September marks the beginning of my 40th year as a golf course photographer. Hard to believe, but in all these years, I’ve never written down the key considerations I have every time I walk into a pro shop, pick up my golf cart, and get to work.
Many people think golf course photographers just show up at any time of day and snap pictures with their phones. While I see this happen often, those who take this approach are wasting time and money on promotions and advertisements. Our customer base is highly discerning and can tell the difference between a mediocre and a great image and immediately associate those feeling with the facility featured in the image. They might not always articulate why an image stands out, but they definitely recognize quality when they see it.
I’ll share my thoughts on:
- Actions taken prior to an assignment
- How a typical assignment works
- My philosophies on creating the best work for my customers
- Protecting your brand with compelling imagery
Prior to the Assignment
During the initial phone call or Zoom meeting, I focus on understanding the superintendent’s schedule, future weather conditions, and any deadlines the marketing team has. Timing is crucial. I also discuss the intended use of the images, the message they want to convey, and whether they need a few standout shots, a comprehensive portfolio of every hole, or both. Knowing if there’s a “signature hole” or a specially designed area is also important, as it’s my job to highlight their largest investments.
On Location
I usually arrive mid-afternoon to scout the golf course, ideally with someone from the golf or marketing staff to understand their expectations. I assess all eighteen holes, noting which ones should be photographed in the morning and which in the afternoon. I keep track of these details on a scorecard, ensuring a systematic approach.
After learning the course layout, the purpose of the images, and the story the staff wants to tell, I grab a quick dinner and then head out to start my evening’s work. I focus on holes that will soon lose their light, as photos with shadows over the green and flagstick are unacceptable. I don’t use a tripod (it’s too time-consuming) and move quickly around the course, following my notes.
Modern mirrorless digital cameras allow me to work up to an hour after sunset, a significant advantage over the film days when I’d pack up an hour before sunset. This gives me up to two extra hours of prime time shooting. The same advantage applies to early morning shoots.
After a good night’s sleep, I’m back on the course about an hour before sunrise, usually starting on the back nine to let the maintenance crew finish their work on the front nine. Their work always comes first. I shoot until about two hours after sunrise or until the light becomes flat and featureless.
During the day, I load the images onto my laptop, review them, and ensure they meet my highest standards. I usually send a few samples to the client to reassure them that they’re getting what they expected—or better. Pleasing the golf pro, superintendent, and the person who hired me is paramount. My goal is to highlight their excellent work, never showing anything counter to that.
I continue this method of shooting in the evenings and mornings until I have all the necessary images. Once those are done, the fun begins. I then focus on more creative shots that show the relationship to the clubhouse, special spots on the course, and natural elements like flowers, creeks, and waterfalls.
My Philosophy on Golf Course Imagery
I highly recommend shooting from the golfer’s angle without people. From an advertising standpoint, photos with people on the green can be off-putting. When flipping through a golf magazine, a golfer might pause at an image of a beautiful fairway, imagining their own play strategy. This engagement is invaluable.
I have had the opportunity to work with and for some of the most prolific golf courses architects in the history of the game. I have had my images critiqued by the best of them and learned lessons from all of them. Learning to see through their eyes and unveil the elements that are most important to their designs. Much like a Broadway production, emphasizing what is important and de-emphasizing those those things that are not. It has been a great, lifelong exercise in learning the ins and outs of the vital role of the golf course architect on the game we love so much.
While drone images are flashy, they often lack substance. I’ve shot many courses from helicopters, and I’ve found that images taken from about thirty feet up capture the course’s architectural features while maintaining a golfer’s perspective. This approach might evolve with technology, but it’s where I stand today.
After the shoot: Protect your brand!
Once you have your images in hand, then what? First step, back them all up with a secure server and if you have access to a digital asset management tool like Bynder or Brandfolder or even Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop. Make sure they are in a searchable, shareable, secure database so you make sure you never lose them and are able to easily access them via keywords.
I can’t tell you how many times I have returned to a course because of the exit of one marketing director and the hiring of a new one and the photos did not make the transition and were lost. It has happened dozens and dozens of times
Once your photos are perfectly safe and accessible, the fun starts. I am amazed at how many times, after a shoot, out of excitement about a new or remodeled place I would send a few images to my friends in the industry who are golf writers, travel writers, bloggers, vloggers, etc. just to give them a small taste of a new golfing gem. I promise you, over the years this has created hundreds of stories for my customers. Just a handful of examples spur the writers to call up the courses are get stories about their facilities. You too, can be a marketing hero, it just takes developing a database of golf writers hungry for a story.
I usually suggest that my customers pick out their top five favorite images from the hundreds that I present to them after a shoot. Make hi resolution and low resolution versions of these five and place the balance of the images in the aforementioned digital asset management tool.
Use these five images as the basis of your marketing efforts. Use these five in all your marketing and public relations initiatives and place them everywhere. Let these five photo drive all your marketing unit each of them becomes an extension of your brand. Let everyone who is looking to join your club, stay at your resort or just play your course know that when one of those images shows up they immediately know it is you.
Keep tabs on this method as you don’t want to get to the point where people tire of these images and it begins to reject their attention. Like those dumb insurance ads they run forever during the final four basketball tournament. You know the ones.
One final tip: Do not allow anyone, I mean anyone to use photos of your course that you have not approved. Example, I once had a customer in Scottsdale who was just opening a new development course and was offered the cover of a certain desert golf guide. The publisher told the customer that they had an image taken from the air. My customer signed off without seeing the image and the photo showed the course while still under construction with a lot of bare ground. The photo was on the cover, as promised, but went to hundreds of thousands of consumers shopping for places to play during their inaugural year. No telling how much this damaged their initial year of business.
Control your image, Control your brand.
