New images posted

In January, I was lucky enough to go the PGA Show in Florida. During my visit I shot a number of courses and thought you might like to see the results. The first link is posted below (the photographs are best viewed by clicking on the full-screen icon on the far right).

Let me know what you think.

www.markalexanderphotography.co.uk/SouthernDunes

Party on!

Here is an excerpt from a Golf Management Europe article I wrote about making the most of a celebration. Enjoy.

CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES

Special anniversaries offer golf clubs a chance to let their hair down. Mark Alexander finds out how to celebrate in style

Every so often there comes a time when you just have to party. At golf clubs, these special occasions suspend normality and generate fervoured activity driven by specially formed committees. Anniversaries or special centenary dates need to be marked accordingly, and these committees are the ones to make it happen.

The team at Montrose Golf Links certainly did that last year when they invited just about everybody to the east coast of Scotland to celebrate 450 years of golf at the historic Montrose Medal Golf Course. “There simply wasn’t a downside,” says Alan Crow, chairman of Montrose Golf Links Limited. “A lot of people went away with smiles on their faces.”

Montrose is home to the fifth oldest course in the world where play was first recorded in 1562. Last year, the 450th Committee masterminded a series of events to mark this historic date including a re-enactment of the first locally recorded golf shot and a weekend of matches in which 450 golfers were invited to play - in the end, 522 took part.

Montrose’s blockbusting programme also included a junior open, a special exhibition in a local museum and the extension of the 11th hole to 450 yards. It was a year-long pageant of fun, but with all that going on, you might expect the coffers to reeling. Not so, says Crow who praises the input of local sponsors. “We got sponsorship from Glaxosmithkline, the local Rotary Club, the Round Table and individual businesses that wanted to make a contribution to our celebrations. Because of our generous sponsors [GSK contributed £4,000], the net costs to Montrose Golf Links Limited was £700 for the whole year.”


The complete article can be found at http://www.golfmanagementnews.com/gme/current-issue.html

Jeff Mingay: On Golf Architecture: Ever hear of High Pointe?

Jeff Mingay: On Golf Architecture: Ever hear of High Pointe?: High Pointe, from Doak's infamous book 'The Confidental Guide to Golf Courses' (1996). The educated taste admires simplicity of design ...

Streamsong interviews

As a journalist, I interview lots of people. Some can be wary or shy, while others feel uncomfortable talking about themselves. It's my job to get the best out of them, which hopefully I do.

Yesterday and today I interviewed Ben Crenshaw and his business partner Bill Coore at the official launch of the new 36-hole Streamsong resort in Florida. Both were generous with their time and gave me some revealing insights into the way they approach their jobs and their views on golf course architecture. Despite the legion of media vying for a few words, both were kind and respectful, and even posed for a few portraits.

The courses at Streamsong are phenomenal. After playing Streamsong Red (a wonderful layout by Tom Doak, who I will interview next week), I immediately went back out on the course and was lucky enough to take some photos that will hopefully capture the beauty of the place.

The pics will be processed when I get back to Scotland - stay tuned!

Long-haul travel

Long-haul travel has its perks. These days, the choice available to passengers through the on-board entertainment systems is so vast, you barely have time to scroll through the options before its time to touch down. I just got off a flight from Edinburgh to New York during which I opted for the longest film available – Lincoln. A little slow and a tad drawn out but it passed the time.

Before I knew it, I was checking the options for film number two – I had already watched a couple sitcoms, played a terrible game of chess and checked out the extensive music archive.

More importantly, this level of choice can reveal much about your fellow passengers. The two old dolls in front of me, for example, made no attempt to search through the options. Dressed in bright, primary colours as if to draw attention to their vacationing status, they spent the entire flight transfixed to their screens; gambling. I’m no expert, but it looked like they could play a mean hand and were even willing to play during a fairly bumpy landing. I couldn’t tell if they broke even, but they certainly had a good time, cackling and chirping at their online antics.

I stuck to emancipation, and the time flew by.

PGA Show - a first time for everything

Without doubt, the PGA show is one of the most important golf expos of the year. It is enormous, attracting an array of golf equipment manufacturers and clothing companies. This year, the show celebrates its 60th anniversary, and I will be there to witness it all.

I am heading out to Florida to cover the show for some magazines and then visit four golf courses in Polk County. The latter stages of the trip will be all early mornings, late evenings, polarizer filters and tripods - it's what must be done to get the best light. The start of the trip will be all handshakes, business-card swaps and walking the isles bumping into old clients and perhaps meeting some new ones.

It should be good. If you're going, give me a shout and we can meet up for a well-earned beer!

Pass it on

Following a well-timed request from one of my readers, I have added Facebook and Twitter buttons to the right-hand side of my blog. I have also included icons at the bottom of each post, including this one!

This functionality should enable those of you so inclined to share my thoughts and ramblings with the wider world. So, if you feel the urge, please share or tweet without mercy!