George T. Lawrence

For many years George Lawrence felt equally at home on a great golf course or a world class museum, but he did not combine his two passions until 1989 when approached by his golf club, Westhampton Country Club on Long Island, to create to large golf scenes in oil to commemorate the club’s centennial celebrations. Shortly after, friends and friends of friends began commissioning golf paintings and a successful career was born.

A typical commissioned golf landscape requires Lawrence to make several visits to the course for early morning and late afternoon photo sessions. He does this to ensure that critical features, as well as subtle nuances, are caught in the best light. Lawrence’s golf scenes have a remarkably true-to-life quality to them. Standing in front of one of his works, golfers can almost sense the air temperature and the time of day. Creating this effect is the result of a skillful technique, a practiced eye and plain hard work. Sunrise sightings of him sitting patiently perched, heron-like on a ladder are often reported by grounds crews.

At about the time he designed his first 18-hole golf course at the age of 16, Lawrence’s handicap dropped to four and for the last thirty years has gotten as low as one and is still a single digit. His passion and knowledge of the game are very evident in his paintings.

Lawrence largely confined his work to the N.Y. Metropolitan area. However, in addition to scenes of U.S. courses in the South, West and Mid-west, he has created many paintings of golf courses in Ireland, a familiar and favorite place to visit.