I played Barnbougle Dunes Golf Links down in Tasmania, Australia which is situation near a little golfing community called Bridport. It's about a one hour drive out of Launceston and the weather is never too hot. It's on the northern coast of Tasmania. It is rated as the fifth best public golf course in the world!

Well, some of these pictures are your stock standard landscape shots of the hole or green and I have plenty that fit into these categories on my hard drive. However, what I have tried to do instead is to capture the spirit of golf and the scenery, not the course.

Please look and enjoy! Feel free to comment (I am very happy to take comments about photography techniques!)

Josh

PS- I used a Canon EOS 400D

that course looks awesome. i want to play it. i like the ray, rough, very natural looking golf courses. i'm sure it would be a frustrating round, but i would love it.

Kinda hard to take a bad picture out there, eh?

I really like all your shots. Since I know Im not going to be breaking par, I try to take similar style photos when I play elite courses like that.

Many of those photos are excellent, especially the bottom-most vertical one.

Great photos Josh. Thanks.

Looks like a really fun course.

Looks alot like Bandon Dunes

Actually I found the course quite easy. I went round in two over playing off 5. BUT then again, I went there on a good day. I imagine that if it were a bad day, it would be unplayable. The course itself is not difficult, the fairways are wide with negotiable fairway pots and the greenside traps and chipping swayles(?) aren't too difficult to get up and down from. In fact, my home course, Victoria Golf Club, is more difficult by a long way: miss the fairway and you're staring down a bogey; miss a green and a good player will still find it hard to make up and down, especially from the bunkers.

I'll try and upload some more photos when I have time. Thanks for the feedback!

Enjoy!
Josh

Nice pics and awesome looking course, very rugged look but in a good way. Not over manicured like some of the newer courses here in the US.

Been to a few places around the world, haven’t made it to Australia yet but hope to soon.

Thanks for sharing.

ickii

Nice job. Looks like a fun course and your pictures easily conveyed that. Good composition.

They would have even more "pop" if they were underexposed a bit - would help create a little more contrast. You can do that with a little post production.

I took the liberty of taking one of the pics, adjusting the levels and applying some sharpening. Hope you like the result.

Before & After

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Thanks for letting me play with your great photos.

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The 5th best public course in the world???

Looks nice though.

Looks like an awesome track. Too bad Tasmania is some 11.000 miles away.....

Now the problem with playing with the pictures is that you're not getting the true colours that I was seeing while playing. No way is the grass that green in Australia, unless you go to the Gold Coast. Moreover, these aren't in their original resolution which is 3888x2592. I must say though, I will take that suggestion of underexposure to get a better contrast and try it out!

I understand what you mean by this course not being over manicured. It gives it a more 'golf' feel, rather than garden feel. I don't think there is a single 'manicured' course in Australia. At least the majority are well-maintained like this.

And I got it wrong! It used to be the 5th. Now, according to their website:

• Australia's #1 Public Golf Course

• World #7 public access course

• 35th best course in the world

http://www.barnbougledunes.com.au/

Just fixed the levels so the exposure was proper - didn't do anything with the colors (or colours for you). That was what was there, lurking...

I agree though, the original files would make the effect more subtle as there would be more pixels to gradiate the tones.

Still a rockin' course any way you look at it- please post more pics anytime.

Sweet god, that place looks amazing.

This is going to be my "go-to" thread at work... when I need a five minute vacation.

Thanks a lot man... and congrats!

wow those pics look amazing when you did whatever you did to it.

I must restate: the colours of the course and landscape are more accurately reflected by the originals. However, I do agree that greener grass always makes a course LOOK better!

The next set of photos are not as good, composition wise, but I felt that they were good enough for those who just wanted to see more of the course and what was around the course.












Enjoy!
Josh

PS- Is it strange that an 18 year old is so into his photography?

Nice additions. Much better color and no, it is not strange that an 18 year old is that into photography. Try the photography forums and you can even find 8 year olds wielding the latest DSLR's!!

I'm off to play the dunes in a few weeks I can't wait

This statement reflects an unfortunate mindset that affects American golf to a great extent. The pursuit of the lush green visual largely results in soft conditions that yield a more one-dimensional aerial game and detracts from the playability.

"Look" better vs. "play" better.

Turf can be quite healthy and playable when maintained in a firm and fast state. USA golfers would benefit by becoming more accepting of a little brown.

Seaside and links courses like Barnbougle are built on sandy soil that drains quickly and allow the use of turfgrass that will rarely ever be a lush green color. But the firm and fast conditions allow a greater variety of shotmaking that are in line with the origins of the wonderful game of golf.

ALSO - Props to the architect at Barnbougle - TOM DOAK. One of the young designers who is helping lead the renaissance in golf design back to a more natural style truer to the traditions of the game.

aweosme pics, and the course looks like fun. just stay out of some of those bunkers, and you'll be alright.

Theinsider is right- you did great with the pics but overexposed them a bit. The problem with the human eye is we don't always see what is really there- glare on a sunny day tends to fool our eyes and wash out the colors. And the camera's meter wants to make everything "average gray" so it is easily fooled by bright light.

Other than that, your pics are great! You have a good eye for composition. Great on not placing everything smack dab in the center of the picture as most amateur photogs do, and going with portrait instead of landscape where appropriate.

As far as the golf course, from the pics I don't see any flat spots! Does the ball actually stay in one place?

GREAT pics, thanks!

Tremendous pictures..Doak is just wonderful.
I played at Ballyneal about 6 weeks ago and as usual was so very impressed with his style and feel for the gold couse.
Clearly he did the same at Banbougle and at Rock Creek that just opened in Montana.
Envious beyond words looking at those pictures a pilgrimage there is a must!

So how does one alter that exposure post picture taking?
what is the prcoess for doing that...computer moron here..explain slowly..please

what a set of pics !!

I was born in Tasmania 41 yrs ago and have never been back. Was in Melbourne / Outback / Sydney when I was 19 but now I can see that I must get to Taz. My immediate neighbour is married to a New Zealander and they were there last year and LOVED it

Thanks for sharing

That depends on the software you are using for the editing. But basically, you can alter the color intensity, light/dark, contrast, all independently with most applications (it is usually a "slider bar" in the software that shows the picture changing as you drag the control one way or the other with your mouse). But specific instructions are beyond the scope of the forum.

99% of the time, it is better to adjust these things in the camera before you take the picture- it is the old computer addage- garbage in, garbage out. If the picture is junk when you take it, it is harder (i.e., takes a lot longer) to fix it later. But almost anything can be done with the right computer, software, and the right knowledge of how to do it- as long as the information is in the picture. (Not implying that the OP's photos were junk- they absolutely were NOT junk- I'm just giving a general example.)

gotcha..I will try annd post my Ballyneal and Sand Hills pictures later.