Aikman was a painter of landscapes, portraits and town scenes. He trained as an engraver, working for his father, before moving on to painting in oil and watercolour. He specialised in moorland, woodland, coastal and harbour scenes.
This painting shows a golfer, his ball in an awkward lie in Hell Bunker, as his young caddie looks on. The St Andrews skyline is visible on the horizon and the steam from a train can be seen on right side of the painting.
Hell Bunker was one of the bunkers created on the 5th hole, the Hole O’ Cross. It was the first green to have two holes cut on it and was so named because the outgoing and incoming players crossed on the course.
The earliest known map of the St Andrews links dates to 1821. It shows the 18-hole layout, with the double green at the Hole o’ Cross. The existence of this double green therefore predates 1821 and also predates the work Allan Robertson supervised over the winter of 1856-57 to create seven double greens. The holes are all named on the 1821 map, but none of the bunkers are present. A subsequent map of the course, dated 1836, shows the bunkers, including Hell Bunker.