“Hole-in-One” exhibition brings together 24 works depicting some of the world’s most recognizable golf landscapes as part of the artist’s decades-long pursuit to preserve the beauty, history and human experience of golf through art
NEW YORK, NY – Internationally exhibited artist Hudson Shaoxia Zhang, whose exploration of the golf landscape has spanned more than three decades, presented Hole-in-One: Hudson Zhang Special Exhibition at the Harvard Club of New York on September 18, bringing together a collection of works that examine golf courses not simply as sporting venues, but as landscapes shaped by architecture, nature, memory and human experience.
The exhibition featured 24 oil paintings and works on paper depicting golf landscapes across the United States and around the world, including interpretations of Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Augusta National Golf Club, Los Angeles Country Club, Bethpage Black, TPC Sawgrass, Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Bluejack National and Cape Kidnappers.
Together, the works reflect a pursuit that has occupied Zhang for more than 35 years: creating an artistic interpretation of the places, experiences and emotions that define golf. His ambition extends beyond capturing recognizable courses on canvas. Through the body of work he continues to build, Zhang seeks to leave a lasting artistic legacy around the game that has become both his subject and his passion.
In his remarks to guests at the exhibition, Hudson reflected: “Golf has given me friends, taken me to beautiful places, and given me a new way to see the world. Through my paintings, I hope to give something back, to build a small bridge between art and golf, and between our generation and the next.”
Rather than documenting these venues literally, Zhang uses the golf course as a starting point.
“When I paint, I walk the fine line between likeness and imagination,” Zhang has said of his work. “The golf landscape becomes a realm shaped through memory and imagination.”
His approach combines decades of artistic study with his own experience as a golfer. Drawing from both Western painting and the compositional principles of traditional Chinese landscape painting, Zhang explores perspective, movement, light and atmosphere to reconsider landscapes that golfers may believe they already know.
“To a painter, a golf course is not merely a sporting venue. It is a living composition, a grand and evolving canvas,” Zhang writes in Master of Golf Course Landscapes: The Oil Paintings of Hudson Shaoxia Zhang. “Every hole presents a new scene; every round, a meditation on space, light, rhythm, and harmony.”
A LEGACY BUILT THROUGH THE LANDSCAPES OF GOLF
That sense of permanence is central to Zhang’s work. While championships, players and individual moments pass through a course, the landscape remains, accumulating generations of memories and becoming part of the history of the game itself.
“The course for me represents eternity, while the golfers who create miracles upon it are fleeting,” Zhang has said.
It is a distinction that helps explain why Zhang has returned to golf as a subject for decades. His paintings encompass celebrated championship venues, lesser-known courses and landscapes across multiple continents, creating a body of work that is as much about golf’s sense of place as it is about the individual courses depicted.
As Hudson reflected that evening, “I hope my paintings can become a small bridge. A bridge between art and golf, between the golf course and the canvas, and between our generation and the next generation.”
FROM EXHIBITION TO AN EXPANDING RELATIONSHIP WITH GOLF
The September exhibition also reflected a growing relationship between Zhang’s work and organizations within the golf community, including the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA).
Among the works connected to that relationship is A Round with Friends, Zhang’s interpretation of TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The painting reflects his view of golf as an experience shaped not only by competition, but by landscape, architecture, friendship and the relationships formed through the game.
“Golf is about so much more than the scorecard, and Hudson’s work does a great job of capturing that. His paintings reflect the friendships, memories, and experiences that make the game special. We’re especially grateful that the two pieces Hudson donated to the AJGA feature TPC Sawgrass and Bethpage Black, two courses that hold a special place in our organization’s history. A Round with Friends is a great example of the way Hudson brings golf’s story to life through his artwork, and we’re proud to have it displayed at AJGA Headquarters” – Patrick Cansfield, Sr. Director, Development
“The AJGA was thrilled to attend and experience the Hole-in-One exhibition and the entire evening at the Harvard Club. What the exhibition represented was the intersection of golf and art, bringing together individuals from both spaces under one memorable event. It provided an opportunity for those unfamiliar with Hudson’s work to experience it firsthand, while also allowing attendees to learn more about the AJGA and our mission. We’re proud of the relationship we’ve built with Hudson and his studio, and how we’re working together to create a positive impact through both golf and art.” – Adam Brueggman, Regional Director, Northeast
The relationship between Zhang and AJGA will continue later this month, when Tribute to Rory McIlroy II, depicting Bethpage Black Golf Course in Farmingdale, New York, will be featured in AJGA’s October 26–30 online charity auction, linked here: https://ajga.winningbidder.com/Item/76755
All proceeds from AJGA’s Foundation Online Auction benefit the AJGA Foundation Initiatives, specifically supporting the Liberty National ACE Grant Program, which helps junior golfers with demonstrated financial need access tournament opportunities.
The painting was conceived following Zhang’s visit to Bethpage Black in anticipation of the 2025 Ryder Cup. Rather than focusing on the spectacle of competition itself, Zhang depicts the course in the stillness surrounding it, another expression of his larger interest in the permanence of golf’s landscapes and the history created upon them.
A GLOBAL PRACTICE CENTERED ON THE GOLF LANDSCAPE
Born in Nanjing, China, in 1953, Zhang earned his B.F.A. from Nanjing Normal University School of the Arts and his M.A. from Nanjing University of the Arts. His career encompasses painting, scholarship and extensive writing on art history.
In recent years, Zhang’s work has been exhibited internationally, including solo exhibitions at the University of Louvain in Belgium, Sorbonne University in Paris, Museo Bellini in Florence and the University of London, followed by the 2026 Hole-in-One exhibition at the Harvard Club of New York.
His 2026 book, Master of Golf Course Landscapes: The Oil Paintings of Hudson Shaoxia Zhang, brings together his paintings, writings and reflections on the relationship between golf, landscape and place.
For Zhang, the work remains unfinished by its very nature.
“How could I ever exhaust the endless possibilities of the golf course with a mere brush?”
CONNECTING WITH THE AMERICAN JUNIOR GOLF ASSOCIATION
For more information on ways to get involved with the American Junior Golf Association, contact Patrick Cansfield (pcansfield@ajga.org) in the AJGA Development Department.
ABOUT HUDSON SHAOXIA ZHANG
Hudson Shaoxia Zhang is an artist, scholar and author whose work has explored the golf landscape for more than three decades. Drawing from both Western painting traditions and principles of traditional Chinese landscape painting, Zhang examines golf courses through color, perspective, memory, movement and atmosphere. Across paintings of courses throughout the United States and around the world, he is building a body of work intended to preserve golf’s landscapes and the experiences, history and human connections created within them for generations to come.
His golf landscape paintings have been exhibited internationally, and his most recent publication, Master of Golf Course Landscapes: The Oil Paintings of Hudson Shaoxia Zhang, was published by Golf Art Publishing in New York in 2026.
ABOUT AJGA
The American Junior Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. The AJGA provides valuable exposure for college golf scholarships and has an annual junior membership (boys and girls, ages 12-19) of more than 11,500 members from 50 states and 59 international countries and territories. Through initiatives like the Liberty National ACE Grant, a financial assistance program, and Leadership Links, a service-oriented platform that teaches juniors charitable-giving skills, the AJGA fosters the growth of golf’s next generation.
TaylorMade and Rolex are the AJGA’s Global Partners, supporting the AJGA for more than 60 years combined. TaylorMade has served as the Official Ball of the AJGA since 2016. Rolex, in its fourth decade of AJGA sponsorship, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004 and assumed the Global Partner position in 2026. Adidas has been with the AJGA for many years and became a Premier Partner in 2026.
AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. Former AJGA juniors have compiled more than 1,000 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horschel, Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Tiger Woods, Paula Creamer, Jessica Korda, Nelly Korda, Cristie Kerr, Stacy Lewis, Inbee Park, Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang.
MEDIA CONTACT
Meredith Otero
MET Marketing & Media
meredith@metmarketingllc.com
