Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club has commissioned Graeme Baxter, the official artist to some of the world’s most famous golf tournaments such as the Open Championship and the Ryder Cup, to paint a picture of the club’s signature 18th hole.
Baxter, who was born in Scotland, but now lives in Texas, recently made his first visit to the club in Richmond to take photographs and sketches that will form the basis of his work. Speaking of his first impressions of the JH Taylor course, he said: “It’s a great course and I love the design, with the raised greens and mounding. With its history and being situated so close to the centre of London, Royal Mid-Surrey is quite a unique golf club and setting.
“I just love the old-style course design, and the layout is great,” he added. “With its tricky greens and amazing bunkering, I think it would be harder to put in a good score than you’d imagine. The members selected the 18th for the painting and I believe it’s the best choice. There are many great features, as the view from the tee depicts the clubhouse, the raised green and the Pagoda standing proud in the distance in Kew Gardens. There is also some beautiful planting between the 18th green and the 1st tee that will feature in the painting.”
Artist to the PGA Tour and the European Tour, Baxter’s work is displayed at St Andrews, Augusta and Pebble Beach and features in 40 countries around the world. “I’ve painted 53 of the world’s top 100 courses and this course fits in perfectly with my catalogue resume. Royal courses have a special distinction, as they also come with the Royal approval and a great history, which Royal Mid-Surrey has in abundance. The view that’s been chosen is particularly beautiful, which will make it easier to paint. I only paint eight paintings a year, so I spend nearly a month doing each picture. This painting will mean that I become a small part of the history of this great club and I’m thrilled about that.”
Baxter was welcomed to the club by captain Ed Alford, who said: “The membership at Royal Mid-Surrey is delighted that such an accomplished golfing artist has agreed to paint a view of our iconic 18th and we look forward to the official unveiling of Graeme’s painting next month.”