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Art & Architecture 1920s (con't)
36 x 48 inches, Oil on panel, Painted 2001. Winged Foot’s 190-yard par-3 tenth was considered by A.W. Tillinghast to be 'the best par-3' he ever built. From a slightly elevated tee, the player looks down on this well-bunkered green. Miller has illustrated the hole from the view of a golfer walking to the green, giving some sense of the massive scale of the bunkers and green complex. The Winged Foot terrain is relatively level, so to create these features and build them with a somewhat natural appearance, a great deal of fill was used and talented shapers did some of their finest work here for Tillinghast. The bunkers look remarkably similar today, however, Tillinghast’s original green has evolved into a smaller green than as depicted here in the late 1920s.
36 x 48 inches, Oil on panel. Part of the beauty of this opening hole lies in the exquisite background of rugged dunes. This natural area has since been overgrown with ice plant and other plant life (and even a building or two) and bears little resemblance to the glory of the earlier years. Although this plant growth would seem the result of wind blown fertilization and irrigation that was intended for the fairways and greens, the dunes are still there and are just waiting to be uncovered and revealed once again.
This 516 yard par 5 features one of the most beautifully framed greens in golf. The combination of towering pines, beautifully crafted bunkers and natural dunes make for an approach that is as subtle as it is attractive. At the same time, while the 7th tee is cleverly positioned just above the back of the green, it is hardly noticed. On the playability side, any player who misses this green to the seemingly “safe” side on the right faces a far more difficult chip shot than the player who chips up from in front. Yet another unorthodox twist provided by MacKenzie and Hunter.
36 x 48 inches, Oil on panel. This painting serves as a study of possibly the most magnificent “natural” appearing bunkers ever constructed. These bunkers “bleed” into the landscape and while they provide hazards to the approach, they are possibly more effective at staggering the mind of the player with their amazing beauty. The Pacific Ocean, which lies just 75 yards behind this green, is in view from the fairway and the combination makes for one of golf’s true masterpieces of “playable art.”
36' x 45' oil/panel. Easily the most famous par 3 in America, if not the entire world, the hole measures 233 yards of which most is played directly over the Pacific Ocean. This angle, which allows for a clear view of the architectural features, is from the path that leads away from the tee. Nonetheless, even with this view's seemingly 'milder' carry, the temptation to 'go for the green,' and the equally compelling intimidation of such a course of action, can still be sensed and, in fact, readily appreciated.
20' x 24' oil on panel. Architect: Alister MacKenzie; This view from the bay, with the ocean in the foreground, the course in the middle distance, and the George Washington Smith designed clubhouse in the far distance, was chosen to convey the overall 'natural' setting that is Cypress point. Whereas there are vantage points throughout the course that offer more dramatic vistas, this scene is one that depicts the simplicity and understated elegance that characterizes this unique property.
31 x 48 inches, Oil on Panel, Painted 2001. The seventeenth at Cypress Point maintains Alister MacKenzie’s conviction that 'water holes should tempt, not torture.' Like the sixteenth before it, the carry here can vary depending on the angle the player takes. Much has changed since this hole was built. Some of the bunkers depicted in Miller’s early morning rendition are gone, most notably those surrounding the clump of Cypress trees. Also, some of the fairway to the right of those bunkers has been lost, undermining a bit of the tempting quality created by the architects.
48 x 36 inches, Oil on Panel, Painted 2000 Even though MacKenzie’s trip to Australia in 1926 was brief, the ability to effectively communicate his unique design ideas made a permanent impression on Australian golf. Kinston Heath had an existing bunker-less Dan Souter design built in the early 1920s. MacKenzie suggested the famous bunkers that we have come to know as the modern Kingston Heath, along with an entirely new par-3. That hole was the 156-yard fifteenth, featured here in the vertical rendition by Miller. This famous one-shotter features an enormous carry bunker starting just off the tee and running to within a few yards of the green. From there, the tightly bunkered putting surface features more dramatic hazards.
1930s
This classic 181 yard par 3 is depicted from the 1930’s when the trees had grown up and filled out somewhat since Crump’s day. Although a seemingly redan type par three because of the severe slope down and left from the right side of the green, it actually has a distinct character of its own. This hole calls for a right to . 36 x48 inches, Oil on Panel, Painted 1998 Although George Thomas was best known for designing a trio of courses in the Los Angeles, one additional design also stood out and would be considered a fourth L.A. masterpiece if it were still with us today: Fox Hills. Opened in 1927 as the second of two adjoining courses built by Thomas, its sister course, originally known as Baldwin Hills Country Club, was soon absorbed by Fox Hills. Miller gives us a twilight look at the third green on this 400yard par-4 laid out over rolling canyon-dotted terrain.
36 x 48 o/p $12,000 A par 4 of 446 yards, it may be the finest in golf. This view from short and right of the green reveals the hazard that must be carried with a long second in order to attain a par with 2 putts. A third shot from the area depicted is the best chance at par for the average player. 'Storm Breaking Up' reinforces the notion that weather conditions are yet another factor the player must consider when testing his skills. On a hole like the thirteenth, skill indeed is required!
36 x 48 inches, Oil on Panel, Painted 2001 This 455-yard par-4 has only recently been recognized as one of the game’s classic strategic two-shotters. Bethpage’s Black Course hosted the 2002 U.S. Open and although revitalized after many years of neglect, many golfers miss the rustic, weathered look that the bunkers had prior to the update. Built in 1936 by state work crews for Tillinghast, the Black Course has an uninteresting set of greens – perhaps because the course is so stern and large in scale, Tillinghast decided to keep the greens simple. Despite the lack of interest in the greens, the strategy on most of the holes is very sound. The fifth is a standout, featuring a large carry bunker containing small islands of fescue grass. Miller has depicted the hole from just in front of this bunker, some 140 yards forward from the tee.
1950s
34' x 45', oil/panel. This view of holes #9, #10 and #11 is from the extreme right of the upper fairway of #8.
36' x 48', oil/panel. This view form the rocks left of the famous 18th, depicts one of the great finishing holes in golf before the encroachment of condos and homes on the right side of the fairway. The ever present threat of the rocky beach and blue Pacific is the prominent feature of this hole and therefore was used in this unusual perspective as the central focus of the painting. 1990s
36' x 40', oil on panel Architects: George C. Thomas Jr. and Billy Bell; Riviera's fourth faces south-west toward the prevailing winds off the Pacific Ocean. Thus, its 240 uphill yards can play much longer. This was exemplified when a guest, who is a low handicap player, first encountered this daunting tee shot. He asked his caddy. 'Is it a driver, or do I need more'? Nonetheless, Thomas left opportunity to play safely short, or, to the right in order to take advantage of the right-to-left redan. Whatever a golfer's ability, there is temptation on this hole for everyone.
28' x 36', oil on board Riviera CC, Pacific Palisades, Ca. Architects: George C. Thomas and Billy Bell; The twelfth, which is now played from a number of various lengths, always comes down to the second shot. A small green guarded by the 'barranca' in front and left, a deep bunker to the right front, and the overhanging, at certain times of the year, large sycamore tree on the left. Any tee shot to the right side of the fairway must avoid all these obstacles to reach the putting surface. Conversely, a left side tee shot lines up to a green that offers its full length to the player as a target. A 'green to tee' prevailing ocean breeze further exaggerates any mishit shot. The player who's tee shot finds the trees to the right side of the fairway
36' x 48' oil on panel Riviera CC, Pacific Palisades, Ca. Architects: George C. Thomas and Billy Bell; A hole that was originally design with multiple tee locations to avoid the afternoon glare from the setting sun, this par 3, now just plays from one tee at about 168 yards. Yet the character of the bunkering remains, and it is among the best anywhere. This view (far to the left of the tee), was chosen to reveal the gorgeous irregularity and 'natural' appearance of the Thomas/Bell bunker work. These bunkers further function (rear bunker is hidden) as judicious guardians of one of the smallest greens on the course. This hole requires a very precise shot as the wind, again, is in the player's face.
For information on commissioning Mike Miller to paint a specific hole for you or your club, please contact him directly on 765.393.2211. Limited edition prints are also available for the paintings featured above. Final edition prints are signed, numbered and titled, on Somerset Velvet paper, either cut or torn (deckled) edges, sprayed with UV protective coating, packed in clear sleeve with foamcore backing. Mike Miller can reached at mgmfineart@gmail.com or through his web site |
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