Gary Lisbon Golf Photography in Black Rock, Victoria | Photographer

Gary Lisbon Golf Photography

Locality: Black Rock, Victoria

Phone: +61 418 465 337

Address: Melbourne Sandbelt Black Rock, SA, Australia

Website: http://www.golfphotos.com.au

Likes: 971

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25.01.2022 The green complexes of the 8th and 10th holes @huntingdalegolfclub are distinctively @melbournesandbelt. Bunkers abound, the green surrounds are tightly mown and the putting surfaces are large and contain their fair degree of undulation. Such is the joy of playing in this part of the world.... The Melbourne Sandbelt is a collection of 8 championship courses (with another couple waiting in the wings just quietly) that all sit within a 10 mile radius only 35 minutes from the centre of Melbourne, Australia. Being a local I am amazed at the variety of golf in the region even though the courses are so close to one another - you experience something different on each course. For 30 years Huntingdale was home of the Australian Masters - an event I attended regularly watching the worlds best golfers competing. Our own @shark_gregnorman won the gold jacket on 6 occasions - pretty impressive indeed. Interested in playing the Sandbelt? DM me and I will send you information on how you can play the courses in this region as part of a signature golf series. Enjoy the Masters, enjoy your weekend. #KeepHealthy #GolfTravelHasReturned

25.01.2022 The ultimate for me is when I can combine a golf course photo shoot and time away with my family. Over the years Maureen and I and the girls have been to some pretty cool places as a family - at last count 12 different countries. During this time each of our girls have helped me with photo shoots - whether that is driving a cart, moving a rake in a bunker, attracting the attention of animals (ie. sheep at Brora) and generally being helpful.... One of my fondest memories was back in 20212 when we embarked on a European adventure. I had just completed playing and photographing 40 courses in 32 days in Ireland/Scotland/England/Northern Ireland (www.links4032.com) and the family joined me in Ireland for another 7 weeks. Pat Ruddy’s European Club was part of our adventure and this series of photos shows how beautiful the place is. Pat’s hospitality was amazing - right down to showing us through his 6,000 + book library above the clubhouse in his private home. Swipe left to see some photos of the girls with a special book Life is short, make the most of it and try and do this with your family - the memories remain forever. #KeepHealthy #GolfTravelWillReturn

24.01.2022 The vista from the 10th hole at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney is nice to say the least. A testing and long par 4 which plays slightly uphill to a green nestled amongst the trees makes par a very good score.Sure there are no water views on this @jacknicklaus designed course but they are not really needed.This very private members course is located in a valley with holes laid out primarily in a north/south direction. The imposing clubhouse also sits at the top of the valle...y and overlooks most holes on the course. A combination of perfect conditioning (and I mean perfect), blindingly white bunkers and pine straw under the native trees give an Augusta kind of feel to the place. If you happen to be invited to play a round here you should take full advantage I mean you never know if another invite will come.Now that the Victoria/ NSW border lockdown has been lifted (hooray) we are free to travel between borders great news and a further indication that we are getting back to a COVID kind of normal.#EnjoyMonday #KeepHealthy. See more

23.01.2022 And in some exciting news there is talk that the Queensland border will open to Victorians (yes that means people from Melbourne!!) on 1 December 2020. This will certainly be joyous news for us southerners wanting to head north to bask in the warming glow of Queensland. If you are heading north why not make your way further up the coast to the Whitsunday Islands and in particular Hamilton Island which is something truly special. Flights go straight into the island and a short... 10 minute ferry ride will see you dock on Dent Island - the location for arguably one of the most dramatic island golf courses in the world. Wow this place is indeed special. Pictured today is the 11th hole and it has an almost ghostlike appearance with the trees framing the back of the green.The golf course is one of a kind and on a beautiful day you can see for miles out over the 74 islands which make up the Whitsundays.Life is slowly returning to normal in Australia let’s pray the rest of the world can head down our path to recovery soon. #KeepHealthy. See more

22.01.2022 129 metres from the blocks. Easy right? Well the 10th hole @kingston_heath on the famous @melbournesandbelt is just that yet still gives up its fair share of bogies or worse. This masterful par 3 fits in the the landscape beautifully and is not contrived in any way. Surrounded by bunkers the green contains its fair share of subtle movement meaning even hitting the putting surface does not guarantee par.... As you swipe left you can see different shots of the hole showcasing the bunkering and the native vegetation which frames the hole. The final image is one I took a number of years ago on a very warm summer evening. The cloud in this shot is one of the most dramatic I have ever captured. Interested in playing the Sandbelt courses including Kingston Heath and Royal Melbourne? DM me and I will tell you about how you can do it if you are visiting Melbourne. #KeepHealthy #GolfTravelHasReturned

20.01.2022 I did not fall in love with @tralee.golf.links in South West Ireland the first time I visited. Unusual comment right? However when I first played it back in 2012 the weather was cold, wet and windy. It was hard to get a full appreciation of the golf course. It was more about self preservation.... It was only when I returned a few years later that I got a true perspective of how beautiful the course is. It was a glorious evening and the sun lit up the course in a way I had not seen before. Warm light shone down highlighting the natural beauty of the course. The back nine is where the course comes alive and to quote the famous Arnold Palmer who designed the course - "I may have designed the first nine, but surely God designed the back nine. The lay of the land is dramatic to say the least. Hills and hollows, breathtaking views, long rough, raised greens - they all combine to create drama, challenge and a photographers delight. I visited prior to my drone flying days and long to get back to get an aerial perspective of the course - maybe next year So to the photos 1. The approach to the challenging par 4, 12th - don’t miss short 2. Tee shot on the uphill, cliff hugging par 4, 17th 3. Tee shot on the sweeping par 5 2nd hole 4. Behind the green on the 2nd 5. Scary tee shot (all or nothing) on the par 3 13th Try and get back to Ireland when it opens up again. Amazing golf country and truly God’s backyard. #KeepHealthy #GolfTravelWillReturn

19.01.2022 Composition. That is one of the key elements of a good golf course photo. What do I include in the shot, what do I deliberately miss out, do I shoot down the hole or take the shot from the back of the green? It is amazing how shooting a golf hole from a different angle can give a completely different perspective to the shot.... Nowhere is this more evident than in today’s two shots from that idyllic place in Mexico - Cabo! Boasting 360 days of sunshine a year it is a golfing paradise. I visited @caborealgolf and captured two images of the 5th hole - a par 4 playing out to the water. In the first shot you don’t get a feel that you are beachside - the vista is about the hotel and the cool mountains in the background. It is a nice shot and ticks a lot of boxes. Swipe left and you will see the view from the tee. This second shot has less elements yet arguably more of a wow factor - the simplicity of the fairway, the little halfway house in the bottom right corner and the ocean backdrop make for a cool shot. Which do you prefer? #KeepHealthy #GolfTravelWillReturn

19.01.2022 Hibernation. It is something to prepare for. As the weather slowly turns into winter the golf courses in Melbourne start to look a bit ugly. Dormancy of couch grass makes them less desirable to photograph meaning there is generally a 3 month hiatus in capturing shots locally. So what do I do when this time hits?... I try and travel interstate where the temperatures are a bit warmer or even overseas (not happening atm). The other activity I undertake is editing images that I managed to capture during the peak presentation season. At last count I have images from 15 golf courses I am in the process of editing. Stay tuned It is a bit like the squirrel storing up all the chestnuts to feast on over winter. So to today’s shots - a nice series of images from the @melbournesandbelt. @huntingdalegolfclub is slowly undertaking somewhat of a transformation with clearing of trees, planting of natural vegetation and even consideration for changing holes. In short exciting times ahead for this long storied tournament venue. #KeepHealthy #GolfTravelWillReturn

17.01.2022 Yep I am now officially excited. Sure it is not the traditional April timeframe we have always been used to but the Masters still invokes a sense of anticipation moreso than ANY of the other majors. In a year which has been challenging due to COVID the Masters provides somewhat of a respite and a chance (for Aussie viewers anyway) to wake up early and watch the event unfold.In recent days there has been debate about the course itself, the effect of modern technology (and mu...scled up Bryson’s) as to how it is going to stackup. I read an article today which gave an outline of the clubs Bryson was hitting into holes in a recent practice round and it is scary. The 13th hole pictured here is one of the great back nine chance of an eagle holes with a long iron over Raes creek into the mutli tiered green.This challenge is somewhat easier when you hit 3 wood, 7 iron insaneThe lack of crowds at Augusta will be kind of eery as the reverberating roars of an eagle a few holes away can be felt by players all around the course.All in all it promises to be exciting go Aussies!#KeepHealthy. See more

15.01.2022 There is something about being up in a helicopter taking photos. Sure with drones being around these days it is easy to stay on the ground and watch a screen and capture some pretty spectacular imagery and footage. However nothing quite prepares you for the first time you fly in a helicopter. In my case a shoot at Cape Kidnappers (a world top 25 @doakgolf course at the bottom of the North Island of New Zealand) saw me hop into something that resembled the MASH chopper (swipe ...left) complete with no doors, duct tape to hold my seatbelt in place (as the pilot said just in case you unclick the seatbelt real confidence here) and then seeing the ground disappear as you climb into the sky. Wow!However the end result is worth all the anxiety, concern and bad thoughts (!!) and, as you can see from this shot of the cliffs @capekidnappers (the 15th and 16th holes), it is truly spectacular.We spent one hour in the sky and managed to get some great shot. The other point I remember was how easy it was to get from one side of the course to the other (in about 5 seconds). These things certainly are fast.I love what I do and am always thankful for being able to capture a scene that gets golfers hearts racing.Enjoy today’s image, keep safe and looking forward to the other side of COVID. Blessings. See more

13.01.2022 Weather conditions vary greatly in the UK and Ireland. I have learnt that patience, both when playing the golf course and also capturing photos, is a prerequisite for scoring well in both. I remember the evening when I captured a series of photos of @ballybuniongolfclub in SW Ireland. We had played afternoon golf in dreadful (wet, wet, windy) conditions and were drying off in the clubhouse when I gazed out over the horizon and noticed the heavy rain clouds were starting to b...reak up and the wind was really blowing. There was no sign of sun yet but sometimes you have a feeling that things are going to change. So I made the decision, much to the amusement of my playing partner David, to venture out from the warmth of the clubhouse to the course which was a lot colder. Heading out to the 10th hole pictured (one of the furthest point from the clubhouse) the cloud started to clear and presented the scene before you a great shot from the side of this green showing the dramatic coastline and the 11th hole in the distance. The fine weather continued for another hour or so and I returned to the clubhouse triumphant in capturing some pretty nice shots. Be patient in life you will often be rewarded #KeepHealthy #GolfTravelWillReturn

11.01.2022 Sometimes the holes which leave an impression on a golfer or photographer are not necessarily the direct ocean frontage holes or the 450 yard par 4’s but rather the more subtle, tempting, understated holes.I have written (and featured) at length about my penchant for the short, strategic par 4 hole and today’s hole is one of my all time favourites.The 7th hole of the Tom Doak designed Tara Iti on the North Island of New Zealand plays under 300 yards yet can rack up a double b...ogey or worse in minutes. Equally it can give up the odd eagle here and there. That is why I love it. From the tee you can see the green as the hole sweeps gently to the left. Simply hit a driver or three word over the sandy wasteland and roll up to the hole right? Well talking from experience I can tell you it requires a very precise shot to hit and finish on the putting surface. Aside from the numerous bumps and hollows which will deflect the ball in unexpected fashion, the putting surface itself is a small target protected a small hollow short of the green and somewhat of a false front repelling anything not hit perfectly.I played the course 3 times when I was there and after driving the green on day 1 and making birdie I thought How easy is this hole. My subsequent two rounds yielded bogey, double bogey after good drives on both occasions. I quickly learnt to respect this hole.Kudos to @doakgolf and his team including lead associate @bslawgolf for creating the most fun, challenging and visually spectacular layout I have played in the last 20 years. Special indeed.#KeepHealthy. See more

10.01.2022 Blindfold me and drop me onto this golf course and I would not guess in 50 attempts as to which state in the USA I am in. Tom Doak said this when commenting on the 3 course resort that is Streamsong. Located in the middle of Florida the landscape is not what you would expect in this southern state. My visit to @streamsongresort back in 2019 (it seems so long ago) was memorable and I got to see this stunning resort and play all 3 courses (Red Coore Crenshaw, Blue Tom Do...ak, Black Gil Hanse). They all sit alongside each other beautifully and offer golfers three distinct golfing challenges. 1. 7th hole of the Blue course (@doakgolf) from the tee a testing hole playing over the water to a green nestled amongst the dunes 2. 6th hole of the Red course (@coorecrenshaw) a wonderful par 3 where water comes into play, 3. Behind the green on 7th hole of the Blue course showing a number of other holes on this sprawling property 4. My favourite - a silhouette of 3 golfers as evening approaches. I remember capturing this last shot from another fairway. I glanced sideways and it was there for me. One of my favourite shots. If you visit Streamsong you can stay onsite and it shows once again that self contained golf destinations in far flung places will continue to thrive and offer unique golfing challenges to all who visit. Well worth getting here if you have the chance. #KeepHealthy #GolfTravelWillReturn

07.01.2022 Arguably the most memorable hole @barwonheadsgolfclub on the beautiful Bellarine Peninsula, 65 min south of Melbourne, Australia is the par 4 6th playing back to the clubhouse as the first shot in today’s post shows. The natural rippling of the land is exciting for all golf officianados and with the early morning or later afternoon sun this fairway just comes alive. Bumps and hollows as well as the browned off rough areas really give character to this hole and what can you s...ay about the charm of the clubhouse (swipe left) - it is one of my favourite places to stay. The creaking of the floorboards, the dark wood panelling, the wonderful food - they all combine to create a very special golf experience. The third shot today shows the green and fairway from behind the hole - again the layers and folds of the land come to live. Why not consider staying and playing at Barwon Heads - they have a great range of packages for visiting golfers and when combined with the other great golf in the region it makes for a complete golf getaway. #KeepHealthy #GolfTravelHasReturned

04.01.2022 Ah the Masters the best time of the year but looking somewhat different in 2020. From an original April hiccup to a reschedule in November I have no doubt that all golf fans were excited to know that the Masters was indeed going ahead. Should be a wonderful event albeit with different colors and a look and feel that is unique but hey who doesn’t like something that is an alternative to the norm.In reading a variety of articles about Bryson and his attempt to overwhelm Aug...usta National with length it will be interesting to see how this all unfolds. For me at the end of the day the real challenge lies on the putting surfaces. From what I have seen on TV and when I visited a few years ago they can be downright scary (maybe not as severe as Oakmont but close). The shorter the club you hit into a green the closer you are likely to be we will seeHowever you still need to play a hole such as 12 pictured here. The sliver of a green, the threat of hitting into Rae’s creek and the swirling winds all combine to make this a hole that all in the field would be happy to play even par over the 4 days. Let’s see what happens.I will be up early in Australia to watch live how about you? Let me know your Masters routine and if you do anything special to commemorate this memorable major.#KeepHealthy See more

03.01.2022 What a wonderful way to defend a hole. The 18th hole of the East Course @royalmelbournegolfclub is pretty special indeed. A long par 4 it plays right to left and after the drive leaves the golfer with a wide fairway and a green in the distance surrounded by sand and more sand. But wait there is a small sliver of fairway which looks like a way through to the putting surface. Can I thread it through there or do I try and fly it onto the green? But what about if I hit into ...one of the bunkers can I get out? Oh and that green looks huge but seems to have a ridge running through it don’t want to be on the wrong side of that.So many questions yet this is what you face routinely when playing Royal Melbourne you are always faced with decisions, the consequences of which can shape (aka destroy) your round.Absolutely love this place and learn something new every time I play.#KeepHealthy #EnjoyTheMasters See more

02.01.2022 I remember the first time I visited Royal County Down. There was a sense of excitement and anticipation about what I was going to see and whether the conditions would be good for photography. Well as a setting it did not fail to disappoint.In an era prior to drones, as a photographer I would try and look at the highest vantage point from which to take photos. My attention immediately turned to a large sand dune behind the 3rd green. It was huge and after about a 10 minute cli...mb I sat on the top taking in the view for about an hour. Wow! Fast forward another 7 years and I found myself back at RCD. I had a drone this time and flying over the course I was a bit confused. The sand dune you see pictured in this image was the same dune I had sat on back in 2012. In the bottom left hand corner you can see the back of the 3rd green to put it in perspective. But there was something different about what was also there. There was now a golf hole winding its way around the dune. I don’t remember this at all. It was only after I spoke to my friend @jackrnel that he informed me this was a newly routed hole on the Annesley course. Well I can tell you it looked great and whilst I did not play the second course at RCD I wanted to. Next time!I look forward to getting back here in the future and spending a few days here capturing more great images weather permitting#EnjoyWeekend. See more

02.01.2022 Well after what seems like an eternity The Australian borders are going to be opened to international travel on 19 April.well sort of The much spoken about quarantine free travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand is about to be formed and boy do we have a lot of excited Aussies ready to jump the ditch to play golf. There is a lot of great golf in New Zealand but none more dramatic than @capekidnappers located at the bottom of the North Island in the Hawkes Bay wine r...egion. This @doakgolf design is laid out over some crazy land yet somehow seems to fit without being contrived in any way. The inland holes are a nice part of the course however you really remember your round here when you play alongside (or over) the cliffs which you encounter on a number of holes (5, 6, 12, 13, 15, 16). To give you a true perspective of the drama of the cliffs how about this shot I took (in a helicopter) showing the breathtaking beauty of the 15th (right) and 16th (left) holes. To be able to craft holes with such drama and still be playable is a testament to the skill of Tom and his team. The sheer drop to the water below is about 500 feet and if you hit a ball off the edge of the cliff it takes about 13 seconds of hang time to hit the water. Wow Get back to New Zealand if you can. Interested? DM me and I will put you in touch with the GOLFSelect travel team who can help you experience the best of NZ golf. #KeepHealthy #GolfTravelHasReturned

01.01.2022 One of my more pleasurable golf photo shoots was when I headed into the countryside 2 hours north of Melbourne to the sanctuary that is @cathedrallodge near Alexandra. This is indeed one special place and for the fortunate ones who are members here I say to you congratulations and enjoy every time you play in spite of how you play!.This @gngcd design takes full advantage of the rolling land, the breathtaking backdrops and provides a golf experience akin to having your own... private golf course. The 18th hole pictured from behind the green with the majestic Cathedral Ranges in the background is a classic risk and reward par 5 with a "meandering" creek running down the middle of the fairway causing you to decide which way you want to play the hole.Playing from the narrow landing area affords more options to hit the green in two. Well done to @shark_gregnorman and his talented design team @gngcd for creating a real oasis in arguably one of the most beautiful parts of Victoria. #KeepHealthy. See more

01.01.2022 There is a line from one of our favourite family movies Elf where Will Ferrell runs into a coffee shop which is proudly stating it has the world’s best coffee! on a sign outside the door. Clearly it didn’t judging by the reaction form Elf when he took a sip.HOWEVER without a doubt (in my opinion) the world’s best par 3 holes are located in the @melbournesandbelt. There are so many great holes to choose from the 10th @kingston_heath pictured, the 5th of the West course a...t Royal Melbourne, the 11th at Yarra Yarra, the 15th at Commonwealth, the 4th at Victoria the list goes on.Today I want to focus on the scariest 110 yards you will see anywhere on the planet without water. Sure you have the 7th at Pebble Beach which is of a similar length yet has the water and wind to intimidate. Here there is a secluded setting with the native tea tree framing the hole, sandy wasteland an extra obstacle to hit over, a masterful green surrounded by bunkers which just seem to fit into the landscape and a great feeling when you walk off with a par.Melbourne is opening up again and I encourage the rest of Australia to take a look and plan a trip to our part of the world stay tuned for a pretty exciting Melbourne Sandbelt package we will be featuring soon to experience the best of this iconic golf region. #KeepHealthy See more