A good golf course photographer gives a club pictures it uses for years. A poor choice costs a day of disruption and a set of images nobody wants to use. Nine things to check before you book.
They photograph golf courses, and it shows
Ask to see complete sets from recent shoots, not a highlight reel. A course photographer should be able to show you how they cover a whole property: the signature holes, the routing, the clubhouse and the detail, taken at the hours when the light is worth having.
Golf is its own discipline. Someone who walks a course before sunrise to learn where the light falls will frame it very differently from someone who photographs the odd golf day between other work.
They have shot a course like yours
Links, heathland, parkland and downland courses each ask something different of a photographer. A links needs the wind, the dunes and the coastline handled. Heathland lives on its heather and colour, parkland on its trees and long shadows, downland on its views and contours. Ask for an example on a course of your type.
They understand how a club runs
The best shoots fit around the tee sheet and the greenkeeping calendar, not the other way round. A photographer who knows when the greens are cut, when the course is quiet and when members are out gets better pictures and causes less disruption.
They can tell the greenkeeping story
Most clubs only ever photograph the finished course. The team, the machinery and the work before dawn are why the course is in that condition, and they make some of the most convincing content a club has, for members, for visitors and for recruiting staff. Check the photographer is comfortable working alongside the team without getting in its way.
Their drone work is legal and insured
Aerial stills and film are now expected, so check the person flying is properly set up. A drone pilot working for your club should be registered with the Civil Aviation Authority and hold the qualification that covers the drone and the flying involved. Ask to see their CAA Operator ID and certificates, check their insurance covers drone work, and agree a flight plan with them before the day.
You know exactly what you can do with the photographs
Licensing is where clubs get caught out. Some photographers license images per use or for a set period, so a picture bought for the website cannot go into a brochure or a press release without another fee. Ask for full commercial use, with no per-image fees and no time limit, and get it in writing.
You know when you will get them
Ask how long the edited set takes, and whether you can have a handful of images within a day or two for social media while the shoot is still news.
You know who will turn up
Check that the person whose portfolio you liked is the person who will photograph your course, and that they will edit the work themselves rather than pass it on.
The price is clear
Expect a day rate or a fixed quote for a defined amount of coverage, with the licence included. Be wary of a price that grows with every image you want to use.
Think about whether one shoot is enough, too. A course photographed in July looks out of date by October, so clubs that use imagery all year often get more from a visit in each season.
Questions to ask before you book
- Can we see complete sets from your last few golf course shoots?
- Have you photographed a links, heathland, parkland or downland course like ours?
- Will you photograph our greenkeeping team as well as the course?
- What is your CAA Operator ID, and which drone qualification do you hold?
- What insurance do you carry, and can you send the certificates?
- What licence do we get, and are there per-image fees or a time limit?
- How long until we receive the edited images?
- Will you shoot and edit the work yourself?
- What exactly is included in the price?
Warning signs
- A portfolio with no golf club named in it.
- No golf course work from the last year or two.
- Hesitation when you ask for a CAA Operator ID or insurance certificates.
- Licensing by the image, or a licence with an expiry date.
- A quote that doesn't say what is included.