Royal Troon's Postage Stamp

Here's my take on Royal Troon's awesome number eight - the daunting Postage Stamp.

According to the scorecard, the easiest hole at Royal Troon is the eighth. Slightly downhill and at only 123 yards, you wouldn’t argue with the stroke 18 rating. What the guide doesn’t tell you is this innocuous par three also happens to be one of the most devilish you will encounter and certainly one of the most feared in golf.

At least on paper, the Postage Stamp appears to be a cheery knock amid the fiery links of Royal Troon. But it ain’t. This seemingly harmless hole, the shortest on the Open Championship rota, is a card wrecker on a diminutive scale.

In 1997, Tiger Woods arrived at the 8^th during the final round of the Open Championship biting at the heels of the leaders. At 21, he had recently become the youngest winner of the Masters and had been crowned the world’s No 1. Scotland’s west coast air was thick with anticipation.

When he eventually limped off the 8^th green, Tiger’s fallibility had been exposed. He came unstuck when he pitched his tee shot into one of five green-side bunkers. Failing to escape from the deep trap on his first attempt, he scrambled an escape and then three-putted from 15 feet. His triple-bogey six was confirmation that despite its length, Royal Troon’s Postage Stamp could tame the fiercest competitors.

On the face of it, a round at Royal Troon builds towards this golfing L’Enfant terrible. Tackling the Postage Stamp is a feather in your cap and no matter how you play it; there will always be a tale to tell. The reality is, however, that despite the narrow, slither of green banked on one side by a steep dune and a fearful drop on the other, the 8th is by no means the teeth in Royal Troon’s bite. 

Visit http://www.markalexanderphotography.co.uk/Troon/ for more images and info.

Gallery first for golf photographer - press release

Check out the exciting news from Mark Alexander Photography...

Prestigious gallery FIRST for
Scottish golf PHOTOGRAPHER

Renowned Scottish golf course photographer Mark Alexander will become the first photographer to exhibit his work at one of Scotland’s most prestigious art galleries next month. The internationally acclaimed photographer will showcase a selection of his sought-after images at Gullane Art Gallery during July coinciding with the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open taking place at Gullane Golf Club.

Alexander will present an exclusive set of 12 framed images capturing some of Scotland’s most admired golf courses including Muirfield, North Berwick and Gullane itself, all of which are part of Scotland’s Golf Coast. The exhibition will also consist of images from Alexander’s home town St Andrews and the famous Old Course which will host this year’s 144^th Open Championship also in July.

Alexander, whose work appeared recently on the front cover of Great Golf and Golf World magazines following shoots in New Zealand and at Prestwick Golf Club, is delighted to present his work to the public. “I am often commissioned by golf clubs, resorts, tourism bodies and magazines to photograph courses, but seldom do I present my work to the general public. For me, this is an exciting opportunity to showcase my work on a large scale at a fantastic venue. It is also a tangible way of highlighting the beauty of some of Scotland’s most notable courses. I certainly hope the crowds flocking to Gullane this summer will enjoy it.”

The stunning high-resolution images range in size from 18”x12” to 34”x12” super panoramas. Each limited edition framed print has been signed by the photographer and is presented in a deep-bevel single mount within a wide wooden frame along with a certificate of authentication that includes information of how the image was captured, including specific details such as the time and date at which the shutter was released (the earliest image was taken at 5:08am and the latest at 9:10pm).

For Gullane Art Gallery, this is the first time any form of photography has featured in the prominent outlet. As Roy McGregor, gallery owner, points out, it was a unique opportunity worth exploring. “In many ways, this is a time of firsts – this is the first time we have exhibited photography of any kind and it is also the first time the Scottish Open has been held at Gullane. We felt this was an exceptional opportunity to showcase the work of one of the country’s leading image makers, especially one who has pulled together such a compelling collection of stunning images that have never been seen by the public before.”

He continued: “Quite apart from the obvious technical quality of the work, I have been particularly struck by the artistic approach of the composition and tone; these are more than photographs, they are works of art. We have already received notes of interest about his work. This will be a must-visit for any golf fan or lovers of beautiful landscapes.”

Alexander, who is based in Fife but travels the world photographing golf courses, continues to be in high demand. Last year he became the first commissioned photographer to capture the historic course at Prestwick and has produced a set of three consecutive sell-out calendars for the St Andrews Links Trust culminating in the 2015 special Open Championship edition. This year he is photographing a selection of golf courses for hotel giant Marriott.

Alexander’s golf photography exhibition in the Red Jug Room at Gullane Art Gallery will consist of 12 large, limited-edition framed prints which will also be available unframed. Gullane Art Gallery will host an Open Day on Saturday 4^th July which will officially launch Alexander’s work during the month-long exhibition.

- ends -

Note to editors

1) Mark Alexander is an award-winning golf course photographer and established journalist. He is a member of IAGTO and IGTWA.
2) His images have appeared in magazines such as Golf Digest, Links Magazine, Golf World, Today’s Golfer, Golf Monthly, Golf Course Architecture and Golf Illustrated.
3) Alexander is based in Fife but travels the world shooting golf courses for resorts, architects and golf clubs. He has over 125 courses showcased on his website – www.markalexanderphotography.co.uk
4) He has been commissioned by several entities including St Andrews Links Trust, Turnberry, Prestwick, La Manga, Finca Cortesin, Royal Lytham & St Annes, Northern Ireland Tourism Board, VisitScotland, Glenmorangie and Ralph Lauren.
5) In 2009, Alexander picked up Creativefife’s Best Commercial Photograph award for a portfolio of images depicting Turnberry’s Ailsa course.

  6) The attached image is of hole 17 on Gullane No.1
7) For more information about Mark Alexander, visit www.markalexanderphotography.co.uk.
8) For more information on Gullane Art Gallery, visit www.gullaneartgallery.co.uk

For further quotes, interview opportunities and images, contact yvonne@thewordassociation.biz or call Yvonne Alexander on:

Office:            +44 (0) 1337 858 807

Out of hours:  +44 (0) 7976 369 260

    

Press release distributed by The Word Association

www.thewordassociation.biz

Press release: Picture perfect Prestwick

I recently shot the beautiful Prestwick Golf Club. Here's all the details...

15^th September 2014

Legendary club puts
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 of Glasgow on Ayrshire’s famous golfing coast.

2) The first Open Championship was held at Prestwick 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 of Prestwick’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 than Prestwick.

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 in Fife. 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

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

New images

Just posted some new images of Ladybank Golf Club. As ever, these are best viewed by selecting the full-screen option on the right-hand side of the website window.

I will be working on more images this week so you can expect further galleries to follow soon.

Let me know what you think.

 

http://www.markalexanderphotography.co.uk/Ladybank/

There can be only one

While East Lothian basks in the media spotlight, there is one course that perhaps deserves a little more of the limelight. Here's an excerpt from my Golf Illustrated article on Musselburgh...

 

Being the first golf course ever has a certain ring to it. It’s a title with added pizzazz and status. So significance is it, you would think it would be easy pick a winner. But it ain’t

 

Some birthdays pass by in a blink of an eye while others stay with you forever. Reg Dean celebrated his big day by going into the record books as the undisputed oldest man in Britain. He celebrated his birthday from his bed safe in the knowledge he had reached the top.

At 110, he had every right to take it easy while the national papers and news channels pounced at the opportunity to celebrate his landmark age. It is, after all, human nature to mark the achievements of others, especially when those achievements are unsurpassed. Reg celebrated his record in style. It’s a pity the same can’t be said for the World’s oldest golf course.

Until recently this title resided in the ancient, free-draining turf of the Old Course at Musselburgh, which is located just six miles east of Edinburgh. The unassuming links, which is encircled snugly by a horse-racing track, was home to some of the greats of the game. Legends like Wille Park Sr and Jr, Mungo Park, David Brown and Bob Ferguson all made a name for themselves here. It is believed the game-transforming Guttie ball was developed in the club-making shops that surrounded the course and, as significantly, six Open Championships were decided at Musselburgh which eventually got its full complement of nine holes in 1870.

During a golden era when the tentative green shoots of the modern game were first emerging, Musselburgh was, without question, at the centre of it all.

 

To find out more, visit http://www.golfillustrated.co.uk/

 

In good company

So what is it really like inside the clubhouse at Muirfield? Here is an excerpt from my Golf World article explaining just that.

What lies behind Muirfield’s gates is a club of speed-loving members who would do anything for good lunch as Mark Alexander finds out

As entrances go, Magnolia Lane is special. The colourful blooms provide the ideal lead up to Augusta. Yet despite all its reverence, some would argue it pails into insignificance against the walk from the car park, along Duncur Road and onwards to the gates of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. For some, this is as spine-tingling as it gets.

With the sound of flight bags being dragged across the tarmac and the wind whistling through the trees, the 200-metre walk gives you tantalising glimpses Muirfield’s fluttering flags through the wrought iron lattice. Beyond, groups of traditionally clad golfers stride across the links in jovial form bolstered by the heat of competition.

Only the world’s great golf clubs give you that feeling. The aura of the place takes over and your heart starts to pound and your eyes widen. Pushing against the heavy iron gate, you enter in hushed deference. This is, after all, where Tom Watson and Ben Crenshaw were dutifully vilified for playing a couple of extra holes with hickories on a quiet Sunday evening. The fact that Watson has just won the 1980 Open Championship with Crenshaw coming third was of no interest to the club’s notorious secretary P.W.T. “Paddy” Hanmer, a retired Royal Navy captain.

For more information visit http://www.todaysgolfer.co.uk/magazines/golf-world/2013/golf-world-magazine-open-issue/
 

Open invitation

No matter where you are or what you are doing, the week of the Open Championship is a spin-tingling point in the year when golf does something very special indeed. Every year in July, all the bickering stops and we all settle down to find out who will be this year’s Champion Golfer. Best of all, it takes place where all great golf happens; on a links course.

And this year’s jamboree could be a cracker. It has all the ingredients of a great tournament. A course that swirls around the East Lothian coastline mixing up requisite shots at every turn. A clubhouse that is stern and iconic, and best of all, the weather seems to be playing its part with the sunshine gods shining brightly on the links at Muirfield. The turf has been baked and the rough has grown long. It’s almost time to get this fiesta of firm and fast golf started, and I can’t wait!

To whet your appetite, check out my images of the fabulous Muirfield links.

http://www.markalexanderphotography.co.uk/Muirfield2/

THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE

Being the first golf course ever has a certain ring to it. It’s a title with added pizzazz and status. So significance is it, you would think it would be easy pick a winner. But it ain’t. Please find below an excerpt from my Golf Illustrated article on Musselburgh. Enjoy.

Some birthdays pass by in a blink of an eye while others stay with you forever. Reg Dean celebrated his big day by going into the record books as the undisputed oldest man in Britain. He celebrated his birthday from his bed safe in the knowledge he had reached the top.

At 110, he had every right to take it easy while the national papers and news channels pounced at the opportunity to celebrate his landmark age. It is, after all, human nature to mark the achievements of others, especially when those achievements are unsurpassed. Reg celebrated his record in style. It’s a pity the same can’t be said for the World’s oldest golf course.

Until recently this title resided in the ancient, free-draining turf of the Old Course at Musselburgh, which is located just six miles east of Edinburgh. The unassuming links, which is encircled snugly by a horse-racing track, was home to some of the greats of the game. Legends like Wille Park Sr and Jr, Mungo Park, David Brown and Bob Ferguson all made a name for themselves here. It is believed the game-transforming Guttie ball was developed in the club-making shops that surrounded the course and, as significantly, six Open Championships were decided at Musselburgh which eventually got its full complement of nine holes in 1870.

During a golden era when the tentative green shoots of the modern game were first emerging, Musselburgh was, without question, at the centre of it all.

To find out more about this story, visit www.golfillustrated.co.uk

A year in review

2012 will be remembered for many sporting triumphs, not least the heroic efforts at the Olympics and the amazing European team victory at the Ryder Cup in the US. From my perspective, I was grateful to be at The Curtis Cup in Nairn and the Irish Open in Royal Portrush to witness the passion of the crowds and some incredible outcomes.

More significantly, I was proud so see my images being used by Nairn and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board in the run-up to these events. Similarly, one of this year’s highlights was being taken into the impressive dining hall at Royal Lytham & St Annes during the Open Championship to inspect my images which are now hanging in this magnificent room. Those images were also used by the club and the R&A during the build-up to the event.

It was also gratifying to fulfil special commissions for Glenmorangie and Ralph Lauren during what was to be a busy week in July.

Later in the year, I headed out to Spain to shoot La Manga’s three courses which proved to be a special treat, as was the news that my 2013 St Andrews Links Trust calendar sold out two months before the end of 2012. Adding to my portfolio with entries from Portugal, France, Germany, Ireland, England and Scotland and visits to Turkey, Holland and Sweden, it was a busy but fulfilling year.

Most of all, I will remember 2012 as a year in which I was able to travel the world doing something I love and contributing (either pictorially, editorially or both) to some very fine magazines.

Here’s hoping 2013 will be as much fun.

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/