The impact of a good photo cannot be understated. A moment frozen in time that can harbinge feelings or emotions many years later. Golf is a wonderful sport to photograph for many reasons: the emotions you see out of people, the body language players will exhibit, and of course the fact you're on the most natural and beautiful playing venues that any sport has to offer. After about 2,000 photographs were taken across KGA, KPGA and KGF competition in 2021, the Golf House Kentucky staff voted on their favorites. These were the ones that made the strongest impact to our team and are deemed the ten best for the year. Commentary and the story behind each photo is provided below by Ethan Fisher, the Director, Communications & Marketing at Golf House Kentucky.

This might be my personal favorite even though it barely made the cut in the 10 spot. I took this on the 4th fairway at University of Louisville Golf Club looking towards the 5th green during the Kentucky Senior Amateur in August. Something about the way the clouds affecting the sun they were made this threesome stick out in a neat way and this photo came out perfectly to represent it. The simplicity and calmness of golf is on display here.

Sand shots aren't generally fun for the player, but they are for me when I've got a camera with me. This shot of Tyler Oldham during the Callaway Pro-Assistant showcased the "explosion" of a good bunker shot really well. I don't remember how the shot itself turned out, but the washing of sand across his face made this a memorable moment regardless of the final result.

Austin Burke chipped in for birdie on the 4th hole at Big Spring Country Club during the Pro-Am Championship, turned to the camera, and provided this fantastic reaction. A hole-out from off the green is the best feeling in golf and sometimes when you do that, you just have to show off the fact you're the best to ever do it (at least for one shot).

Keith Ohr, PGA had his son with him during the Kentucky Open at Persimmon Ridge Golf Club as a caddie. Sometimes the best thing a caddie can be is a simple stress-reliever, and in this case the power of a father-son relationship was exactly that. I think it's pretty clear going off Keith's facial expression and body language that you can see just how much he loves his son. The great thing about golf is it's the outlet for many parent-child moments like this one.

Oh, the things we make our bodies do to get the golf ball to go where we want it. This instance from the Kentucky Women's Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Boone's Trace National Golf Club worked out! The ball went in, there was relief and it showed body language works all the time!

...except when it doesn't. This gentleman at the Bill Long Mega Pro-Am presented by TaylorMade was not so lucky as you can see the outline of the hole behind the ball, but his reaction is incredible nevertheless. With how well he can stretch out his leg, he might be a candidate for an NFL punter in 2022.

During that same tournament at Wildwood Country Club, I came across this turtle on the 7th hole and ended up spending about 15 minutes with him or her. It went from the rough, to the green, to the bunker. It left it unraked proving just how little turtles care about golf etiquette, forcing me to clean up after it to prevent any unfortunate lies.

This was our organization's first year with a drone, shoutout to the DJI Mavic Air 2, and this shot resonated most. Sure, the 13th at Valhalla Golf Club is one of the most photogenic holes in the state. There have been many photos taken of this green complex and a great number of those are better than this one. But this photo is the last one that will ever be captured of the 13th at Valhalla while the golf course is sporting bentgrass on the tee boxes and fairways. The 13th green itself won't look too different going forward, but its surrounds like the 14th hole in the background will have a slightly different appearance if a photo from this same spot in the air is taken next summer.

Probably the most wholesome photo of the season. During the second round of the Kentucky Open at Persimmon Ridge Golf Club, these two kids posted up past the 13th green with lemonade and cookies to sell to the competitors, their caddies and spectators. Many people partook in their offer and these youngsters surely got a nice chunk of change in their pockets. With those smiles, they certainly deserved it and clearly understand the value of good customer service. Not to be lost in this though is the awesome artwork on the sign and if you look closely enough, the beautiful presentation of the cookies. First class all the way!

The best photo of 2021 is slightly edited here to fit the dimensions on hand, so if you want to look at the original, click here. This was on the 13th tee at Big Spring Country Club during the Pro-Am Championship and this whole foursome was having a great day filled with many laughs, but this photo stands out. Serious or jokingly, the support of a teammate is second to none and this shot epitomizes how much fun golf can be sometimes... even if you're not the one hitting the shot. An all-time classic that deserves the top spot.