‘What did you shoot?’: Pyle and Kenfig

I went to university in Cardiff and continued living there for several years after, so it’s always a pleasure to return to Wales and I was delighted when I got the call from Pyle and Kenfig for a visit in May ‘23. 

The brief to capture as much of the golf course a possible in the two shooting windows we had and to create a short video using drone footage.  However, much of the course is already well-photographed, and Ryan Evans — assistant secretary and my contact for the shoot — was keen to see some new angles of their iconic holes.

I had visited the club once before and played the back nine where the most dramatic land lies, so I knew what we has getting at and relished the challenge.

I also already knew that I wanted to try and make the most of the amazing views up the coast, where you can see the industrial landscapes of Port Talbot, with plenty of flames and steam adding a dramatic backdrop to the course. 

Club championship qualifying rounds were taking place when I arrived, so I headed out to see if I could capture any of the play and reacquaint myself with the course. A road runs through the middle, so it was helpful to get my bearings again, and it’s always nice to get a little on course action as well. 

Having checked into the dormy-house — always a treat to be able to roll out onto the course in the morning! — I then went out to shoot the course, aiming straight for the box office stretch from 11-15. The weather was glorious in both windows, so I flew around trying to make the most of the light, and was delighted with what we captured.

The one spot I took a little more time was 14. This is the signature hole at Pyle and Kenfig, but it’s also the most photographed, so I worked hard to find some new perspectives. In particular, I really like the photographs taken from the back of the 15th tee, featuring a commemorative bench. Apparently members are fond of that spot, so I wanted to incorporate it into some of the shots. I hope I did it justice…

As I mentioned, I was keen to document the sense of place that is really important to that part of the world. There’s no getting away from the history of the area, and I think the industrial backdrop adds a reassuring atmosphere. You know exactly where you are…

The next morning I worked on capturing the vibrant colours around the course, in particular the glorious bluebell beds, the wildflowers and various trees that were blossoming. 

 I also tried to spot the little details around the course, which are as important as the wide vistas (and, shot in portrait, are perfect for Instagram stories!). 

After a wonderful, hearty breakfast in the clubhouse I had to quickly make my bed and clear out so that I could photograph the dormy-house rooms, including mine. They’re lovely, homely rooms and I would love to return to play 36 holes without having to leave the property, and being able to make the most of the superb hospitality! 

On the final stretch, I spent some time in the beautiful, historic part of the clubhouse, which has some lovely details and would a perfect spot to nurse a drink and reflect on a round.

Finally, we took some portraits of the key staff members, with that part of the clubhouse as the backdrop.

Once I got home, I set to work editing the drone shots into a short marketing video, which I’m delighted to see is playing on the club’s homepage. Sometimes you can’t beat some cinematic aerial footage! Here’s the film:

Ryan was lovely to work with - enthusiastic about the project, flexible around scheduling — I work hard to give us the best chance of good light, but it means keeping an open mind on timings — clear with the brief and warm with his welcome. He also very kindly offered up a testimonial:

“Professional, flexible and a pleasure to work with, Mike provided us with a much-needed updated gallery of photos for our golf course. All the photography was first-class, showcasing our course in the best way. I would thoroughly recommend Carefree Golf Photography to anyone looking to refresh their golf course photography.”

All in all, it was a successful visit and I would recommend a trip for anyone thinking of heading to play the course, it’s a beautiful spot with a glorious hospitality. I hope I can return soon…