Troon North...

Kathy, Susan, Karen and Jodi

My sister was in town on a golf holiday with three of her friends. I tagged along as they played the course at Troon North. It was great to see Jodi again and nice of her friends to let me come along. 

A desert golf course, Troon North winds through natural desert surrounded by beautiful custom homes. It's a beautiful setting and a challenging course. It was a great day, but the early morning light didn't last long...

Troon North

It was a completely different kind of photography from what I usually do, panorama landscapes www.azpano.com. but I'll photograph anything and seeing the right shot is always my goal.

In the hole!

I had fun looking for all the good angles. The camera was nearly on the ground for the shot above. I ran the motor drive on high as the ball moved towards the hole. Still, I felt lucky to get this shot with the ball hanging on the lip before dropping in...

Kathy teeing off

I managed to get a killer shot of everyone. This was one of the very first shots of the day and I was thrilled to see it in post. I hope I wasn't too distracting. You can get shot in pro tourneys for photographing before the ball is struck.

Karen at the tee

I'd photographed professional golf a couple times before. Once at the Pro/Am in Pebble Beach in 1987, and in Tucson during the 90s. It all seemed new again though, since it had been so long. 

Susan watching her ball

The landscaping provided a couple no-brainers. The framing of this tee box with saguaro jumped right out at me. It took me a couple tee-offs before I perfected it though. Susan's concentration on her shot really made this great.

Jodi's second shot

Jodi is an excellent golfer. Her drives were long and straight. Her short game got her within birdie territory more often than not. Everyone seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the course, the day and each other. 

I took nearly 500 photographs. I had to laugh when I figured out that would've been 12.5 rolls of 36-exposure film. Digital photography is so liberating. The motor drive can run and I don't have to worry about any post-production expense. Now, post-production time working on the computer is the thing...

I had a very enjoyable time, even as a non-golfer. The desert was blooming, the birds were singing, it was a glorious, warm, winter day. After a nice lunch at the clubhouse, I said my goodbyes and left them to their next 18 holes of bliss. 

Reid and Jodi

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