Heron Point Golf

Sketchbook ~ Heron Point, Front 9

Sketchbook ~ Heron Point, Back 9

Arizona Golf Vacation

Sketchbook ~ Wildfire (Arnold Palmer Signature Course - Front 9) 

Sketchbook ~ Wildfire (Arnold Palmer Signature Course - Back 9)

Desert golf vacation in Arizona! Such unique landscape: desert, cactus, mountains, fairways and greens. Played 6 courses in 6 days. This was Wildfire Golf Course, Arnold Palmer Signature Course. Some drawn on location and some drawn from images taken with IPAD. Not quite finishing adding the watercolour yet. 108 holes is allot of sketching!

Stayed within a block of Old Scottsdale, so were able visit Scottsdale's Museum of the West and see the exhibition: The Taos Society of Artists (They shared a love of the regional location, local color and local people, especially the Hispanic and Pueblo Native American communities. Their paintings were characterized by dramatic landscapes, brilliant lighting, indigenous peoples and modernist techniques. The group’s groundbreaking artworks gave rise to a major school of American painting.)

Glencairn

Sketchbook ~ Glencairn (Scotch Block)

Sketchbook ~ Glencairn (Leithfield)

Clublink Glencairn Quote: "It’s been said that Glencairn is the closest you’ll come to Scotland without crossing the Atlantic. From the moment you pass the stone gates and wind your way between rock fences to the majestic multi-turreted clubhouse, you will feel like you just arrived at a Scottish links." That describes the course exactly. Most challenging are the pot bunkers, if you stay away from them, its a pretty easy course. This round, only in pot bunkers twice, so this was my best round/score at Glencairn!

Emerald Hills

Sketchbook ~ Emerald Hills (Holes No 1 to 9)

Emerald Hills is one of the original four founding courses of ClubLink. We took the scenic route, no 400 series highways, which took longer, but such a pleasant drive. Started with the beauty of a foggy morning, rolling hills around highway 109 on route to the Stouffville golf course. Rainy to start with, but turned into great day.

Rocky Crest Golf Club

Sketchbook ~ Rocky Crest (Holes No 1 to 9)

Round three: Rocky Crest Golf Club, my favourite. Walkable, challenging, nature all around, from the granite outcroppings to the forests of pine, white birch and hemlock. Score wise - my worst of the five rounds, but still my favourite Clublink course.

Ironwood

Sketchbook Page ~ Ironwood

Ironwood Golf Club, located just outside of Exeter, started in 1965 with just nine holes. The original 9 hole architect was Dave Ferguson. Architect John F Robinson did a rework of original nine and added nine more, with the new 18 hole course opening in 1990. Tree lined fairways, gentle rolling hills, some water make this walkable course enjoyable to play.

Heron Point

Sketchbook Pages ~ Heron Point

Designed by Canadian architect Thomas McBroom, Heron Point Golf Links is a mix of rolling meadowlands and wetlands, dense stands of trees and links-style golf with fescue-covered mounds. One of his earliest and still one of his best and boasts one of the greatest finishing holes in Canadian golf.

Montreal Golf

Sketchbook Page ~ Le Fontainebeau

Its a long drive from London to Montreal for just a long weekend! We were staying in "Old Montreal" but did not have enough time to really enjoy it. But did enjoy the three golf courses we played. Some sketched on location and some sketched later from photos.

Club de Golf Le Fontainebleau opened in 2003. "Designed by Graham Cooke and Darrell Huxham, the 7,105-yard, par-72 layout has strong green sites with large putting surfaces that are highly contoured and protected by bold bunkering."

Sketchbook Page ~ Le Matre

Le Matre is ranked No. 2 in Quebec by SCOREGolf in 2010. "Le Maître reflects the precision and power of Masters champion Fred Couples who, along with architects Gene Bates, Graham Cooke and Darrel Huxham, designed 18 superb holes along the Riviere Diable (Devil's River) in Quebec's spectacular Mont Tremblant region."

Sketchbook Page ~ Islesmere

Club de golf Islesmere, which opened in 1919 is a traditional parkland course that offers an enjoyable but challenging walk through the woods. "Islesmere is a tree-lined, narrow, strategic course; patience is truly a virtue here."

Innerkip

 

Innerkip Highlands Golf Course is a public golf course that opened in 1978 as a 9 Hole course, and became 18 holes two years later. Trout Creek brings water into play. The 5th hole features an island green.

Glen Cairn

Holiday Monday golf at Glencairn Golf Club. near Halton Hills. This is hole no. 1, sketched while we waiting to tee off. Love this course... from the stone walls, burns and bridges to the " I hate" those sod-walled pot bunkers. On hole number 2, I missed the green by inches and ended up in the pot bunker right in front, three strokes and I was still in trap, a drop in the sandtrap, next shot right over the green. Managed to stay out of bunkers after that. So 17 good holes and 1 bad.

Glencairn Hole No. 1

Kings Riding

Kings Riding Hole No. 10

Sunday golf at Kings Riding Golf Club just north of Toronto near King City. Architect Thomas McBroom's inspiration is based the King's Course at Gleneagles in Scotland. I loved  this very walk-able course with a mixture of mature parkland and features of the classic Scottish courses.  This was butterfly that landed on my shoe lace and would not fly away, in fact stayed on my shoe lace while I walked about 100 yards. Must have been good luck, as I birdied back to back par fives, the one we were playing number 9 and hole number 10. This is a sketch of no 10, completed while we waited to tee off on front nine.

Greenhills No. 3



Greenhills No. 3 Sketch

Sunday afternoon golf at Greenhills. Quick sketch started to wait on hole no. 3 then finished by hole no. 6. Waited too much, so only played 9 holes. Feels like a nine hole course!

Rocky Crest, Rain

Sunny and bright to start the day. By the time we tuned on to Hamer Bay Road to Rocky Crest Golf Course was starting to rain. By the itme we pulled in to the parking lot, it was pouring rain. Lightning and pouring rain, so no golf that day at Rocky Crest, my favourite Clublink course. This is view from club house looking out onto the eighteenth hole, while having coffee deciding where to go and what to do.

Lack of Golf

Too much rain, not enought golf. Can't be on the course drawing, but can still draw from photo reference. These are ACEO cards. Top is Greenhills, bottom left is Heron Point and bottom right is Rocky Crest.  ACEO stands for "Art Cards, Editions and Originals". These cards have one main rule - they are 3.5 inches by 2.5 inches - the size of a trading card.

Golf Season

It’s been a long winter, but finally golf season has begun. Middle of April, before Greenhill Course even opened, played 18 holes on Good Friday. Then came the overnight April showers and Dingman Creek flooded the course, so off to GreyStone to play on Saturday.

Sketching on the golf course is good practise in drawing quickly. Usually only have time for a few pencil lines at a time. The rest of the sketch is done on next hole or hole after that, depending on wait time. This is GreyStone Hole # 1 with Niagara Escarpment in background. I find drawing naked trees very challenging and golf courses are full of naked trees at this time of year. In a week or so we will have the lush foliage and the courses will be all green.

Missing Golf

Yes, I am missing golf. Received the new "ClubLink Life" magazine recently and in it was an article about the new ClubLink course (Glendale Golf and Country Club) in Hamilton. Can't wait for spring to go check it out. I like tree lined, old courses, ones with a lot of charactor and history This course dates back to 1919. A couple of quick sketches to keep me thinking about the upcoming season.