A Work of Art
Chambers Bay No. 15
Scott Mulholland didn’t choose to be a painter of golf courses … well, not exactly. But, as anyone who makes their living in the creative arts will tell you – be they a painter, writer, film director, etc. – your best work comes when you paint (or write, or direct) what you know.
Raised in Ayr, Scotland, Mulholland picked up golf at an early age, playing at the junior ranks in Kilmarnock and caddying at Royal Troon and other famed courses. After emigrating to Tacoma with his family in the 1980s, Mulholland kept up the game at Stadium High School and Tacoma Community College, and spent several years on the sales and marketing side of the golf industry.
When he wasn’t golfing, Mulholland was often indulging his other hobby – art, particularly drawing and photography. Painting, he soon discovered, allowed him to combine those passions, photographing source material then sketching it onto a canvas before applying the paint. It wasn’t until 2008, however, when Mulholland was taking pictures during a round at Chambers Bay, that his two hobbies finally merged.
Mulholland decided to recreate one of the photos – of Chambers’ iconic No. 15 green and its Lone Fir – as a watercolor, and posted the image of the finished work on his website. Chambers Bay architect Jay Blasi came across the painting online and contacted Mulholland about purchasing it – and just like that, the career that Mulholland had seemingly and unknowingly been building towards for over 30 years was born.
“If you look at my history, it makes complete sense that this has become my focus,” he says. “It combines two of my greatest passions.”
In the years since, Mulholland has painted Allenmore Golf Course in Tacoma, Pebble Beach, Torrey Pines and Trump National, and has agreements to paint Semiahmoo, Newcastle, The Home Course, Bandon Dunes and Couer d’Alene Resort. His art has won best-in-show in a number of juried competitions, and in 2010 readers of South Sound magazine named Mulholland the “Best Local Artist.”
These days, Mulholland plays once a week at Allenmore (where he is a member), visits courses he’s contracted with to take reference photos for his work, and teaches art therapy classes to seniors and students.
“It’s hard to imagine something that would be a better match for me,” he says.
To see more of Mulholland’s work, visit any Puetz Golf location, or go online to scottmulholland.net.
