Patrick's Blog

The 93^rd PGA Championship week is under way, and I’m at the Atlanta Athletic Club in John’s Creek (just north of Atlanta) ready to witness the year’s last major. First round play begins Thursday, but I thought I’d give you a small sneak preview of the course and a few of the pre-tournament preparations.

An early Tuesday morning stroll told me the ACC’s Highland Course is ready to take on all comers, especially holes like the 260-yard, par 3 15^th, shown here with a Golf Channel crew recording some last-minute player tips. David Toms scored an ace on this hole in 2001, the last time the PGA Championship was played here.

The course is immaculate, playing at 7,467 yards (270 yards longer than ’01), and despite some last minute afternoon thunderstorms on Monday it’s fast and firm, with sloping greens designed to challenge the game’s best players. And the players are here – on the range, in the bunkers, prepping on the course for the tests to come…

Heat and humidity will be factors, too, and the misting stations are in full-blast mode to accommodate golf fans, already arriving in force.

Of course, if the temperature gets to be too much, we’re here, in the air-conditioned PGA Golf Shop tent, ready to share stories and smiles, and of course, eager to show you our Stonehouse 2011 PGA Championship images and gifts.

Come by and say hi.

The finish at this year’s PGA Championship at Whistling Straits was exciting, perhaps even a little controversial, but there sure wasn’t anything arguable about the ace Tom Lehman scored on the par-three 17th hole Saturday afternoon.

Undoubtedly one of the most contentious holes the players face all season, 17 at the Straits Course is called “Pinched Nerve” for a reason, but the 1996 Open Champion barely seemed to notice as his tee shot found the cup.  223 yards.  One swing.  A great moment.

Ironically, I just happened to have a Limited Edition print of 17 with me in the merchandise tent.  Someone suggested we sign it and give it to Lehman, and… Voilà!  The moment was preserved.  All of us in the tent signed a letter to accompany the print, which was presented by the Whistling Straits management team to Tom.  I wasn’t at the presentation, but I understand TL was very pleased.

A fortunate coincidence – the kind we love at Stonehouse.  Preserving the memories of those special shots, holes and events is our mission, one we always appreciate sharing with friends and fans around the world.

Have a special golf moment you want to remember?  You’ve come to the right place.

Best,
Patrick

2010 marks the 150th anniversary of the Open Championship, and we’re extremely honored that an image from the Stonehouse Golf Collection has been selected to help recognize this important milestone:  A special Limited Edition gicleé of our “Rainbow” image of hole #17 on the Old Course will be signed by all of the players and hung in the St. Andrews clubhouse.

I personally oversaw the print’s production and numbering – 1 of only 125 editions – and I believe this is the first time a photographic image has been selected for this purpose, so I’m very grateful.  It’s the best of all possible scenarios for Stonehouse.  We’re here to create and preserve lasting memories of golf, and this image, with its panoramic view of the 17th green, Swilcan Bridge, the 18th “Tom Morris” tee and fairway, and the historic R&A clubhouse overarched by a delicate rainbow, is a fitting tribute to the game’s oldest and most revered Championship.

This week, as you watch the drama of the Open Championship unfold, you might give a thought to the fact that you’re seeing more than a golf tournament.  You’re witnessing the continuation of a historic tradition, a tradition in which the world’s most talented competitors have displayed their skills – a tradition now celebrated, in part, with the help of the Stonehouse Collection.

Best regards,

Patrick

About three weeks ago I arrived in Philadelphia to photograph the famous Aronimink Golf Club, site of this year’s AT&T National Tournament hosted by Tiger Woods.  Tiger had been there only a week before to check out final arrangements, so I was able to experience the course at close to its playing level for the pros. Let me tell you, this is one heck of a Donald Ross design.

No history of golf in the Philadelphia area can be told without mentioning Aronimink. It was incorporated as a club in 1900, although its true genesis stretched back several years to the Belmont Golf Association (reorganized as Aronimink) and its role in founding the Golf Association of Philadelphia in 1897.

Golf was catching on in the U.S. around the turn of the century, and the citizens of Philadelphia were determined not to miss out on the game’s rising tide of popularity.  The demand for professionally-designed, 18-hole tracks was growing. So much, in fact, that Aronimink actually outgrew and moved its facilities four times before finally acquiring its present site in 1926.

The club had the foresight to hire Donald Ross to design the layout, which today retains much of the character for which his courses are so well-known.  At first glance, the casual observer might think the mature trees are Aronimink’s only real scoring obstacles, but Ross never designed a course with only one defense. Aronimink’s arsenal of hills, bunkers, valleys, and doglegs present what Ross called “a supreme test” to many of the world’s best players at this year’s AT&T.

Having seen it, walked it and photographed it, all I can say to the players who are about to take on Aronimink is… Good luck fellas,  you’ll need it.

Tiger Woods. Phil Mickelson. Tom Watson. This week, golf’s top players and stories gather for the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach – one of the world’s iconic venues – to contend for the coveted championship of the United States.

We’ll all have to wait until Sunday to see who hoists the winner’s trophy, but in the meantime fans around the world will able to enjoy the unmatched beauty and windswept challenges of Pebble Beach.

Big Sur’s most famous golf course holds a special place in the history of the Stonehouse Golf Collection.  Pebble was the first course shot by Patrick; the first venue captured in his trademark panoramic format.  And it should come as no surprise that his image of hole number 7 continues to be the most requested in the Stonehouse Collection.

This week the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach holds center stage in the world of golf… and in the hearts of all of us at Stonehouse.

This may sound odd, but if I had to choose just one golf tournament to attend, I think it might be the Ryder Cup.  I’ve been to a couple of them now, and I like the fact that the event not only draws many of the world’s best players, it also presents the game from a team perspective – something uncommon in such an individual sport, and an exciting change for both players and fans.

Jack Fry's, Louisville

Tasty Local Eats
My trip to the 2008 Ryder Cup in Louisville began with the usual setup chores in the PGA Merchandise Tent, after which I headed downtown to do a little recon.  In my travels I always like to find a friendly, home-grown spot where local color is readily dispensed.  (Clue:  I’ve found bartenders are usually the best sources of information.)   I certainly wasn’t disappointed when I found Jack Fry’s – a locally-owned eatery that serves both great food and the inside scoop on where to go and what to see.  (Jack Fry’s, *****, $$$)

Weathering the Weather
The PGA opened the Merchandise Tent on the Saturday before the Ryder Cup officially started, but the remnants of Hurricane Ike were blowing through, so it looked like rain any minute.  Unfortunately the wind really picked up too, and on Sunday the gusts were 90+ mph.  Bent poles forced us to evacuate the tent, and the gale took down some trees, grandstands and a TV tower on one of the greens.  Fortunately over 100 volunteers from surrounding golf courses showed up Monday to help the greens crew repair the damage, and by Tuesday morning Valhalla was ready for play – a remarkable feat considering nearly 300,000 people were still without power.

Valhalla 13

Different Team Dynamics
It’s interesting to observe the differences in style between the two Ryder Cup teams:  The Euros tend to travel together and seem to get along well; you might even spot them eating together at local restaurants, having a good time with fans.  The American team, on the other hand, usually arrives on separate, private jets with personal chefs and trainers in tow.  They tend to keep a certain distance from fans until the event, although local favorites Kenny Perry and J.B. Holmes were an exception – both went out of their way to sign autographs and encourage fan participation.  And I don’t know whether it was the atmosphere or the bourbon, but Floridian Boo Weekley was a huge favorite, embraced by the Kentuckians as one of their own.

Practice Rounds Set the Stage
If you’re fortunate enough to attend a Ryder Cup, be sure to catch the practice rounds.  That’s where you witness how each team will interact as players and teammates.

At Valhalla this was particularly apparent on No. 13, the signature hole with a raised island green.  At 350 yards, this green was drivable, and everyone gave it a shot in practice.  However, during competition only the big hitters gave it a swat – if they missed, their teammates played it safe, leaving a well-aimed chip shot to get up and down.

Valhalla 18

The 18th was interesting, too.  Fans on the 545-yard par 5 came alive when Boo, J.B. and Kenny made an appearance.  The stadium course moguls that line the edges of the fairway were crowded at least six deep, and I heard rumors of human waves going up one side and down the other.

Only one chance to see a PGA event?  My advice is make it a Ryder Cup…  and bring your loudest cheering voice, a good autograph pen and an appetite for some really competitive golf.

Oh, and stop by the PGA Merchandise Tent to say  “Hi.”