" 9/64" Measurement of a Golfer

visit sasgolf.com to view this golf art print and many others...

"9/64" -the numbers seen within the art print of golfing legend Ben Hogan is not a mysterious measurement nor a mathematical fraction... it is his professional golfing career record: 9 major championships and 64 PGA Tour victories. The most impressive detail of Mr. Hogan's history is he survived a near-fatal automobile accident at age 36 and afterwards went on to win 6 more major championships. (you may have to click on the image above to see the full composition)


This new golf art print from artist Steven Anthony Salerno is now available at sasgolf.com in the "exclusive edition" gallery. The original art was created with crayon, pastel, and gouache on paper with digital wood grain effects. Only 50 of these superbly reproduced golf art prints are available (17"x22" size) in the limited edition. Printed in the artist's studio using brilliant permanent pigment inks on archival 100% cotton rag based fine art papers, visit sasgolf.com to learn more about these limited edition prints. 

Tiger in 2011... Q: Can He Attain Major #15?

(click on image to see full size)        Visit sasgolf.com to view limited edition golf prints by artist Steven Anthony Salerno

Short answer: Yes.

In 2011 Tiger is set to add yet another major championship to his current list of 14 major titles. Of course, now there are several new top competitors on the scene with the ability to nab a major, so from this point forward getting into the major winner's circle again is going to be an even more difficult task for the man in red, but he will get it done. I don't think we will see Tiger winning majors by quite such large margins as he has done in the past. Those days are gone, but it only takes one less stroke than the closest competitor in a championship to attain the victory anyway, so what does it really matter what the winning margin might be?

The other top contenders don't have what Tiger does, which is the momentum of being on a powerful inside track to break the Jack Nicklaus record of 18 majors. Tiger is still the ONE, and it's an advantage. Some may argue that Tiger's momentum has been stripped away due to his personal upheaval over the past year. This momentum has merely skipped a beat. It's still there, and well in tact.

People want Tiger to win more major championships. They want to see him rise up, and be the one who surpasses a seemingly unattainable record. With a fresh current of energy from the golfing public helping to once again propel Tiger forward, combined with the fact he is in the prime of his golfing powers including immense experience to draw upon, getting into the major winner's circle again (and again) is inevitable.

My artwork posted here originally appeared in the Player Spotlight feature section on pgatour.com, the official web site of the PGA Tour, and depicts Tiger in his putting pose. Since showing his Sunday red shirt alone visually informs the viewer that it is Tiger Woods, I purposely did not even show his face, to push the minimalist effect of the composition. To the side are his current stats: 14 majors and 71 tournament victories, which has remained the same over the past year since he did not get a win in 2010. (you may have to click on the above art image to see the full composition)

Look for those stats to tick upward in 2011...

Visit my on-line golf gallery at sasgolf.com, where you can purchase signed, limited edition golf art prints.

Interview with golf artist Steven Anthony Salerno

I was recently interviewed via Skype by golf blogger Ralph Perez in New York City. Here is the link to that interview on gothamgolfblog
...and my golf art also got a mention on the armchairgolfblog, thanks to the editor Neil Sagebiel. You can see the brief article here.

Seve Ballesteros -a new golf art print available on sasgolf.com

see more golf prints at sasgolf.com

see more golf prints at sasgolf.com

(5/7/2011)

Note: Seve Ballesteros died on May 7th, 2011, from ongoing complications due to brain cancer surgeries he underwent back in 2009)

. . .

I recently completed a small gouache painting on paper of one of my favorite players of all time to watch play the game, Seve Ballesteros of Spain. It is available on my gallery site, sasgolf.com as a limited edition print. 

Severiano “Seve” Ballesteros of Spain, with 87 wins worldwide, including 5 major championship victories (2 Masters and 3 British Open Championships) is one of the most bold, and charismatic players to have ever graced championship golf. From humble beginnings as a boy in the town of Santander practicing hitting shots along the sandy beaches, to being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1997... as well as surviving brain tumor surgery in 2009 at age 52, the golfer and the man is admired by millions of fans all around the world.

The image was created using red as the dominant color theme, to represent his passion and strength exhibited on and off the course. It was executed using brush and gouache on paper, and added digital enhancements.

2010... A very long year for Tiger Woods

see Steven Anthony Salerno's golf prints at sasgolf.com

Back in July of this year, I was commissioned by GolfWorld magazine to create a painting to accompany their BUNKER column article on Tiger Wood's onslaught by the media during 2010 and more specifically how he may now need to be more accessible with reporters than in past years. Since the article was appearing in the issue surrounding the British Open, I depicted Tiger as a lone figure within a battered castle, his TW flag tattered in the relentless wind.

I wonder if Tiger did indeed feel like the depiction in my art image during the course of the past twelve months. He probably did at some point, but 2010 is coming to a close now... and time and effort does indeed heal all wounds, bringing new opportunities. Tiger, as with many of us, are definitely looking forward to 2011 being a much better year.

Undoubtedly Tiger will be more balanced in every way in the new year, so certainly a victory (or two, or three) is lurking around the next couple corners for him. Yes, in the past year the roster of superb players with the capability to win the big tournaments during the Tiger-Void has grown longer. (names like Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell come to mind) Although having one major under your belt is a supreme achievement and both players cited will certainly not be limited to just one, but when a veteran player with FOURTEEN majors under his belt begins to prowl near the top of the leader board again (who is a mere 35 years young), it is still all the others players who'll have the most pressure to contend with.

"Three-Putt Blues"

When I created the drawing (posted above) of the golfer struggling to putt the ball into the hole due to excessive analysis, I did not quite have myself in mind as the subject! In fact my putting game is one aspect I can generally rely on from week to week... unlike, for example, my driver, which can get on streaks of missing fairways. In a recent round, however, it was a different story entirely. I was 10 for 12 in hitting the fairway with the driver, but I three-putted greens six times. I repeat, SIX! The most three-putts I can ever remember having in a single round.


In each instance I was on the green in regulation when I three-putted. A couple occurred from 40-45 feet away... but the remaining sins were committed from the 20-25 foot range, and none were from severe downhill/sidehill positions. Many times I play a round without any three putts at all, or when I do, it is maybe one or two times. But SIX?! I thought Rod Serling was going to step from out of the bushes to inform me I had entered The Twilight Zone. I was just plain SHORT all day with my putts. Good line, not enough juice.


I chalked up that 6-time three putt day as being a fluke... especially considering that in the very next round I made nearly everything and had only 27 total putts... go figure!


This golf art print by artist Steven Anthony Salerno is available in a limited edition at sasgolf.com  

Woods? Mickelson? Villegas? -nope, just the artist!

the artist, Steven Anthony Salerno on the range -visit sasgolf.com to view his golf art
photo by: James "Vegas" Yang

This is a photo of me one recent morning hitting a few warm-up shots at the driving range at Bethpage State Park golf complex, home of the infamous Black Course, site of the 2002 and 2009 US Open Championships. There are five course at Bethpage, and on that particular day we were not able to snag a tee time on the preferred Black Course, or even the Red Course... but played the Blue Course, a short-ish rolling hills layout of about 6,600 yards from the back tees. The USGA uses the Blue Course at Bethpage each year as a New York State local qualifying site for the USGA Public Links Championship. I played in this qualifier event a while back, with most participants being good college aged players... and the one young man I was playing with that day drove a level fairway 356 yard par four -on the fly!


Note: see the artificial grass mat I am hitting from? Don't worry, when the pros play the Black Course during the US Open they get a pristine fairway in an adjacent course to use as their practice facility.