Renaissance Cup, Old Macdonald and Bandon Dunes

Not to confuse you...This photo is one I took of the new Conservation Course at Bandon Dunes. Now, enough about that...

Every year Tom Doak hosts an invitational tournament for friends and colleagues at a course that he has designed or improved. The point is to unveil some new work and glean feedback from those in attendance. You partner up with one person and play fourball scratch 9 hole matches. Previous winners have included Ben Crenshaw, Mike Keiser, Fred Muller to name a few. It isn't the easiest invite to procure...and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I had hopes of someday getting the chance to play. To my surprise, a timely email to Tom on another subject unfolded into an invitation to play in my first Renaissance Cup hosted at Old Macdonald at Bandon Dunes. It was really a great time, we even upset the "ringer" team and won our first match. What a fun course to play Match Play on !!! Got a chance to meet a few other like minded ladies and fellows and as a bonus spent a beautiful morning walking around the new Conservation Course at Bandon. It is a quaint little, 13 hole par three course that Coore and Crenshaw draped over "linksy" dunes overlooking the Pacific. I cannot wait to return to play it and paint it, along with Old Macdonald.

A Painting of Tenth at Bel Air Country Club

The Tenth at Bel Air C.C. nearly finished. Been busy the last couple of months working on this Oil of Bel Air C.C. This is a painting for the current back to back club champion. It is a view from up on a the balcony above the dining room. I've always enjoyed capturing architecture assuming it really adds to the texture and beauty of the scene. Many golf lovers are drawn to historic structures such as this famous bridge at Bel Air. Other iconic structures that we love, of course are, The Windmill at NGLA, the halfway house at Pine Valley, The Clubhouse at Cypress Point, Royal and Ancient at St. Andrews, The Clubhouse at Shinnecock Hills, and so on. Hopefully I will continue to have the opportunity to paint all of these. They are almost logos in their natural state.

Happy Friday,

Josh

Ben Cox Fundraising Effort

Wanted to point your attention to one of the greatest rags to riches fundraising efforts in recent history. Jim Colton, a golf lover who often takes caddies while playing Ballyneal Golf Club, was touched when he heard of a skiing/snowboarding accident to one of the regular caddies. Ben Cox was partially paralyzed and his life was changed forever. Jim thought he could raise a couple thousand dollars through his golfing mates by staging a Golf A Thon at Ballyneal in order to help out Ben and his family with medical bills. The word spread very quickly and donations have come from all over the golfing community. To date over $100,000 has been raise for Ben's medical care. What a great "Man For Others" Jim Colton is.
Jim played 155 holes in one day, all walking with a caddy. Over 45 miles of golf at Ballyneal Sun up to Sun down. Glad we could help with a donation prize, a threesome at Cal Club. See Jim's Blog link below.

http://www.wegoblogger31.com/2011/07/whats-story-rory-glory-ben-cox-108155.html

Sincerely,

Josh Smith

Unique Take on an Original Oil Painting

Greetings Golfers...

Well this was a first for me. A diamond shaped Original oil painting. USGA official and friend of mine commissioned this perspective from the California Golf Club, "Cal Club". Visible are holes 3, 4 and 8. The Red Colored background is not part of the oil painting, but rather filler created by photoshop.

The owner had a hunch this would make a great painting and perspective and had the perfect spot in his home to display it.

Alister MacKenzie rebunkered the Cal Club along with Robert Hunter in 1927. Interestingly, if you were to walk about 4 or 5 miles directly forward and over the hill in the backdrop of the painting you would end up at Sharp Park Golf Course. An original Alister MacKenzie "golden age" seaside layout.

This was a really interesting project for me and I'm looking forward to the next one...Bel Air Country Club.

Cheers,

Josh CF Smith

Nice piece about Josh in Golf World

Ron Whitten wrote a cool piece about Josh in this week's Golf World Magazine. We can't find it on line (yet), but here is a scan that you can blow up and read.

Yardage Book

Since visiting Old Sandwich Golf Club a couple years ago, I've looked at each golf course a little differently. The architects, Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw and the club have done such an amazing job of turning back the clock there. From the moment you drive on site, you are overwhelmed with a timeless, throw back feel. While it was only built a few years ago, you would swear it is 100 years old. From the style of clubhouse, heirloom grassing choices, course hardware, down to the everyday maintenance, it screams Old and Wise. I left with great memories, a memory card full of photos, an OS baseball cap and probably the best yardage book ever created. While I don't have a photo of their book here, I do have photos of my first attempt at a Yardage Book.




Their yardage book was drawn by Bill Coore and features loose sketches of each hole tee to green. Each line was sketched with care as if he had designed the course... ;) ;) ;) When asked by the California Golf Club to create a yardage book of my own, my mind raced to the OS book. I asked myself how can I create something with such feel without ripping off the style completely. After sketching for a while with pencil, it became clear to me I needed to "dance with the date I brung" and oil paint the book. It would be completely original and give me a better chance to attain something special. My hope was to paint it in color and have the book produced in black and white. The Board of Directors overruled and wanted the book printed in color. Hope to be lucky enough to do another Yardage Book some day, in between Original Oil Paintings.




Cheers,

Josh Smith