PHOTOGRAPHING Planet Golf was book-ended by two wonderful golf experiences. To begin with I went to the Gleneagles Golf Club and stayed at the luxurious Gleneagles Hotel, and two years later finished the project at Nirwana Bali and the then on-course hotel, Le Meridian. Those two hotels were in no way indicative of the usual accommodation the budget afforded during the course of the assignment.
Nirwana Bali was indeed a glorious way in which to end a fantastic photographic journey. The course was a pleasure to photograph, especially the spectacular 7th hole, an epic challenge across surging waters, but for me one of the enduring memories can be summed up with two phrases: ‘Sports Illustrated‘ and ‘swimsuits’. Yes, these two elements converged on my hotel and resort to add an unexpected delight to my final location.
There is never a shortage of manpower to do any task in South East Asia, but it defied belief to see how many gentlemen were required to mow the lawn in the vicinity of one particular photographic setting. Rest assured, they were not following me around observing my camera skills.
I sent a short message back to a friend at home about the difficulties of having such a photo shoot going on while I was there. I mentioned the warm weather, the great golf course, delicious food, the cold drinks and the blue skies. “Yes”, I told him, “Life sucks sometimes… but not today!” Ø
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