s photography
of Prestwick captures the unique style of our
classic old Tom Morris seaside links, perfectly highlighting the contrast between tall fescue grasses and
tight undulating fairways,” said Fleming.
The classic links at Prestwick
hosted the first 12 Open Championships and then jointly held the tournament with
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and The Honourable Company of
Edinburgh Golfers. As a result, only the Old Course in St Andrews has hosted
more Open Championships than Prestwick .
Not surprisingly, the club and its famous
links have amassed a number of admirers over the years including four-times
Major winner Ernie Els who described Prestwick
as “one of the
best golf experiences in the world”. Now, with a new set of images with which to promote itself, the
club is hoping to attract a new band of followers.
“The images go
far beyond just pictures of the golf course,”
said Goodwin. “We now have internal shots that give visitors a feel for what Prestwick is about. It’s not just about the golf course; it’s about understanding the history and the welcome. We really needed
images that reflect that, and that’s what we got.”
- ends -
Note to editors
1) Prestwick Golf Club was founded in 1851 by a group of 57 members. It is situated half an hour’s drive south west ofGlasgow
2) The first Open Championship was held atPrestwick
in 1860. The winner was Willie Park from Musselburgh who led Tom Morris, the
Keeper of Prestwick’s greens, by two
shots.
3) A stone cairn to the west ofPrestwick ’s clubhouse, marks the first tee of
the original 12-hole course on which the first Open was played. Six of the
original greens are still played on today.
4)Prestwick hosted the first 12 Open
Championships and then held it jointly with The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of
St Andrews and with The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. Prestwick ’s 24th and last Open Championship was held in 1925.
5) Only the Old Course at St Andrews has now hosted more Open Championships thanPrestwick .
6)Prestwick shares a boundary with Royal
Troon, the venue of the Open Championship in 2016. Turnberry is just 40 minutes
away and Open Final Qualifying courses such as Kilmarnock Barassie, Glasgow
Gailes, Western Gailes and Irvine Bogside are
all within a 20-minute drive.
7) Mark Alexander is an award-winning photographer based inFife .
He works with golf clubs, resorts and tourism organisations across the world.
His work also appears in numerous newsstand magazines and websites.
8) For more information about Prestwick Golf Club, please visit www.prestwickgc.co.uk
9) For more information about Mark Alexander, please visit www.markalexanderphotography.co.uk
1) Prestwick Golf Club was founded in 1851 by a group of 57 members. It is situated half an hour’s drive south west of
2) The first Open Championship was held at
3) A stone cairn to the west of
4)
5) Only the Old Course at St Andrews has now hosted more Open Championships than
6)
7) Mark Alexander is an award-winning photographer based in
8) For more information about Prestwick Golf Club, please visit www.prestwickgc.co.uk
9) For more information about Mark Alexander, please visit www.markalexanderphotography.co.uk
For further quotes, interview opportunities
and images, contact Yvonne Alexander on yvonne@thewordassociation.biz
or call:
Office: +44
(0) 1337 858 807
Out of hours: +44 (0) 7976 369 260
Press release distributed by The Word
Association www.thewordassociation.biz
Posts
