I had a frequent customer in my camera store. Jim was a golf coach and took a camera on the course when he was with the team. Jim's photography just kept getting better each time out. Jim was slowly collecting the tools he needed to take golf shots like the ones in Sports Illustrated or Golf Digest. He constantly asked Dennis, the other guy in the shop, and me for advice and put all that knowledge to good use. In the process, he went from snap-shooting to capturing the kind of images you see here. You can do it, too. The first thing you need to consider is where you have to be to take great golf shots. You have to remain outside the play area, so that means you are confined to the rough, the very edges of the fairway, and to the sides of greens, traps, and tees. You need to be observant and watch out for wild shots and speeding golf carts, too. With that said, you need to check your gear. You must know by now that you will have to be shooting your subject from a distance. You need at least one long lens and since you will be shooting in the sun most of the time, having polarized filters would be a big benefit. For these shots, I used a Sigma 135-400mm APO DG lens. I also used a sturdy tripod that was still light enough to drag all over the range of holes I needed to shoot. I had to capture several foursomes in a four-man-scramble with a "shotgun start." That meant, I needed to find a good vantage point. The golf course, Lansdowne in Ashville, Ohio, has a very unique arrangement where the front and back nine are intertwined over the course acreage. My subject parties were started on several different holes of the back nine. I took a position around the eleventh green, fourteenth hole (a short par three), and the fifteenth tee (a long par five). From this vantage point, I could catch all of the groups in the outing without running all over the course. Before I left, I jumped to holes eight and nine to catch a few more shots of one group that I missed. I finished the course with them. Each shot you take should tell a story. For golf, you want tee shots, fairway shots, chips, and putts. Sand shots are dramatic, but, in a four-man scramble, you probably won't get many opportunities for those. For other events, keep an eye on sand traps, they are a blast to shoot (pun intended). Below are three typical golf outing shots. The first shows a participant lining up his shot and assessing the situation on the green. The next is a long putt being watched by the entire foursome. These guys were lining up behind the putter to watch the shot. I was amused by it and it makes for a great shot. The next shot is one of the foursomes. Groups always love to get shots of their team and this foursome had personality plus.

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Of course, golf course action does occur and your pictures should catch the ball leaving the club-face. You want to get that look of determination and concentration when it happens. Those are fleeting moments and you have to remain ever vigilant for those opportunities.

Here are three more shots that tell the story of this outing. In the first one, the foursome was the fastest around the course. They were much faster than any other group. Why? Well, as you can see, they drove the carts right to the golf ball and shot from a few feet away. Oh, how I would love to have caught this shot without the clutter of the carts and other members of the foursome. The second shot is a chip. You want to catch the ball leaving the club, otherwise, it would be very boring. The third shot captures that look of determination that I mentioned. This is a CLASSIC golf shot and every course photographer needs shots like this one.

Remember, each shot should tell a story. What is the player doing? Are they on the tee? the fairway? the green? Are they shooting from a sand trap? Did you catch the ball leaving the club? (Is it in the same frame as the golfer?). You need to catch the ball in mid air. However, you also need to catch those priceless facial expressions when people follow-through their swing. The third shot above is one of those. There is no way I could catch the ball and that LOOK at the same time. The "look" follows the shot and is gone in an instant. In this case, the golfer was reacting to the drive he just hit. Now that is focus!

Don't forget to capture vertical shots on occasion. There are times when a vertical configuration adds interest. In the case of putting green shots, you can catch the golfer's concentration, their stroke, and the ball leaving the club face with no real difficulty. Here is your best opportunity to get up close and personal with the golfer. Using your long lens, you can catch facial expressions that you won't see anywhere else on the course. When photographing the putt, it is best to capture the golfer from head to toe. Shoot when the club strikes the ball. Usually, it is very easy to time. If you shoot too soon, click the shutter again immediately. You might get lucky on the second click. When do you use a wide angle lens? When you are right on the green and want to catch all the people there. Maybe you want to photograph a player hitting across a pond. Yes, there are times when you will shoot wide angle, but, most of the time, you will be shooting from a distance. When I picked the 135-400mm Sigma lens for this event, I wanted a mid-range zoom at the short end and needed a good reach to catch people on the tee. I also did not want to get too close. A golf ball is typically flying about two hundred miles per hour when hit by an adult male. Get hit by one and you will sustain a lot of damage. A long lens will keep you at a safe distance and you will not distract the players. Don't forget to bring a polarized filter for every lens you use. Grass reflects a lot of light and you will have lots of glare if you don't.