The Rules of Golf (Colour)

"Over the years I have been fortunate enough to tell stories on famous golf courses, whether they be staged period shots at St Andrews, Scotland or the actual dramatic reality of the Masters at Augusta. The Ocean Course at The Breakers may not quite have the global fame of these championship courses, but then again, neither do any other courses in the world.

But the Ocean Course, which dates to 1897, is the oldest golf course in Florida and its attachment to the most storied hotel in Florida means that it has provenance and currency. The backdrop of the Renaissance revival styled facade of the grand old place immediately locates the course and this is helpful to a storyteller. The Breakers and Palm Beach are tied at the hip.

We are grateful to the owners of the hotel for giving us permission to stage a shoot on the approach to the 18th green and even more grateful that they allowed us to tell a story that played homage to the hotel’s wider facilities. We did not want to be too purist in our creative vision, after all, The Breakers is a place of fun and levity, rather than a place on the PGA’s map of tournament golf.

The clientele of The Breakers enjoy sunbathing and golf, but by and large, these activities are ring fenced and one activity rather eliminates the other. The sand on the golf course and the sand on the beach are different.

My idea was simply to tell a tale of the day that the lines got muddied and that one bunker hosted an errant guest. Only in time would she discover that this patch of sand had other uses. Our European models that morning—Frida Aasen and Nadine Leopold—both played their roles immaculately."

- David Yarrow