Looking Back at Sixteen ~ The Signature Hole!

The 16th Green at Two Rivers Country Club by William R. Beebe

The sixteenth hole at Two Rivers Country Club in Williamsburg, VA, is the course’s signature hole.  It’s a scenic par 5 that can be a pivotal hole in close matches.  Sometimes reachable in two, it will give up an eagle here and there.  It can be a good birdie hole, but it can also cost you a match, with water off the tee, out of bounds right, and lateral hazards down the left side.

I've played the course for over ten years and have many fond memories of finishing 15 and making the final turn across the road to 16, 17, and 18 along the water.  It’s a beautiful way to finish both a good round and a bad round. 

This golf hole study places the golfer on the seventeenth tee box, looking back at the sixteenth green.  It’s not the traditional way to paint a golf hole.  There’s no fairway; you can barely see the green marked by the red, front flag; and you’re looking from 17 back to 16. I picked the vantage point for several reasons.

One of the reasons is the aesthetics of the scene.  In other words, looking at the scene more as a landscape than a golf hole painting.  The combination of rocks along the river’s edge, the tall grasses, large waste bunkers, and the sculpted bunkers alongside the undulating green, all lead the viewer out to the point where Bald Eagles can be seen soaring overhead. 

Whether I was playing well or poorly, I would usually find myself at this location looking back and then scanning the river 180 degrees, taking it all in and appreciating my surroundings.  Many golf courses are located in some of the most scenic locations around the world including TRCC. 

So, it’s no wonder that an artist who loves golf would have the desire to paint a golf hole or two!  This golf painting is more personal in nature, full of memorable moments of wins and losses, of enjoying the view, of fighting the elements, and of camaraderie with good friends!

“Whether painting a sailboat, a unique architectural scene, a residence or a portrait, Bill captures the moment with exquisite detail and precision.”
— Charles & Julie Cawley