This April, up! tees up the annual golf issue, from course reviews to the latest hi-tech equipment to profiles of top golfers and a look at golf fashion trends.
This year, the cover features golf star Dustin Johnson. Not only is he a celebrity in his own right and engaged to Paulina Gretzky, but he hails from one of WestJet’s newest destinations, Myrtle Beach.
The photo shoot
We were able to arrange a photo shoot in Myrtle Beach as Dustin Johnson (who now lives in Florida) flew in for a one-day celebrity appearance and round of golf. Art director Teresa Johnston and photographer Fritz Tolentino arrived a day early and scouted the area to determine which holes would provide the perfect backdrop of Myrtle Beach scenery.
“We were looking for a portrait cover of Dustin, but one that really showcased the Myrtle Beach location,” Johnston says.
The original plan was to try to get the shot early in the day, as Johnson progressed through a round of golf on the TPC Myrtle Beach course. But the day started out chilly and cloudy.
Tolentino and Johnston decided to step off the course and meet the golfer later in the afternoon, taking a chance that the weather would clear.
“We got the five minutes of sunlight that we needed,” Johnston says. “And I think we got some fantastic shots.”
Besides the smiling cover shot, Tolentino snapped a panoramic shot of the golfer in action, which graces a two-page spread on the inside of the magazine.
“Dustin was a great sport about it and really, one of the nicest celebrities I’ve worked with,” Johnston says.
Everything golf
If Dustin Johnson provided the anchor for the issue, the rest of the stories that really fill out a solid Ultimate Guide. It’s always a goal for us to cover as many North American WestJet destinations as possible, and this one runs the range — Palm Springs to Prince Edward Island. The beefy, 21-page guide also offers a range of interesting side stories and tips, from best courses for female golfers to avoiding the most-costly golf trip errors.
Overall, if feels like we’re giving readers something they’ll really want to dig into.
Read the Ultimate Golf Guide issue of up! and find more golf and travel stories atupmagazine.com.