Open images

With less than 60 days to go until the Open Championship, I thought I would post a link to my images of the course at Royal Lytham & St Annes -

www.markalexanderphotography.co.uk/RoyalLythamandStAnnes

If anyone is interested, I can provide a full listing of shots elsewhere (above is just a selection).

It would be great to know what you think...

Photography Rant - 2

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

It is said that an image can tell a thousand words, but is this true in golf? Professional golf course photographer Mark Alexander makes his case for photography

Like curry, politics and religion, photography prompts an immediate response. Indeed, unlike other media, there is no pause, delay or interruption when you look at a photograph - you either love it, or you hate it. For some, however, the issue of photography goes far beyond merely preferences.

“I can’t believe they don’t get it,” exclaims an incensed magazine editor. “Good photography can make such a difference to their coverage.” Sitting quietly, I let the respected journalist let fly, venting his fury on golf clubs that clearly don’t agree with his assertion. With 22 years under his belt, the daily search for images for his market-leading magazine has clearly left its mark.

I have heard this so many times from editors. Faced with a dearth of good photography, they inevitably fall back on clubs that do provide good-quality images that capture the spirit of the game and instil a desire to play. That, after all, is what golf-friendly magazines, websites and newspapers are all about. The result is clubs with good photography get greater coverage.

To read the whole story visit www.golfmanagementnews.com

HIGHLAND FLING

As Perthshire prepares to welcome the Ryder Cup, one club is leading the way in thinking differently. As Mark Alexander finds out, change is afoot at Pitlochry Golf Club

Golf in the Highlands is set for big things. Mark my words, in the coming years as anticipation grows ahead of the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, the heather, gorse and glens of Scotland will become watchwords for journalists lauding the hidden gems of the north. This will be Highland golf’s day in the sun.

Of course, golf in the Highlands isn’t just about the rarefied surroundings of Gleneagles. Next door, a new, high-end course called Gwest is being built and further afield Taymouth Castle is going through an extensive redevelopment. Things are shaping up nicely in the Highlands, and although much of the excitement will inevitably centre around Gleneagles, Perthshire, in particular, is getting itself dusted down and spruced up for the biggest party in golf.

Leading the way is Pitlochry Golf Club which is making plans for an ambitious overhaul that will include a 12-bay covered driving range, a short-game area, a nine-hole academy course and two new par fives on the 18-hole course which was originally opened in 1909. When finished, the £200,000 project will mean the attractive parkland course will boast practice facilities to rival anything in the area.

To read the full article, visit www.golfmanagementnews.com/

New e-brochure

Here is a slightly revised version of my e-brochure.

Really pleased with the response so far. Already designing one for one of my clients. As soon as it is ready, I'II get a post up.

If you have any thoughts or comments, please let me know.

Open publication - Free publishing - More european tour

Upgrade time

I am selling a mint-condition Sigma 100-300 APO, HSM, IF, EX.

This is an excellent tele lens - sharp and contrasty, but lightweight and practical. Has served me well (see my website for examples) and now needs a new home.

Very well looked after - loved and cherished like all my kit and always stored in Lowepro bag with filter attached (82mm UV and PL-CIR are available).

Comes with Sigma hood, tripod collar and padded bag, all in excellent condition.

£400 ono

New brochure

In response to a relentless tide of calls and requests, I have succumbed to the inevitable and created an e-brochure packed with wonderful golf courses and inspirational golfers.

Hopefully the photography isn’t too bad either.

Let me know what you think. Follow the link below:

Open publication - Free publishing - More courses

CULTURAL EXCHANGE

Here's an excerpt from my article that appeared in GME last year about The Dutch

With more than 750 members signed up before its official opening, Holland’s newest championship course and Ryder Cup entry is causing a bit of stir. Mark Alexander finds out why

The Netherlands is remarkably flat. It’s a place of smooth-running roads where vantage points are rare and views stretch on for miles. It is a cyclist’s paradise defined by unbroken mirror-flat surfaces and uniform planes.

The country’s millpond appearance means that any rise or peak is cherished. It also means that The Dutch – Holland’s newest championship course and epicentre of its Ryder Cup bid – comes as a bit of a shock. For a start, there are hillocks, mounds and ripples, not to mention the occasion bump and ridge. The Colin Montgomerie-signature course is awash with contours and gradients unlike anything you see in the surrounding countryside.

Opened by the former Ryder Cup captain in May, the Dutch is for all intents and purposes a rough-and-ready links-style course. “Radical shaping has been used to create a rugged golf-course character where undulating fairways, featuring many bumps and hollows, are framed by dramatic mounding,” explains a note on Montgomerie’s website.

In between the bumps and hollows, the course stays true to its origins by incorporating a host of water features which stem from building a course on land below sea level. Once again, the transformation co-ordinated by European Golf Design has been absolute with straight and angular canals magically remoulded into meandering streams and sweeping lakes...

Check out my images of the course at http://www.markalexanderphotography.co.uk/TheDutch-2/ and http://www.markalexanderphotography.co.uk/TheDutch/