The best season for me to visit and take photos of golf courses is between April and October depending on the type of golf course you have. For example, Links courses generally have a longer season as there are less trees and the light is stronger.

If you’re after something a bit different I can also capture stunning images during the winter providing you with seasonal variations and inclement weather to add interesting photos to any course.

This will depend on the number of images that you require, a basic package could be completed in two days minimum if the conditions are good.

For a full course package I would probably want to be at the course for 4 to 6 days, depending on weather conditions this may be during the same week or may be split into several visits.

The best times for golf course photography are either the start of the day when the sun comes up or end of the day when it comes down, I usually shoot before golfers arrive.

I’m an avid golfer so I understand how to work around the game and the golfers to get the best possible photographs.

If you have specific holes that you need to capture at a certain time of day I may ask if a 1 hole gap is left between groups to allow me to provide images without players on the hole. An example of this might be the back nine of a course at the end of an evening when the golfers are finishing their rounds. I may shoot some silhouettes from far way but no faces would be recognised on the photos.

Ideally on morning shoots the greens will have been cut or swiped before I start, although I realise this is not always possible.

If you wish me shoot some of your staff working on the course you will need to make them aware that I will be shooting them and that they can continue working around the greens as usual.

Most importantly I ask that a day before I the shoot the bunkers need to be raked.

The worst possible scenario is when there has been heavy rain overnight but the forecast is good in the morning for photography. Washed out bunkers could ruin a batch of images. In that case bunkers would need to be raked again.

If you provide motorised golf carts, try and advise your golfers to stay to the sides of fairways so that wheel marks do not show up in photos. 

If I am visiting at the end of the season in September or October it would also be very useful if the rough has not been cut back, I find this adds great definition to the landscape.

Ideally I will talk with your head green-keeper ahead of the shoot to discuss the best pin positions for each green – this can have quite an impact on the image.