Seminary golf backup

photos © Mark M. Hancock for The Texas Catholic

Serrans and seminarians visit during a Serran dinner at Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009. The annual golf scramble was rained out. However, the Serra club provided dinner, a raffle and golf-related competition in the seminary game room.


Fr. Michael F. Olson (left) talks with Serran Richard Stanzel of Dallas during a Serran dinner at Holy Trinity Seminary.


Seminarians ladle barbecue sauce onto brisket during a Serran dinner at Holy Trinity Seminary.


Fr. Michael F. Olson (left) laughs while seminarian Giuseppe Spoto (right) claims the top prize during a Serran dinner at Holy Trinity Seminary. Spoto, who is not an avid golfer, gifted the bag to another seminarian before dinner was completed.


Serrans and seminarians watch as the putt of Paul Bechter's ball approaches the cup after a Serran dinner.



Serrans and seminarians react as the putt of Paul Bechter's ball misses the cup after a Serran dinner at Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving. The annual golf scramble was rained out. However, the Serra club provided dinner, a raffle and golf-related competition in the seminary game room.

Hardeman family golfs

photos © Mark M. Hancock and The Dallas Morning News

Royal Hardeman of Murphy (right) practices chipping with his daughters Ashley, 19, (left) and Amber, 18, (center) at Pecan Hollow Golf Course in Plano on Thursday, July 30, 2009.


Amber, 18; (from left to right) Ashley, 19; Royal and Wanda Hardeman of Murphy celebrate a good putt during a round of golf at Pecan Hollow Golf Course.


Ashley, 19; (from left to right) Amber, 18; Royal and Wanda Hardeman of Murphy complete a hole during a round of golf at Pecan Hollow Golf Course.


Royal Hardeman of Murphy (center) and his wife Wanda (right) tease their daughter Ashley, 19, (left) during a round of golf at Pecan Hollow Golf Course in Plano.

Please read, "Three Dallas-area families show how to make fitness fun" by Nancy Churnin / The Dallas Morning News

PGA Tour concludes

Matt Bettencourt of Greenville, S.C. putts a ball during the final round of the PGA Nationwide Tour Championship at TPC Craig Ranch Golf Course in McKinney on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2008.

photos © Mark M. Hancock and The Dallas Morning News



Matt Bettencourt drives a ball during the final round of the PGA Nationwide Tour Championship at TPC Craig Ranch Golf Course. Bettencourt won the tournament 68-67-63-69--267 at 17 under par.



Colt Knost of Dallas (left) celebrates as a putt sinks during the final round of the PGA Nationwide Tour Championship at TPC Craig Ranch Golf Course in McKinney. Knost tied for 3rd with 67-66-71-65--269 at 15 under par.


Please read, "Bettencourt beats illness to win Nationwide event."

Girls Golden Golfer

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Newton High School's Kenze Brooks lines up a putt during the Bruce Lietzke Classic golf tournament at Idylwild Golf Course in Pinewood on Tuesday, June 5, 2007. Brooks was selected as the high school Girls Golfer of the Year by The Beaumont Enterprise.

2007 Golden golfer

Kelly High School's Nigel Vessels follows through after a drive during a practice golf match at the Beaumont Country Club in Beaumont on Saturday, June 9, 2007. Vessels was chosen as this year's Super Gold Boys Golf Athlete of the Year by The Beaumont Enterprise.

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

T'ed-off disc golfers

Allan Caldwell of Houston releases his disc during the weekly golf club match at the Golden Triangle Disc Golf Course at Pleasure Island in Port Arthur on Wednesday, June 20, 2007. The City of Port Arthur is considering plans to convert the course into a recreational vehicle park.

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise


Disc golf club members have added notes in chalk to the score card station at the Golden Triangle Disc Golf Course at Pleasure Island in Port Arthur.


Recreational trailer owners take advantage of the view of Sabine Lake near the Golden Triangle Disc Golf Course at Pleasure Island. The current RV areas on the island are filled to capacity with construction workers. City officials want to accommodate temporary area workers as well as future visitors.


Golden Triangle Disc Golf Club president Jeff Thompson throws his disc toward a basket at the Golden Triangle Disc Golf Course at Pleasure Island. He is against the idea of turning the 15-year-old course into an RV park.


Jeff Thompson, (from left to right) Allan Caldwell, Dwight LeGrand and Brian Jones complete a basket at the Golden Triangle Disc Golf Course at Pleasure Island.

Please read "RV park moving to replace disc golf" by Christine Rappleye.

Summer stroke

Charlie Weinbaum of Beaumont hits a ball from a bunker at the Beaumont Country Club in Beaumont on Saturday, June 9, 2007. Golfers are encouraged to drink plenty of water and look for warning signs of heat stroke during summer months.

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise



Please read "...golfers need to be careful" by Rush Wood.

Golfin' with gators

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

An alligator relaxes near a fairway at The Palms at Pleasure Island Golf Course in Port Arthur on Wenesday, May 9, 2007. During this time of the year, gators are more active as they look to mate. Consequently, they are more likely to be in unpredictable locations.


(Left) Golfers continue their game as an alligator relaxes in a water hazard at The Palms golf course on Pleasure Island.

(Below) An alligator chills in a water hazard at The Palms at Pleasure Island Golf Course.




Please read "...Watch your step" by Christine Rappleye.

YMBL winner

Jacob Broussard, 14, of Beaumont watches his shot drop onto the green during the annual YMBL Golf Tournament at Bayou Din Golf Course in Jefferson County on Tuesday, June 27, 2006. Broussard won the 14-15 division with a total score of 143.

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Super Gold golfer

Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School's Ryan Prejean poses for a portrait at Sunset Grove Country Club in Orange on Wednesday, June 7, 2006. He was named as The Beaumont Enterprise boys player of the year on the Super Gold Golf Team.


Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

He hadn't signed to a college when I shot this. However, he said he'd like to go to UT if he could get a scholarship. ;-)

Wetlands mitigation banking

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

A Canada goose spreads its wings on a water hazard at DuPont's private employee recreational golf facility in West Orange on Wednesday, April 5, 2006. On March 30, 2006 Interior Secretary Gale Norton announced the definition of wetlands now includes artificially created ponds, such as golf course water hazards and farm impoundments as part of the wetlands mitigation banking concept.
 

All-around athlete

(Left and below) Callie Ferguson poses for a portrait at Kountze High School on Thursday, April 20, 2006. She has qualified for regionals in golf, tennis and basketball. She is also on the school's softball team.

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise





I know some folks over at Burnt Orange visit this blog. If the University of Texas (UT) still has some Title IX openings, here's your girl. She's unsigned, a good all-around athlete, works well with media and is fearless.

Please read "All-around athlete" by Johnnie Walters.

Miniature golf

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Jenelle Packard of Hemphill sinks a putt as her boyfriend George Williamson of Vidor watches at Colorado Canyon Miniature Golf Center in Beaumont on Tuesday, March 21, 2006.

Junior champ

Channing Norton, 18, of Cleveland drives a ball during the STPGA Golden Triangle Junior Golf Tournament at Bayou Din Golf Club in Beaumont on Tuesday, June 21, 2005. She won the tournament.

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Bunker buster

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Pro golfer Michael Arnaud fights his way out of a bunker during the Fourth Annual Brentwood Country Club 54-Hole Blowout at Brentwood Country Club in Beaumont on Monday, July 4, 2005. He won the tournament.
Enough for now,

Sam Rayburn Lake

A small area around Sam Rayburn Lake is trying to initiate a special district tax to improve the area's infrastructure. The tax will apply only to restaurants and hotels in the area. The area hosts about 1.5 million visitors annually. Many visitors come for fishing tournaments and the boundless natural scenery.


A family plays on a secluded beach on the lakeshore of Lake Sam Rayburn on Thursday, June 9, 2005. The lake, which has more than 500 miles of shoreline, is the largest lake completely contained within the Texas borders.

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

(right) The Umphrey Family Pavilion is refracted through a hummingbird feeder near Lake Sam Rayburn.
(Below)The pavilion is used for weddings and social functions as well as the rally point for many of the organized bass tournaments on the lake.





(Above, left, below) Rayburn Country Resort near Lake Sam Rayburn features a swimming pool as well as an award-winning golf course. The resort's clubhouse restaurant will be affected by the new tax.


(Below) A butterfly searches for nourishment at Rayburn Country Resort near Lake Sam Rayburn. The area is home to various wildlife as well as being part of annual migratory paths of butterflies and birds.



(Above) A private fishing boat awaits a fishing excursion on Lake Sam Rayburn.

(Below) Brenda Figueroa (left) and Rick Flores (right) of Sun Dancer Rentals test a private boat repair on Lake Sam Rayburn.



Please see the YouTube version of this slideshow. Please set your YouTube viewer to 1080p to see the show in high definition.

Work with the subject

Mark M. Hancock / © The Dallas Morning News

Flower Mound golfer Ben Morrow poses for a portrait at the Golf Club at Bridlewood in Flower Mound on Friday, July 2, 2004. Morrow won the prestigious 2004 Justin Leonard Scholarship, a $20,000 award, as the "most outstanding" male NTPGA Junior Golf Foundation golfer.

I got some positive feedback from some co-workers about this image, so I thought I would post it to break up the grey letters on this blog.

This is an example of getting a good shot out of an average assignment. The actual photo request was to make a portrait of a golfer at his home. Joy.

The golfer's neighborhood was nice, but everything nice faced eastward at sunset (instead of westward). I told him I needed to shoot 100 frames. I also wanted to do something special with him since he was so special. Most importantly, I would need his help to pull it off. He agreed people normally agree, then they reconsider after the truckload of hungry squirrels arrives....

Anyway, I set up a strobe on the course and got the standard Tiger Woods' I'm-too-confident shot (the safe shot). Then we started trying some different shapes and backgrounds.

I suppose I should explain my strobe (a Norman P-2000) can appear brighter than the sun in an image when I turn it up all the way. I can literally have the sun over someone’s shoulder and have more light on their face. I simply stop down the sun to the intensity I want it – just like any other light. This image uses only one head. I've never even tried to use all six or one at full power.

Anyway, I wanted something unusual. We started trying to get him to jump and match the angle of his golf bag. It worked. So, we tried to have him actually appear parallel to the ground. It worked better, but was harder on the lad (he took the full brunt of each jump on his hip/butt/knee). But we were soooo close to something really cool, so we kept working it. When I layered the clubs in the foreground instead of having them close to him, it really started to pop.

This is the end result of him plopping onto the grass about 40 or 50 times. It was hot, he was tired and sweating by the time it all finished and the country club crowd got a good show with their dinner. Most importantly, we got an unusual image to set his abilities apart from the others.

The point is to work with the subject to get something cool. A nice image isn't the result of either the photographer or the subject. It is cooperation between both. Don't be afraid to ask the subject for something unique and don't let them see the truckload of squirrels before they agree.

Enough for now,