Biography

Joann Dost

Joann Dost is not only a world-renowned golf landscape photographer, she is a pioneer of the art form. With professional roots in golf stemming from her tenure on the LPGA and Australian Tours and in photography from her studies with Ansel Adams, Joann possesses an unparalleled authenticity in the medium. With its notable classical beauty and almost painterly quality, her imagery has been sought, published, collected, exhibited and commissioned internationally over the past 30 years.

Competitive sport runs in Joann’s family with her father a former Olympic speed skater and her brother a former New York Met. She took to golf at the age of 15, excelling as a Junior, winning both the Maryland State and DC Junior Girls Championships after a mere two years playing experience. She became a teaching pro in 1970 and played as a professional on the Australian Tour in 1973-1974. Finishing third in Qualifying School, Joann became a Touring Professional on the LPGA circuit in1976. During her five years on the Tour, she had several top-10 finishes, shot a low round of 66 and finished third at the Ping Championship in Portland, Oregon.

It was her move to Pebble Beach in 1977 that would forge a new dimension in her love of the game. The magnificence of the Monterey Peninsula inspired her to purchase a Mamiya Sekor camera and begin to photograph golf courses. Surrounded by natural beauty and stunning golf landscapes, Joann staked her future through the eye of the lens.

Mentored by Ansel Adams, Cole Weston and John Woods, she honed her skills. Her talent quickly earned her a place of leadership in the field of golf landscape photography: the USGA assigned her to cover the 1981 Walker Cup Matches at Cypress Point. Subsequently, she was awarded the photography assignment for the 1982 Pebble Beach U.S. Open book. Despite the five U.S. Open events at Pebble Beach and hundreds of national and international tournaments Joann has photographed since, it is her timeless golf landscapes for which she has come to be known.

Over the years, Dost has mounted significant credentials, association memberships and awards. These include:

  • Charter Member of the Shivas Irons Society
  • GOLF Magazine panelist for the Top 100 USA & Top 100 World course ratings since 1988
  • ARJO-Wiggins USA “Outstanding Photographer “ achievement Award in 1994
  • “Best of Show” at Pinehurst Resort in 2001
  • International Network of Golf Media Awards in 2008 & 2009
  • Photos are featured in the USGA museum & World Golf Hall of Fame
  • Two former U.S. Presidents own her work
  • Kodak selected Joann as the exclusive landscape photographer for their “Kodak Challenge” on the PGA Tour (2009)

She holds among her personal highlights taking golf lessons from Lee Trevino, playing golf with Arnold Palmer on her 50th birthday and being asked to document Jack Nicklaus’ final Open Championship at St. Andrews.

Features about her are numerous and include a 2000 story in GOLF Magazine by Jim Dodson, 2008 story in the Wall Street Journal and a GolfWeek piece in 2009. Joann has worked with premier golf clubs, resorts and corporations the world over with clients including Pebble Beach Company, Bandon Dunes, Whistling Straits, Kiawah Island Resort, Old Head, Kauri Cliffs & Cape Kidnappers, Seminole Golf Club, UBS, Ritz-Carlton, Donald Trump, Wells Fargo Bank, Newell Rubbermaid, and Nikon, to name a few. In addition to creating fine art, collectibles and site-specific souvenir art programs, Joann’s company (Golf Lifestyles, Inc./ Joann Dost Golf) has published three museum-quality custom books: Tradition (2004), Pebble Beach: Heritage Collection (2006), and The Story of Seminole (2007).

Joann continues to be a trend-setter within the art form and the industry. Her travels across North America, The British Isles, the Far East, Australia and New Zealand continue as she captures the essence of golf course architecture and the spirit of the game through her photographs.

Awards & Editorial Features

  • Wall Street Journal
    Wall Street Journal
  • Pebble Beach Magazine June 2010 Cover Story Opener
    Pebble Beach Magazine June 2010 Cover Story Opener
  • MILO Awards
    MILO Awards
  • MCBC 2008
    MCBC 2008
  • Golf Magazine
    Golf Magazine
  • Fairways & Greens August 2008
    Fairways & Greens August 2008
  • 2001 Art of Golf Festival
    2001 Art of Golf Festival
  • Carmel Magazine 2010
    Carmel Magazine 2010

Testimonials

“Thank you very much for your assistance and for the prints we purchased for our outing last week in the Monterey Peninsula. They were magnificent and truly appreciated by those who won them with their play on the course! We always look forward to bringing clients out there and in the future, we will make sure to keep your prints in mind as a great gift and/or prize for the participants!”

Chris White Marketing and Event Manager,Stan Smith Events

“Just wanted to thank you again for all the photographs you sent! They look great in our new office.”

Ken Alperstein Pinnacle Design

“In the world of of golf, there is only one Joann Dost. Not only has she become an icon through her photographic magic, she has become a friend to so many in the game, in all corners of the world….including me. Through many years of crossing paths with Joann from the cliffs of Cape Kidnappers, to the hallowed grounds of St. Andrews, to back home in our beloved Pebble Beach…I have grown to respect not just her work, but her commitment to any endeavor she undertakes…and more importantly, her love for the the game and the people she has met through it. She truly is one of a kind.”

Mark Rolfing

“The images were fantastic and we had people who were not part of the event asking for one so we thank you for doing such a wonderful job and thank Joann for taking the time to sign them.”

Ali White Golf Sales Manager, Yocha DeHe Golf Club at Cache Creek Casino Resort

“Yes, the piece is amazing. Looks very, very nice!”

Topcon

“Trophies were very well received and we are looking forward to doing something like that for this event annually.”

Patrick Freeman Director of Tournaments,Pebble Beach Company

“Just a note to let you know how perfect everything came out. Your service was excellent and I could never have pulled this off without your personal attention!”

Pete Wlodkowski Amateurgolf.com

” I received my print in the mail today and I think it is just beautiful.
I know my husband will love it in his office. Thank you so much!”

Doreen Briggs

“Thanks for sending the shots.  I was able to share them with some of the team today and got lots of oohs and aahs.  These will definitely help us better promote The Inn & Links at Spanish Bay as well as celebrate its 25th Anniversary.”

Neal Hotelling Director of Licensing and Special Projects

“Please know how incredibly, above and beyond, helpful you and your staff were to “get ‘er done!” I’m very grateful for your help to make it happen. Kudos for your exceptional customer service and your kind and gracious assistance!!”

Kathleen Burchardt Executive Assistant to Kenneth L. Beall, Dartbrook Partners, LLC

“I really appreciated your help when I was involved with the Realtors group. I still see the awards hanging in offices and homes (including mine).”

Jim Pescatore

Credentials, Associations, Awards

GOLF MAGAZINE PANELIST

Top 100 USA & Top 100 World since 1988

GOLF FOR WOMEN MAGAZINE

Top 50 Golf Course Panelist since 2002

INTERNATIONAL GOLF PHOTOGRAPHERS ASSOCIATION

Charter Member

UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION

Member since1980

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MEDIA PHOTOGRAPHERS

Associate Member

SHIVAS IRONS SOCIETY

Charter Member

SUNRIVER WOMEN’S GOLF FORUM

Member since 1997

MEETING INDUSTRY LADIES ORGANIZATION

Member

GOLF COLLECTORS SOCIETY

Member since 1980

WOMEN IN GOLF INDUSTRY

Charter Member

1970 -1973 LPGA CLUB & TEACHING PROFESSIONAL

1973 – 1974 AUSTRALIAN LPGA TOURING MEMBER

1975 – 1980, LPGA PLAYER

1981 WALKER CUP MATCHES

Cypress Point USGA Journal Photographer

1982 US OPEN BOOK

Pebble Beach – Photographer

1983 – 1996 GOLF WORLDMAGAZINE LPGA, PGA

Amateur Tournament Photographer

1983 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP BOOK

Riviera Country Club, Los Angeles, Photographer

1985 US AMATEUR BOOK

Montclair Country Club, New Jersey, Photographer

1985 US SENIOR OPEN BOOK

Edgewood-Tahoe, Nevada, Photographer

1987 US OPEN BOOK

Olympic Club, San Francisco, Photographer

1991-1992 USGA MUSEUM PHOTO EXHIBITION

Far Hills, New Jersey

1992 US OPEN BOOK

Pebble Beach, Photographer

1994 ARJO-WIGGINS USA

Outstanding Achievement Award, Limited Edition
Lithograph “Ethereal Space, The 15th at Cypress Point” Photographer

1999 US AMATEUR BOOK

Pebble Beach, Photographer

1999 PEBBLE BEACH: The Official History

Photographer

2000 US OPEN

Pebble Beach, Photographer

2002 INTERNATIONAL GOLF PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Boardroom Magazine

2002 GOLF DIGEST & PINEHURST RESORT, INTERNATIONAL GOLF ART SHOW

Winner “Best of Show” Photography Division

2008 ECONOMIC VITALITY AWARD

Monterey County