Pacific Dunes No.10 ~ Painting a Dream Golf Hole
A couple of years ago, my brother and his golfing buddies went on a dream golfing trip to Bandon Dunes along the coast in Oregon. I was invited to go but I was busy painting and getting established as a local artist. So, I thanked him but decided not to go.
I was wowed by what I saw on the Bandon Dunes website. Six unique, picturesque golf courses! One course in particular caught my eye because of a photograph that my brother sent me mid-round. Pacific Dunes!
Multiple holes with steep cliffs lining the fairways leading down to the crashing surf of the Pacific Ocean. Wind swept terrain with natural dune ridges and treacherous bunkers. Dramatic lighting over undulating fairways. Wispy tall grasses and penalizing gorse.
The course designer/architect, Tom Doak, designed a course that visually speaks to me as a golfer. I’ve been playing golf on and off since I was about ten years old. The year before I got married I took a golfing trip across country with a high school buddy. We started by driving to New York in his VW Rabbit and played Winged Foot and Westchester Country Club. Then we headed west and played Cherry Hills in Colorado. Off we drove to California where we played Pebble Beach, Spyglass, and The Olympic Club in San Francisco.
More recently I had the opportunity to play Pine Valley, often rated the number one course in the United States.
They all were and are outstanding courses. All of them are bucket list worthy. But, as an artist and a golfer, I’d have to say Pacific Dunes has to be the most aesthetically pleasing to my eye. Tom Doak is quoted as saying, “no course is perfect, but Pacific Dunes is as close as I’ll ever get.”
The morning fog was lifting over the 10th hole, a 206 yard par 3, from the tips. The lighting wasn’t dramatic but there was a serenity to the scene even with trouble all around. I would love to have been there. Maybe some day.
As I get older I appreciate golf even more. I love playing. I love the camaraderie. I laugh as I recall the many funny stories that happened on a golf course. I dream of shooting my age. With each passing year I become more hopeful. :)
Whether I’m playing a dream course like Pacific Dunes or the Charleston Muni, I always enjoy my time on the links.
I hope even you non-golfers can appreciate this painting as a scenic landscape that just happens to have a white pin and a yellow flag planted in the ground. :)
Pacific Dunes No. 10 by William R. Beebe, 24 x 24, Oil on canvas.
I’m also considering painting a few beach scenes, dunes, and of course more pelicans! I have several commissions coming up so it might be awhile before I do.
Thank you for reading my journal and for your interest in my art! It is appreciated very much.
PS-here is a short video produced by Golf Digest featuring Pacific Dunes!
“One of the joys of being an artist is having the freedom to follow my passion….”
What’s next?
Drawing by William R. Beebe